You don’t have to be horse-crazy to appreciate the drowsy charm of this elegant provincial town, but it helps.

Just north of Paris is an attractive, apparently sleepy little town with lots of short people and lots of tall trees that obscure a semi-secretive business of startling proportions. Set on the banks of the Nonette River, Chantilly is the core of France’s thoroughbred training and breeding. It’s where more than 3000 racehorses owned by the world’s mega-rich are nurtured and educated in palatial five-star stables, mostly screened from the prying eyes of competitors.

Le Château de Chantilly, France by Guillaume Cattiaux

In summer, when Chantilly’s flower-filled window-boxes are in full colour, the Paris social set descends on one of the most beautiful racecourses in the world, in the grounds of the Chateau de Chantilly, for the running in June of the celebrated Prix de Diane and the Jockey Club Stakes.

The jockeys are significantly shorter than the average height of Chantilly’s population of 11,500, most of whom are horse-crazy and the evidence of that is everywhere.

Horses can be seen at the myriad stables, on practice tracks and parading around the streets.

They turn up in countless works of art, in a horse museum, on the covers of hotel menus, emblazoned all over restaurant crockery and in the minds and lives of 1700 citizens who are employed, one way or another, in their service.

But there’s more to Chantilly than the horses; it’s also a town of chateaux, parks, forests and lakes. Chantilly forest was once the hunting ground of France’s elite, but is now open to everyone and is crisscrossed with bridleways and cycle paths.

On race days, the weathered faces of elderly women, framed by neatly-kept flowerboxes, face each other across narrow streets to exchange gossip and racing tips, while the town’s many alfresco cafes can be so busy, their tables encroach on to adjacent parking lots.

Le Chateau de Chantilly, France by Nawal_

But Chantilly’s pride is its majestic Renaissance Chateau de Chantilly, set on 7900ha on the edge of town. It is actually two chateaux: the Petit Chateau, dating back to the early 1500s, and the fairytale castle known as Grand Chateau, rebuilt in the 1870s after being destroyed during the French Revolution. Like many other French castles, the Chateau de Chantilly is picturesque and was used for residential purposes, not defensive ones.

Louis XV used the Grand Chateau as a plush weekender to entertain Madame de Pompadour before the original’s demise. Rebuilt from scratch as an exact replica by the Duc d’Aumale, it now belongs to the Institut de France. In a section called the Musee Conde, there’s a fabulous art collection of some 800 old masters and more than 5000 drawings and engravings from the 14th to 19th centuries.

More than 30,000 volumes of rare books and a fine collection of Chantilly porcelain bearing 18th-century Chinese-style designs also feature in this superb museum, which is open to the public. In thechateau’s stone-vaulted kitchens, once the realm of legendary 17th-century chef Vorace Vatel, La Capitainerie is now a superb restaurant with an open-hearth fireplace big enough to barbecue a bull – it’s a beautiful setting for lunch every day except Tuesday.

The fashionable racetrack, Courses de Chantilly, is set within the chateau’s grounds and underneath it is a maze of subterranean tunnels built by erstwhile royal residents as escape routes in case of a siege, something that probably plays on the jockeys’ minds as they pound around its surface each summer.

The chateau’s massive stable complex, built in the 1820s and 300m long, once housed 240 horses and 300 hunting dogs. Today, it is the headquarters of the Musee Vivant du Cheval, the Living Horse Museum.

With 31 rooms, 4000sq m of floor space and 800m of track, this huge equine shrine attracts 200,000 visitors a year. The exhibits include old saddles, carriages, harnesses, veterinary instruments and even carousel horses.

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Rutland Water – Leicestershire / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by NotFromUtrecht

Rutland Water is a 4200 acre park set in some of the most beautiful countryside in the Midlands. It is a nature reserve and conservation area so there are plenty of interesting plants and animals to see whilst you are there. The park has 2 visitor centres and a range of nature trails and cycling routes of different lengths. The Rutland Circular route is one of the most popular as it offers an exciting glimpse of the half sunken Normanton Church. In total there are over 23 miles of cycle paths at the reservoir for you to enjoy.  When you fancy a change from cycling, Leicestershire has a number of attractions including the National Space Centre, Belvoir Castle and Foxton Locks.

Huguenot Canterbury / Photo under public domain created by SuzanneKn

The Viking Coast Trail is a 27 mile loop on the Isle of Thanet. Contrary to its name, Thanet is no longer an island but sits at the most easterly point in Kent. The route passes through a number of traditional Kentish villages and extremely pretty churches. You can do as much or as little of the route as you like. If you want to do something shorter then you could try the 9 mile stretch of the route that goes from Ramsgate to Reculver along the sea wall. Other local activities include a fun mini-golf course, a leisure centre and an enchanting shell grotto.

Chipping Campden – Cotswolds. This route from Chipping Campden to Moreton-in-Marsh is a lovely circular route of 30miles. This route can be challenging in part especially around Batsford Park and Kineton Hill but it is very scenic and extremely enjoyable. You will find yourself meandering through leafy woodland, secret valleys and historic villages on this route. It is worth mentioning though that a small section of this route runs along a busy road which would be unsuitable for child cyclists. Other points of interest include Broadway tower, Moreton Falconry Centre and the Cotswold Farm Park. All of which would be a fun break for tired legs!

Cotswolds Panorama Fields / Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Saffron Blaze

Vicky works alongside Cotswold Country Cycles. She loves outdoor activities including cycling, horse-riding and walking.

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