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Winter Forest in Haute Vienne
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Youra Peckin

Nature trip in Limousin, in the heart of winter5 invigorating weekend ideas

Nature trip in Limousin, in the heart of winter

Winter in the Haute-Vienne is the perfect excuse to get outside and take a breath of fresh air 🏔️ So we’ve put together 5 ideas for nature weekends, each with a place to explore, a place to stay and a good place to warm up. You choose, you go, you breathe.

At a glance

1. Lac de Saint-Pardoux: the winter and the location are mild!

The Lac de Saint-Pardoux is one of the largest lakes in the Haute-Vienne.
Even in winter, when the beaches are deserted, the area remains an ideal playground for clearing your head and connecting with nature! 😮‍💨

If you feel like it: fishing, hiking and cycling are available all around the lake… not forgetting coastal walking!

When you need to drop off your bag, dry your shoes or simply take a well-deserved break, head to the restaurant “l’Auberge de Pontabrier”: delicious cuisine, accompanied by a smiling welcome, in an atmosphere of exposed stonework and antiques.

Finally, head to a small hamlet overlooking the Limousine countryside. Here you’ll find an old bakery that’s been refurbished for a quiet night by the fire.

2. Monts d'Ambazac: Hiking in the heights of the Limousin.

If you thought winter was a time for hibernation, here’s something to prove you wrong. Here, the paths often end up giving you a “wow”. The winter version of the Monts d’Ambazac is a bit like a chocolate topping on a madeleine.

Set off from the village of Saint-Léger-la-Montagne, walk a little… and then a lot: each bend reveals a rock, a moor, a landscape Limousin. Choose the one that’s right for you from around thirty different walks.

When your legs start calling for a truce, the Auberge des Trois Clochers awaits you in the warmth. The food here is simple, good and generous: the kind of cuisine that immediately makes you forget the difficult climb in the morning 🫕

And to finish off this weekend in the great outdoors, the mountains mean a chalet and a Nordic bath. At “Les 3 châtaignes”, relax in a cosy little cabin in Saint-Sylvestre!

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Mount Dambazac Under Snow
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Tom Jouhandeaud

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Restaurant Les Chenes
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Restaurant les Chênes

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Wooden Chalet Le Ruisseau
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les3chataignes

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Les Monts De Blond
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Les Monts De Blond

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Skodenar Dogsled Ride
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Christelle Rama

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Chambre Couvent Des Carmes A Mortemart
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Tom Jouhandeaud

3. Monts de Blond: a mystical weekend... and a little bit Arctic

Brittany has its dolmens. The Pyrenees have their mountains. The Monts de Blond have both: a wild setting, rocky chaos, megaliths… enough to awaken your explorer’s soul 🥾

Then there are the sled dogs of Skodenar. The kind of experience where you suddenly realise that Limousin can be as exotic as a documentary about the Arctic, but without losing your fingers 🐺

The next stop is Montrol-Sénard, where time seems to have stood still somewhere in the last century. The rural authenticity is obvious: a blacksmith’s forge, an old-fashioned school, a clog-maker’s workshop… this eco-museum recreates the life of yesteryear with unbridled tenderness.

And then… the call of the belly. La Table du Lavoir takes over, offering local cuisine that makes you forget the promise of “light meals in the evening”. Too bad, winter forgives everything.

Then it’s on to Mortemart, a medieval village and one of the most beautiful in France, for a well-deserved night in the Carmelite convent, with the certainty of sleeping like a saint.

4. Lac de Vassivière: winter to clear your head (and redden your cheeks)

Lac de Vassivière in winter is a bit like a single ticket to Canada.

The island, the trails, the surrounding forests… everything is an excuse to walk and walk some more, and end up saying “OK, I’ll leave everything behind to raise sheep”.

In fact, you can check out our top 5 hikes in Vassivière. The secret? It’s even more beautiful in winter.

And when the cold starts to set in, head for our refuge: Le Mazeau Nicot, in Nedde. It’s a cosy place for all the family to set down their belongings and curl up on the sofa by the fire. That alone is worth the trip 🔥

To put some fuel back into the machine, head for the Auberge du Bois de l’Étang, in Peyrat-le-Château.
It’s the perfect address after a day walking around Vassivière: warm, local produce, just what you need when outside it’s 4 degrees and a bit nippy.

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Pnr Perigord Limousin
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Helene-Badoinot

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The 3 Keys Of Gaya
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©JulieLocussolPhotographie

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Sauna Les 3 Clefs de Gaya
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Benoît Mauger

5. PNR Périgord-Limousin: walk, breathe... then be pampered

In winter, the PNR Périgord-Limousin is exactly the kind of place you go to clear your head and take your time. You walk, you breathe, you slow down: and yes, it does you a world of good. Find the hike that’s right for you!

And then comes the best part: “after the effort”.
Because at “Les 3 Clefs de GaYa” accommodation in Saint-Jean-Ligoure, you don’t just sleep, you recover for real: heated swimming spa, sauna, hydromassage bed… it’s a gîte designed so that your legs, your back and your morale agree: “yes, we’re staying.” 🧘

And as relaxation always ends up making you hungry, head for Le Comptoir de Cécile in Châlus: traditional bistro cuisine, organic and local produce.