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Park in the Île Plage car park, near the swimming pool.
(S/E) Walk back towards the bridge along the River Cher, passing the small lock on your right, whilst enjoying a beautiful view of the village dominated by its castle. Below the bridge, climb the steps and then turn right onto the footbridge. On the other side of the Cher, cross the road, then follow it to the right for about forty metres, and climb the steps on the left – the ‘Dégrés des Trois Glorieuses’ – towards the castle’s round tower. At the top, follow the footpath (GR®) to the right, pass under a bridge, then take a sharp right-hand bend to enter the castle courtyard.
(1) Take in the sights and enjoy the many terraces offering views over the Cher and the village rooftops. Then head towards the magnificent gate at the southern entrance to the courtyard, then go down the monumental staircase leading to a pretty square opposite the Saint-Aignan Collegiate Church. Go inside to visit this beautiful Romanesque church: it features numerous exquisite capitals, wall frescoes and a large crypt. On leaving the collegiate church, take the street on the left. At the crossroads, walk straight on for a few steps to the beautiful former provost’s house, then retrace your steps back to the crossroads to follow the street on the left (Rue Constant Ragot). Follow this street straight on, then, as it continues, after passing the Porte Saint-François (which is no longer a gate), walk along Place Wilson (car park and Town Hall) and then along Avenue Léon Gambetta until you reach the Villa Rose, a 20th-century house beautifully decorated by three Florentine stonemasons.
(2) Retrace your steps towards the Town Hall; note the school mural on the right in Rue Victor Hugo. Walk along Place Wilson again, leaving the Town Hall some distance to your right, pass the biscuit factory and local produce shop, cross a wide street, then walk alongside the car park until you reach the Porte Saint-François. Turn right onto Place du 14 Juillet, then take the first street on the left, the next street on the right (a cul-de-sac with a large water pump at the end), then a narrow lane on the left just before the end of the street.
(3) At the end of the alley, first turn left then right to follow Rue Émile Zola. At the T-junction, turn left and you’ll reach a Fork in the road at Place de Tefftang. Follow the street on the right until you reach a pretty half-timbered house, the Maison de Carmen, dating from the 15th century. Retrace your steps and take the first street on the left; you’ll immediately come to a square (which is also, unfortunately, a car park). Turn right straight away to find yourself in front of a restored house, a former armoury. Take Rue du Vert Galant on its left. At the end, turn left, then take the first street on the left. Turn right at the next junction, immediately pass Rue Parmentier on your left at the corner of a half-timbered house, and continue straight on to see the former Hôtel-Dieu (now the Hôtel Beauviliers).
(4) Retrace your steps and turn right onto Rue Parmentier. Ignore a street on your left. At the T-junction, turn right, then immediately take a passageway on the left which leads onto Rue des Tanneurs; continue straight on along this street. At the end, walk past the half-timbered houses and climb a few steps to reach a street. Follow it to the left, then turn right onto Rue de la Paix. At the end, turn right onto Rue de la Pompe and you’ll arrive at the rear of the collegiate church; turn right and walk a few metres.
(5) At the rear of the church, take the narrow lane on the left which goes round the building (lawned terraces, a recumbent figure in the church wall, swallows under the eaves). You’ll come to a street; turn right and go down a flight of steps. At the bottom, follow the street to the left, which leads to the bridge over the Cher. Take the footbridge back to Île Plage and your car park (S/E).
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