Last week I was lucky enough to visit a wonderful château about an hour away from where I live. I must admit that given the choice of châteaux in the area it really came down to which one was still open for visits in September, which one had a guided tour and, if I'm completely honest, the presence of a café and gift shop possibly tipped the scale for me in favour of the beautiful Château de la Roche Courbon.
The first tantalising view of the château is glimpsed through an imposing stone gateway,
followed by an elegant driveway lined with topiary yew trees
that leads to the stunning gatehouse.
We passed the enclosed courtyard on the way to the gardens ready to come back after lunch when a guided tour of the interior was been held. Being a little out of season the tour was only available in French but at only 11€ per person for the gardens, guided tour, prehistoric caves and a couple of small museums I think all in all it was very good value for money.
Although incredibly formal the gardens had a wonderfully serene quality that quite charmed me and
at the the end of a long promenade, past an ornamental pond with swans and ducks,
you arrive at some stone steps that offer you a wonderful view back to the château.
The guided tour of the château was very interesting buy sadly they do not allow photographs to be taken of the interior. However visitors are able to take a few pictures of the cellars that house a little museum of antique wooden toys and an informative exhibition charting the history and many incarnations of the château itself.
By the 1900's the château had fallen into disrepair but luckily it was to find a spokesman in the form of the well known writer and explorer, Pierre Loti, who wrote an article for the French newspaper, Le Figaro, calling for someone to come forward and save the château from it's dilapidated state. He knew the château from his childhood having spent many holidays in a nearby village staying at the home of his sister, Marie.
In the article he coined the phrase "Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant" - The Castle of Sleeping Beauty'
It really was a magical day out and as well as falling in love with the romance and beauty of the château and gardens I also fell head over heels for this handsome fellow made of terracotta. Sadly he is suffering from a few cracks and breaks which is no doubt why he had been secreted behind a wooden bench but I would happily have taken him home if I had been allowed to. Well even on my days off I'm still always on the lookout for beautiful trucs!
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