Distance: 27 km
by bike
Duration: 3h
Difficulty : Easy-to-use
Libourne
Libourne
If you like places of legend, here is a loop that combines the castle of Vayres with some Templar sites. Taking the bastide of Libourne as the starting point, the circuit takes place with the river as the common thread. To reach the castle and its famous staircase worthy of a “balcony over the Dordogne”, you will have to go through Arveyres and its Templar Commandery. And to return to Libourne, in Cadarsac, the church, founded by the Hospitallers of Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem, houses a fountain, sacred but unfortunately hidden. Allow yourself a moment of relaxation at Lac de Cadarsac, which is ideal. It is also a place to observe migrating geese.
Your itinerary
1
Commandery of Arveyres
Located on the terrace of the old alluvial deposits of Entre-Deux-Mers and installed on the palus, the Commanderie d'Arveyres dominates the Dordogne and only 300 meters separate it from the town center of the town. The Commanderie d'Arveyres is part of a network of establishments, installed on either side of the crossing of the Dordogne on the access roads to Spain. Placed on a modest promontory, it overlooks a loop of the Dordogne, a compulsory passage point for boats coming from and going to Bordeaux and its site, a promontory dominating the surroundings, gave it a strategically enviable location. Its vocation was to collect income for the financing of expeditions to the Holy Land, thanks to its land and real estate properties, but also thanks to income linked to privileges of justice, established in a limited safety by the four planted crosses
2
Castle of Vayres
In the middle of a magnificent park near the village and the church, on a rocky outcrop at the confluence of the Dordogne and one of its tributaries, stands the castle of Vayres. This majestic castle belonged to the nephew of Louis XII, then to the future Henri IV, who stayed there several times, before handing it over to Ogier de Gourgues. The latter, in the XNUMXth century, transformed it into an elegant Renaissance building. Inside, we appreciate the Louis XIII and Louis XIV period furniture, as well as a fine collection of Gobelins, Aubusson and Beauvais tapestries. And then, icing on the castle: facing the Dordogne, a high raised terrace which dominates the gardens allows you to enjoy a beautiful view of the river.
Points of interest
Castle of Vayres
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