A taste of Bordeaux

A gentle 8 day/7 night tour that with 4 days cycling wanders up the Garonne’s right bank  through several of Bordeaux’s better apellations. I|t crosses the river at St Macaire and then ambles through Graves vineyards to Bazas before discovering the Sauternes and returning to Bordeaux by way of Podensac. The  route and accommodation mix aims to give you a real experience of this corner of southwest France - comfortable, self-assured and determined to enjoy ‘the art of living’ despite the pressures of modern life. You may take home only a few bottles but are likely to also pack stacks of golden memories.   

The Tour Itinerary: 

Please note that the accommodation linked to here is representative of what we will book (and usually the actual accommodation) but as we select small, charming, overnight stops, until we receive your enquiry we cannot discover their availability (so call soon).

From Bordeaux you cross to the right bank of the Garonne  to reach  the bastide town of Creon.  Onto La Sauve where the abbey tower offers panoramic views of the Entre Deux Mers vineyards - a view little changed since the abbey hosted  streams of Compostella pilgrims in the middle ages. From here wander along back roads to Cadillac and your hosts for the night - the proprietors of a  19th century wine producing property - Chateau Broustaret  or at Les Batarelles  at either of which you will be made very welcome.

The next day there is a choice of route both of which take you through terroirs producing sweet white wines (Monprimblanc, Loupiac, St Croix du Mont). The reward for climbing to the latter is more splendid views as far as the Landais forest and a chance to picnic just below the village church and chateau.  Following the Garonne upstream brings you to Verdelais where Toulouse Lautrec is buried not far from his family home. From here you follow the valley bottom to reach St Macaire with its impressive ramparts and town gates where your three star hotel - Les Feuilles D’Acanthe  and its plunge pool/jacuzzi, awaits you ...

On the following day you also have a choice of route as you cross the Garonne and cycle past Graves vineyards to reach the ancient fortress of Roquetaillarde and then the tiny cathedral ’city’ of Bazas. A late picnic here can be enjoyed in the water meadows below the walls, or the town and its backstreets explored for bygones and bargains. The Bazas Hoard has already been found but who knows what else there is? Shortly after leaving Bazas you join another dedicated cycle track through the turpentine pines taking you to either Uzeste’s Sous la Tonnelle or the nearby village of Villandraut, and the Villa Madeleine for the next two nights.

The next day you may choose to treat as a rest day and take the chance to walk (or perhaps canoe) along the Ciron - unless you prefer a circular ride visiting St Symphorien by a forest track or heading south to Prechac and the former royal ‘Hunting Lodge’ at Chateau Cazeneuve. In either village you are surrounded by reminders of Pope Clemente V - a local lad who became the first ‘Avignon’ Pope in the 13th century. Supper can be had at the Brasserie overlooking the river at Villandraut.

Your fifth day takes you through Villandraut and Budos to the Sauternes vineyards and could include a visit to Chateau Malle before you turn north towards Bordeaux. The adjacent railway line has numerous small stations if you prefer an earlier return to the city but otherwise you could continue to Podensac with its Lillet distillery and Maison of Graves wines. Those with a few more miles in their legs can cross the Garonne once more to visit the remarkably well-preserved medieval village of Rions or even continue to La Brede. 

In Bordeaux you can take your final full day as a city break or explore further by either cycling directly out of the city or leapfrog using the network of local train lines. Destinations could include the  town of St Emilion, the Medoc vineyards, or Arcachon with its oyster ports, elaborate Rococo villas and spectacular sand dunes. And of course the city itself offers an exquisite  historic centre, and tempting shops, restaurants and galleries to soften the blow of your tour ending.