From Château-la-Vallière to Lublé, by cyclorail.
Among the many activities to enjoy with your family in Touraine, the elves in Château-la-Vallière have decided to put the railway heritage to good use by building an appealing and shaded trail. The elves? Yes, this is the nickname of the 15 members of the Cyclorail 37 association. They organise around 30 dates each year when visitors can ride a bike where the last goods train passed by…in 1980!
Pedal along a vintage railway line
Depending on how much time you have and how hard you pedal, you can set off on a trip of 7 km (2 x 3.5 km / €15 by Vélorail / about 1 hr 15 mins) or 14 km (2 x 7 km / €25 by Vélorail / about 2 hrs 30 mins), following the old Paris-Bordeaux railway line via Chartres, which was a secondary route after the Paris-Bordeaux line via Orléans and Tours.
At the heart of nature
When the Cyclorail team launched the adventure in 2018, you can imagine the scope of their task: in 40 years or so, nature had totally reasserted itself. Before the vélorails could move along the tracks (a fleet of 12 four-wheel rail vehicles, also known as draisines), a lot of weeding had to be done!
You can now ride along the rails with perfect peace of mind in the middle of the forests, where wild orchids grow, in particular. The draisines are designed for 4 people, with 2 of them doing the pedalling (children must be 1m40 tall to pedal). To make the activity easier to organise, please note that reservation is required.
Around the cyclorail
After your ride, don’t hesitate to visit Lake Val Joyeux: this time you will go 6.5 km on foot, with the treat of a refreshing swim on sunny days. A few miles further on, children will enjoy the tree-top adventure course at Baud’Rillé Adventure Park, the bird miniature golf course and the Wake Park in Lake Rillé. And in keeping with the railway theme, a steam train runs alongside the lake for 3 km.
What to see nearby: Clarté-Dieu Abbey, Châteaux de Champchevrier, Gizeux, Marcilly-sur-Maulne, the romantic ruins of the Château de Vaujours…
Campsites: Onlycamp Le Val Joyeux campsite, Camping Paradis L’Arada Parc, Village Huttopia.
The Huttopia Village