The Eure is a modest river when it passes Saint-Georges-sur-Eure, winding through meadows, poplars and willows a few kilometres southwest of Chartres. The village sits on the river where the open plain of the Beauce meets the greener, hillier country of the Perche to the west, and it has the calm atmosphere of a commuter village close to a cathedral city, with a church, houses old and new, and fields stretching away on all sides.
On the edge of the village lies a large lake, formed from old gravel pits, which is now a leisure area with walking paths, a beach and water sports in summer, a pleasant place for a break by the water. The Eure valley is dotted with similar lakes, as well as mills and small châteaux, and the river is popular with anglers.
Chartres, just to the northeast, is the reason most people come to this area. Its Gothic cathedral, built mostly in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, is one of the most perfect in Europe, famous for its stained glass, especially the deep blue known as Chartres blue, and for the labyrinth set into the floor of the nave. On approach across the plain, the two mismatched spires appear on the horizon long before the town itself, as they did for medieval pilgrims. Downstream, at Maintenon, the unfinished aqueduct ordered by Louis XIV to carry water to Versailles still stands in ruins near the château.
The riding around here is gentle. The roads follow the river valley and cross the plain, with long straight stretches, gentle curves and little traffic. To the west, the Perche offers hillier roads, with woods, hedges and manor houses, and the famous Percheron horses. The plain can be windy, and in winter fog often lies over the valley in the morning.
Fuel is easiest to find in Chartres and its suburbs, including Mainvilliers, and there are supermarkets around the city. Saint-Georges-sur-Eure has a few shops, and Chartres has many cafés and restaurants in the old town around the cathedral. If you can, stay for the evening: from spring to autumn, the cathedral and other buildings in the city are lit up with colourful projections after dark, an unforgettable sight.