LIMOUSIN REGIONAL GUIDE

Discover Limousin, a land of contrasts, from the rolling countryside of the Haute Vienne to the rugged terrain of the Ambazac hills.

 

This traditional French heartland has largely escaped the growth of tourism and has an air of tranquillity.

 

With an abundance of stunning lakes, you can choose peaceful picnic spots and bathing or dynamic watersports in and around the crystal clear waters.

 

Visit Limoges, famous for its porcelain, test your skill at Le Labyrinth, the world’s largest maze or take to a hot air balloon and admire it all from above.

 

Limoges

Originally a Roman settlement, Limoges’ early riches came from tin and lead, and later gold and copper. Renowned for its enamelling since the Middle Ages, Limoges is most famous for the fine porcelain it has produced since the nineteenth century. See some of the finest china ever produced in the Musee Adrien-Dubouche, plus services made for Napoleon and even Charles and Di. Musee Municipal de l’Eveche displays enamelware going back to the twelfth century. Visit the Bernardaud china factory and shop for bargains in a variety of factory showrooms. Today, this centre for the decorative arts is a major university town hosting an important September festival of (mainly French-speaking) writers and musicians. Enjoy the superb botanical gardens, church of St Michel-des-Lions’ impressive towers and spires, and Cathedrale St Etienne’s fine stone carvings.

 

Aubusson, Tapestry Museum

The earliest tapestry workshops in Aubusson were set up in the fourteenth century with wool from local sheep, plus use of the clear water of the River Creuse, creating ideal conditions for the trades of wool dyeing, weaving and tapestry. Founded in 1981, Aubusson’s museum houses a rich collection of nearly 600 years of tapestry and carpet-making allowing visitors to travel back in time to see how the industry has developed over the centuries. In the 1920s and 30s, artists such as Dufy and Picasso were invited to design tapestries including the surrealist Jean Lurcat who became a designer. Modern work can be seen in the Jean Lurcat Artistic and Cultural Centre which also has a theatre. Visit the town’s workshops to see craftsmen working at every aspect of their craft.

 

Aubuzine, Adventure Park

A park with different levels of trails for children and adults with 5 safe aerial routes through the trees. Bungee jumping for everyone. Located at Centre Touristique du Coiroux, Aubuzine.

 

Wolf Park, Les Loups de Chabrieres

Wolves roamed the Chabrieres Forest, near Gueret, until the middle of the twentieth century. Observe these shy creatures today in the safety of a secure park. The park is home to several species, including the European wolf, Canadian white wolf and black wolf of Alberta. Discover more about relationships between man and wolf and the many myths surrounding this predator. Open afternoons off-season and from 10.00am May to mid-September with guided tours June, July and August. Feeding time in the afternoons.  

 

Steam Train, Limoges to Ussels

Take the summer ‘Train Vapeur’ mountain line 100km from Limoges to Ussels, along the picturesque Vienne valley to Eymoutiers, then climbing through forests to the high altitude Plateau de Millevaches. The gorges and scenery are spectacular. Trains run in July and August every year and your journey’s length can be shortened by ending at Meymac or Eymoutiers. Consult Limoges Tourist Office for details. 

 

Richard the Lionheart Sites, Coussac-Bonneval and Chateau Feodal

Richard the Lionheart came to the English throne in 1189 having inherited lands in France through his mother - Eleanor of Aquitaine. He and the King of France were allies in the Crusades but Richard later went to war with the King and local barons over lands in the region. Follow his ‘route’ - a well sign-posted 180km - along a line of fortified towns, chateaux and castles marking episodes in his campaigns. Directions take you along quiet roads through delightful, unspoilt Limousin countryside, stopping at places such as the fortified Chateau of Coussac-Bonneval, and Chateau Feodal near Chalus where Richard received a mortal wound from an arrow. 

 

Ambazac Hills

Peaking at 701m on the Puy de Sauvagnac, the Ambazac Hills north east of Limoges give magnificent views from their rounded granite slopes of deep valleys, streams and lakes. The sparsely populated countryside is rugged, with oak, chestnut and pine forests and moorland alive with golden broom and purple heather. The 350km network of way-marked trails are popular with French ramblers and range from gentle walks through woodland and pretty hamlets to longer more serious routes.

 

Plateau de Millevaches

Some say Plateau de Millevaches takes its name from the Celtic for ‘many rivers’, others that it relates to the thousands of springs rising on this northern fringe of the Massif Central. Certainly Plateau de Millevaches is the source of many springs and rivers, a sparsely populated area where sheep and the famous Limousin cattle graze; a land of wild places, coniferous forests, and woodlands of beech and chestnut - beautiful in autumn when nuts and wild mushrooms are gathered. Old traditions remain on farms - haymaking with rake and pitchfork - and in towns such as Ussels with its eleventh century church. Walking or cycling in late spring and summer are good ways to enjoy the area.       

 

Much of Limousin’s cuisine is simple country fare; hearty soups, fresh fish from the region’s many lakes and rivers and good, finely marbled beef from red-brown Limousin cattle. Around St Yrieix-la-Perche, cul noir pigs free ranging in meadows and woodlands on potatoes, chestnuts and acorns, produce red-label pork. Salt pork, along with vegetables including onions, carrots and potatoes, is used in a tasty stew known as ‘potee limousin’. In autumn, forests abound with wild mushrooms - ceps, girolles and trompette-des morts.

 

Local fruit especially apples and cherries are available in season in the weekly markets held in most villages. You’ll no doubt be offered the region’s most famous dessert of ‘clafoutis’ - a sort of sweet toad in the hole - with cherries baked in batter or ‘flogonarde’, which is similar, but uses other local fruits.

 

Drink cider made with Limousin apples or try local wines from vineyards around Brive-la-Gallarde. Aubusson has a huge cheese market in July and food fairs such as the Maisonnisses Cheese Fair and August Cider Fair at Nouziers show locals take their food seriously.

 

Fishing

The 11,000km of rivers and lakes in Limousin provide some of Europe’s finest fishing - trout and salmon, plus a great variety of coarse fish. At least 12 lakes are open all year and others during the season. The lake at St Suplice Lauriere has carp and pike and day tickets are available at St Suplice town hall. Limousin has over 2,240km of riverbank fishing including 1,956 of prime trout and salmon water. ‘Maison de l’Eau et de la Peche de la Correze’at Neuvic organises exhibitions, conferences and fishing courses. Fishing permits ‘cartes de peche’ can be obtained throughout the region at shops, tabacs, campsites and bars, at reasonable prices.   

 

Watersports, Argentat

Argentat has a watersports centre at ‘Le Splash’ where holidaymakers can enjoy swimming and water games with chutes and a lagoon. Open in June, and from 11am to 8pm in July and August with swimming instructors on duty.

 

Watersports, Lac Vassiviere

This artificial lake of over 1,000 hectares, formed by damming the River Creuse, is one of the largest in France, providing quiet inlets which offer opportunities for swimming, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing and sailing. Walk the trails around Vassiviere’s shores or voyage to its central island sporting a sculpture park, café and museum. Superb carp fishing too, either boat or shoreline.

 

Thermal Spas, Evaux-Les-Bains

A spa since Roman times and the only thermal spa in Limousin, Evaux-Les-Bains is still visited for it curative powers. Soldiers in World War I came here to recover from bayonet wounds and today the new baths built in 2000 are amongst the most modern in France, offering special treatments for rheumatism and ‘heavy legs’. The therapy season for 2008 is from 14 April to 8 November. The town also offers tennis, horse riding and other activities with a variety of fetes, markets and a vintage car rally. Those feeling refreshed may like to walk 9km past the old gold mines at Chalet, to see where the hot springs bubble out of the ground at 60 degrees C.

 

Tulle - August 2008

‘Nuites de Nacre’ accordian festival, includes an array of accordianists playing on boats and barges.

 

Tulle - September 2008

‘Festival Internationale de la Dentelle’. Lace festival.

 

Limousin Regional Tourist Board

27 bd de la Corderie

87000 Limoges

 

Tel: (00 33) 810 41 04 20 or 555 45 18 80

 

Please check precise details and dates with event organisers before making your holiday and travel arrangements.

 

Copyright: Holiday France Direct 2008