Nature and cycling vacations in the Périgord Regional Nature Park – Limousin

After a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast, you’re full of energy and ready for your first day on the winding roads of the Limousin! 🚴 Departing from the hotel restaurant Le Relais de Comodoliac, we invite you to set off on the first 8 km stage of your first real day of cycling and nature vacations in the Périgord – Limousin Regional Nature Park. 🍃

Your day begins with a local encounter.🧑‍🌾

We’ll meet you at the Ferme de la Pensée Sauvage to discover Julie and Christophe, a father and daughter passionate about their work in organic farming, who will help you discover and taste the farm’s products: herbal tea, syrup, etc. 🥕🧺

If you come in summer, visits are organized on Wednesdays with the program: tour of the farm, animation on biodiversity in the garden, animal feeding and product tasting/tasting.

Don’t hesitate to contact them to organize your visit, by telephone on 06 78 22 35 03 or by e-mail at lafermedelapenseesauvage@ecomail.fr

Have your discussions with Julie and Christophe whetted your appetite? 😋

Head for the next stop on your 2nd day of vacation in Périgord-Limousin at the Castel de Glane restaurant. On the menu: fresh, local produce for a moment full of flavor! 🥗

From Tuesday to Friday lunchtime, the restaurant offers daily menus for around twenty euros with starter, main course, dessert or starter + main course or main course + dessert.

There’s also a takeaway option. At weekends, you’ll find à la carte dishes as well as menus to delight your taste buds.

To lighten your afternoon and avoid getting stuck with your luggage, we recommend stopping off at theSaint-Junien Tourist Office after lunch to leave your luggage there. You’ll then be able to stroll around the Corot site in complete peace of mind. 🍃

For a bit of digestion, we suggest a stroll along the Feutrières trail along the Glane. 🚶‍♂️‍➡️ You can leave your bikes at the picnic area on the left of avenue Corot, but remember to secure them with a lock. You’re off for a 6.3 km ride, or around 1h30 of walking, on one of Haute-Vienne’s must-do Limousin walks. We’ve put together a video extract of your future ride.

Once you’ve completed your ride along the Feutrières trail, take a short hydration break before returning to your bikes to head for Rochechouart, passing through the Saint-Junien tourist office to collect your belongings. You’ll then set off on a 1-hour bike ride along the roads of the Limousin. 🚴‍♀️ Total immersion in the Limousin countryside, with its winding roads. 🍃 Once you’ve arrived, we invite you to stroll through the town streets to Rochechouart castle. 🏰 Since 1985, this château has been home to the Musée d’art Contemporain de la Haute-Vienne. 🎨 Discover Rochechouart’s built heritage, with its houses, church and part of the château built of impactite, the rock formed by the fall of a meteorite 200 million years ago. To find out more about Rochechouart, guided tours are available from the tourist office. At the end of your stroll through the town, head to the Dans l’même panier grocery store to reserve your picnic lunch for the following day.

The end of the day is approaching, and after a day full of discovery, come and rest your legs at the Estaminet du Château. You can either go straight to the restaurant after your visit to Rochechouart (the restaurant is right in the center of town), or you can first go and freshen up at your host for the night , the Manoir des Perrières, and then go to the restaurant. The restaurant l’Estaminet du château, located in Rochechouart’s historic center, is the place to be for gourmets! On the menu are products from local producers, a menu that changes every 15 days – 1 month to respect products and seasons. 🥬🍅 If you come to visit us in summer, you can enjoy the guinguette atmosphere and concerts (the program is available on the Facebook page).

It’s been a tiring day of hiking, discoveries, gastronomy and heritage, and now it’s time to get some rest! 🛏️ Head for Manoir des Perrières, 550 m from L’Estaminet restaurant, where you’ll spend 2 nights. 🏡 Set in magnificent grounds with a heated swimming pool, this mansion will offer you all the comfort you need after a day’s cycling. Breakfast is included in the price. You’ll discover a tastefully decorated mansion with spacious bedrooms. The accommodation can accommodate up to 14 people, if you’d like to do this in a group.

Here you are, on your 3rd day of vacation in the PNR du Périgord-Limousin. Departing from Manoir des Perrières, you’ll take part of the Richard coeur de Lion route to Videix, where you’ll rest at the lake before making your way back. 🚴‍♀️ Leaving Rochechouart, don’t forget your packed lunch to pick up at the Dans l’même panier grocery storefor lunch. 🧺🍏🥕 Head for the first stage of your day the village of Montoume about 8.8 km and 33 minutes cycling.

Once you reach the village of Montoume, you can follow the “Chemin de la Météorité de Montoume” hiking trail, which offers magnificent views over the Limousin countryside. If you’d like to learn more about meteorites, you can contact the Maison de la Réserve in Rochechouart, which organizes occasional visits to the Montoume quarry. Continue along the chemin de la Météorite de Montoume to “Chez Daniel”, and from there take the “chemin des platanes ” to Peyrassoulat to discover unique vegetation with plane trees over 250 years old. 🌳

Time for lunch! 🥗 On the banks of the Tardoire at the Peyrassoulat site, settle down to enjoy your picnic prepared by in the same basket you picked up this morning before leaving Rochechouart. Regain your strength and enjoy the natural surroundings before continuing on to the Videix lake.

Your vacation in the Périgord Regional Nature Park Limousin continues at the Videix lake. Located on the border with the Charente, this stretch of water is famous for the Chassagne beach, which offers a wide range of water sports in summer, including swimming, sailing, canoeing and rowing. This little corner of Haute-Vienne and Charente will offer you a peaceful moment, bordered by the sound of nature. 🍃 If you like, you can go for a walk or take one of the 2 nearby hiking trails: the Charente riverbank trail is 11.4 km long and easy. You can do this on mountain bikes, on foot or on horseback. Or the Serves circuit, 14.7 km long and of medium difficulty, which can be explored on foot, horseback or mountain bike. 🚵‍♀️🚶‍♂️‍➡️

After enjoying the Videix lake, return to the Manoir des Perrières to take advantage of the heated pool to relax your legs, which have been hard at work all day. 💦 Take the opportunity to relax and get ready for dinner tonight at the Hôtel de France in Rochechouart. On the menu are local and terroir products that change every 3 months to respect the seasons and offer you quality products on the plate. 🥗 Located just a few steps from the Manoir des Perrières (500m), it takes about 2 minutes by bike and 7 minutes on foot to get to the restaurant.

Here you are, on your last day of vacation in the Périgord-Limousin nature park. 😔 It’s time to say goodbye to your host and take your fellow traveler (your bike) back to the Saint-Junien tourist office. Last day of vacation for sure, but that’s not going to stop you from enjoying it all the way! Today’s program includes a few activities: a bike ride to Saint-Junien, a visit to the Agnelle glove factory and a picnic, so you can leave with plenty of memories.🤩 Your day begins by heading to the Saint-Junien tourist office to return your bike and pick up your suitcase. On the way, stock up on local produce for your lunchtime picnic. 🥖

Once you’ve arrived at the tourist office, you can return your bikes and panniers and collect your suitcases. You’ll then be off to visit the Agnelle glove factory, an institution for leather craftsmanship. On the program: discovery of know-how, demonstration, etc. You’ll leave with a richer understanding of leather work.

After a visit to the glove factory, you can sample the local produce you’ll have found on your way from Rochechouart, on the Quai des Mégisseries below the Chapelle Notre Dame du Pont. It’s a pleasant place to picnic, and you’ll enjoy the tranquility of the banks of the Vienne before heading back. 🍃 We hope you enjoyed this cycling vacation in the Parc naturel du Périgord-Limousin and that it will inspire you to discover other ideas for holidays in Haute-Vienne in Limousin. As we say in our region: Au còp que ven !* 👋*see you soon!