What I Learned
The Appellation Touraine Amboise Controlee, is a small appellation, in plots spread out over nine municipalities in and around the old town of Amboise. It covers about 200 hectares/500 acres, off both the left and the right banks of the Loire River.
Trail Name: Entre Vignes et Ramberge
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and fairly well-marked marked.
Length: Total: 8 kilometers/5 miles
Convenient to: Amboise, France
Marking: Wooden plaques identify the trailheads (See above); Yellow lines, straight or bent to indicate direction, below.
Continue reading Entre Vignes et Ramberge: Trail in a Nutshell
“A sea of vineyards – above the Loire River, under rain-laden clouds”
This is how I will always visualize this hike.
Maybe because we were in “la Douce France” (gentle, soft, sweet France), the rain fell only softly, and then not for long, to the chagrin of the vintners, but to our delight because sections of the trail would have turned muddy with heavier rains, or a higher river. As it was, the cloud cover served nicely to protect us from what otherwise would have been a hot day in the sun.
What I Learned:
Wine production has been documented along this section of the Loire (between Saumur and Anjou) for at least 1500 years. When the Plantagenet rulers of the area gained the throne of England in 1154, it sparked an international demand for this local wine, and its popularity continued until the French Revolution. It is a rich tradition that also makes full use of the natural and man-made caves in this area.
Trail Name: Au Coeur du Vignoble
Trail Type: Short distance hiking circuit; mostly hard-packed gravel or paved in built up areas, well maintained and marked.
Length: Total: 11 km, (approximately 7 miles)
Convenient to: Saumur, Loire Valley, France
Continue reading Dampierre’s Au Coeur du Vignoble: Trail in a Nutshell
