Last week's walk...Le Grand-Pressigny,Etableau and the chateaux

Last weeks's walk with the Le Grand-Pressigny Randonnee club took us out of the village over the river Claise, up around the hameau of Courveaux...

and over the road D60

towards Chateau de la Vienne.

This is a private chateau with limited access but with it being Autumn you can at least catch a glimpse. 

Then it was downhill through the woods towards Etableau,

where we picked up the old railway track which is currently being converted to a walking path.

It was good to see they have left a little memento of its former use. 

After a short time on the track we took a sharp right-hand turn up into the woods of  le Parc d'Etableau

Looking back at the second chateau of the day, the ruins of chateau Etableau.

Once in the woods Joel led us to a 'cache et sel' a secret cave for hiding salt to avoid the very high tax (gabelle) that was inflicted on Touraine during the 16th century.

There was also an interesting,very well-formed bread oven built under the roots of a tree

We passed this pond before Joel had us going off-track into the woods to see yet another chateau although this one needed a fertile imagination as it was the 'ghost fortress' of 'Chateau Chanceaux'

Its origins date back to the 15th century but today the only evidence is a low round mound and what looks like a moat plus a path which may have led to the fortress

We then headed back towards Etableau...

where we again picked up the railway path

We knew we were almost back to civilisation when we saw this sign indicating the next level crossing (ex)

Then it was back over the river(s) along Avenue Andre Theuriet into the village and a view of our last chateau of the day.