Scenery, Nature and major attractions

Around Water

THE PONDS IN THE SUPERB TRONÇAIS FOREST:

Saint-Bonnet pond for swimming, Morat pond, Viljot fountain, trees over 300 years old, etc. (Allier, Auvergne)

In the splendid landscape of the ALLIER GORGES: scenic train, villages perched up high, salmon farms and rail biking at an altitude of 1,000 metres on a railway track that winds through moors covered with broom, fields of lentils and peat bogs. (Haute-Loire, Auvergne)

VASSIVIÈRE LAKE, its sandy beaches and islands. With its very intricate shoreline, this lake is a paradise for fishermen, bathers and water sports enthusiasts. (Haute-Vienne and Creuse, Limousin)

VAL LAKE (BORT-LES-ORGUES/LANOBRE): covering 1,400 ha, it is the 2nd largest man-made reservoir in Europe. It was put into service in 1952, once a whole village and railway line had disappeared beneath the water. The dam (the most impressive in Limousin) rises 120 m high and is 390 m long across the top. (Creuse, Limousin)

THE DORDOGNE GORGES AND VALLEY: these are of major ecological interest in terms of wild animal and plant life, offering immense stretches of water suitable for many different types of leisure activity. The best way to get to know this wild and mysterious world is by taking a ride on a gabare, a kind of barge. Between Argentat and Beaulieu,

the Dordogne valley offers a unique natural and architectural spectacle.

(Creuse, Limousin)

THE TARN GORGES: the Tarn has its source at an altitude of 1,600 metres on Mont Lozère. The river has carved a deep chasm between the two Grands Causses limestone plateaux (Méjean and Sauveterre plateaux). A real canyon over 600 m deep. The vultures’ belvedere.

Nature Reserves

THE VAL D’ALLIER NATURE RESERVE: nestled in the very heart of the broad meanders of the river Allier not far from the Bocage Bourbonnais trails, the Val d’Allier nature reserve is home to vast numbers of birds. 253 species including some remarkable ones such as the tern,

squacco heron or osprey. (Allier, Auvergne)

THE CHAUDEFOUR VALLEY NATURE RESERVE : forms an incredibly beautiful cirque. From here you can see the Puy Ferrand, the Puy de la Perdrix, the Biche waterfall, the Dent de la Rancune peak, etc. The Nature Reserve visitor centre gives an overview of the wild animal and plant life in this area. On the spot there are marked paths with explanation panels. (Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne)

THE SAGNES DE LA GODIVELLE NATURE RESERVE: set up in 1975, the aim of the Sagnes de la Godivelle Nature Reserve is to preserve an area of peat bog on the edge of a glacier lake. It lies at an altitude of 1,200 m, and comprises two parts. (Lac d’En-Bas and Coualle Basse) (PNR Vulkanen, Auvergne)

Magic places

Visit VULCANIA, the LEMPTÉGY VOLCANO and go up to the top of THE PUY DE DÔME (1,465 m). You can also walk round the Puy de Dôme on a marvellous path (9 km) which gives you a view of it from all angles. (Puy-de-Dôme, Auvergne)

MONT MÉZENC (1,754 m). Walk around the high plateaux of the Mézenc range, east of the Loire valley: peat bogs, mountain heath lands, and immense high altitude pasturelands exceptionally rich in wild flowers.(Haute-Loire, Auvergne)

THE CREUSE VALLEY AND THE IMPRESSIONISTS: walk where Georges Sand and the 19th century impressionist painters walked, such as Claude Monet or Armand Guillaumin, who set up their easels along these few kilometres of river. From the remains of the medieval fortress at Crozant to Felletin, you can explore the country pathways in this

valley studded with chateaux, gorges, rocks and legends at any time of the year. (Creuse, Limousin)

THE MONÉDIÈRES MOUNTAINS (meaning “daylight mountains” or “bilberry mountains”) that lie between the valleys of the Vézère and Corrèze rivers are rounded in shape, softened by erosion, but also have many isolated puys. Beautiful walks through heath land and forests. (Corrèze, Limousin)

THE CORRÈZE LIMESTONE PLATEAU: South-west of Brive, close to the A20 motorway, this is one of the most unusual habitats in the whole department, with the limestone rock emerging on the surface in some places, thirsty for the surface water that is absorbed into it, meandering through the underwater networks to reappear later as a resurgence. The Corrèze limestone plateau is home to Mediterranean-type wild animal and plant life. (Corrèze, Limousin)

MONT AIGOUAL OBSERVATORY : an extraordinary site not only for its beauty but also for its climactic conditions, where meteorologists scrutinise the sky 24 hours a day. Panorama over one quarter of France: from Mont Ventoux to Mont Blanc, from the Canigou to the Pic du Midi, from the Chain of Puys to the Mediterranean. (Lozère)

Parks

and gardens

THE BALAINE ARBORETUM, a listed historic monument, is the oldest private botanical and floral park in France. (Allier, Auvergne)

THE AREA AROUND LIMOGES will delight rose enthusiasts: stroll around the romantic Garden at Greignac, 12 km west of Limoges (www.lejardindegreignac.com) and in the heart of the Aurence valley, discover the Roseraie de la Vergne, collection gardens rich with some 5,200 rose bushes. In Limoges itself, visit the Bishop’s Gardens (especially the 18th century French style terraced gardens). Also well-worth seeing: the La Jonchère Arboretum (ornamental and forestry nursery), the Château de Mont-Méry Park at Ambazac and the Garden of the Senses at Nexon.(Haute-Vienne, Limousin)

DISCOVER SERPENTINE, a black rock with green stripes, which, being poor in silica, encourages the development of exceptional wild flower and animal life; see it along the theme path (4 km) at Lande de la Flotte et du Cluzeau, at Chateau Chervix and Meuzac, or the explorer’s pathway of La Lande de Saint-Laurent, at La Roche-l’Abeille.

THE SÉDELLE ARBORETUM and the Walled Garden at Villejoint.(Creuse, Limousin)

Interesting places

IO, THE SCÉNOPARC DES MILLE ET UNE VACHES (Park of One Thousand and One Cows), presents 40,000 years of collaboration between Man and Beast. Valette, (Valette, Cantal, Auvergne)

THE LIGHTNING MUSEUM, to learn about the way thunderstorms and lightning work, and their effects, with films, photos,objects struck by lightning, etc. Marcenat. (Cantal, Auvergne)

THE VOLCANOES MUSEUM at Aurillac and the Auvergne Highlands CPIE (Permanent Centre for Environmental Education).(Cantal, Auvergne)

In the heart of the Chabrières forests, go looking for THE WOLVES IN THE WILDLIFE PARK in the Guéret mountains. The size of the enclosures makes you forget they are in captivity and means you will make very natural sightings. (Creuse, Limousin)

THE EUROPEAN BISON PARK, Sainte-Eulalie. The bison live in semi-liberty here. Carriage or sledge rides, museum area . Tel. + 33 (0) 466 314 040 - Open all year round. (Lozère)