A land of tradition and history, an area full of life and colour, a softly undulating landscape where water is always alive here and the chestnut tree is king. Discover 100 lakes, glean 100 legends, stroll around the medieval villages, encounter all the sites, and meet the people who enliven the area.
A natural harmony, a permanent exhibition. We quite simply offer you the symphony of happiness!
The Périgord-Limousin Natural Regional Park brings together 78 communities in 2 regions (Aquitaine and Limousin) and 2 departments (Dordogne and Haute-Vienne). 50,000 inhabitants live here on 1800 km2 of land, i.e. less than 30 inhabitants per km2.
Situated between the cities of Limoges, Périgueux and Angoulême, the Park is a veritable setting for a gently rolling green landscape through which flow many wild rivers. You will be delighted by the numerous castles, which have been passionately and tastefully restored, mills nestling amongst the many small valleys, and also by the vast remarkable heritage in the area.
And the food? As Michel Testut says so well, ‘a hunger that is satisfied is without doubt, along with love, one of the most powerful and most pure joys which nature offers us’. In our area, people have a natural ability to think about their happiness and yours….. A few lovingly cooked recipes for life, you will set out on the discovery towards farmhouse inns and charming small countryside restaurants, mainly unknown in the large gastronomic guides, but which your hosts will help you discover at every possible opportunity.
This area has been ecologically preserved due to the lack of industry creating the ideal environment for 200 species of nesting birds, including rare and endangered species (reed buzzards, crimson herons, hoopoe etc). They are a testament to the quality of the land. Mammals like otter, european mink, deer, wild boar and many species of bat. Springs cover the marshy meadows and peat bogs sheltering rare plants. Forest areas everywhere envelop you in an intimate and serene tranquillity, dotted with thousands of lakes of all sizes and many winding rivers and streams, which are teeming with fish.
The Park offers you countless options for days out and organised events; you will see the daily effect of preservation and the long-standing development of the countryside, with environmental management plans in place. Many sites have been transformed into pathways of discovery, with tourist and cultural development throughout the area. Numerous artists have made this area their home. Many amateur painters join them each year to learn or develop their technique in this magnificent and diverse environment. Networks of marked walks allow you to discover this area, whether that is by foot, on horseback or on bicycle.
With this variety of countryside around them, people here have generated an economy centring on traditional trades, gastronomy, farming and tourism.
Activities on offer include: long standing village markets with local fare, walking, fishing, cycling, swimming, canoeing and concerts, festivals and evenings out organised for your enjoyment. Courses are also organised in the traditional skills of utilising lime, hemp or earth, you can learn how to build with straw, earth or wood.
We give you the keys to life, totally recycling the elements used in order to live on this earth and enable us to teach our children to preserve for our own ancestors…and yours.
Below is a French poem describing the rich and wonderful countryside of the Haute Vienne and the various sights and sounds in the area to visit.
