Landscapes
The landscape is shaped by natural phenomena and human activities. Périgord-Limousin draws its landscape diversity from its contrasting geological base on which a thousand years of history and agricultural practices have traced emblematic patterns. We can thus read 4 landscape entities on the territory…
The Limousin Bocage
The Limousin Bocage offers a joyful landscape where green dominates and water is king.
Numerous meadows and pastures of undeniable ecological interest are home to the famous Limousin cattle breed which enchants the countryside with its warm colored coat.
Two large massifs make up the bocage: the Cognac-la-Forêt massif and the Rochechouart forest. It was in the Rochechouart region that an exceptional geological event took place more than 200 million years ago: the impact of a meteorite more than 1,5 km in diameter. A National Nature Reserve “the Rochechouart-Chassenon astroblème” was created there in 2008.
Finally, Périgord-Limousin is also a land of know-how to be discovered in Saint-Junien through the manufacture of leather gloves, but also ancestral crafts such as porcelain in Aixe-sur-Vienne.
Suggestions for stays
©Muriel Lehericy The Feuillardiers Massif
Between meadows, chestnut thickets, rivers and ponds, this land is home to the highest point of the Park, Le Puyconnieux in Dournazac.
The chestnut tree, an emblematic species of Périgord-Limousin, is present on half of the forest surface. Craftsmanship and know-how are particularly represented there. Those linked to the chestnut tree are essential elements of the identity of Périgord-Limousin: strapmakers and craftsmen take advantage of the qualities of this tree to make dynamic and innovative production.
Others linked to the manufacture of tiles or even textiles are presented to you in museum workshops. By traveling the Richard Coeur de Lion Route which crosses this territory, you will witness the numerous buildings registered or classified as Historic Monuments. Finally, don't miss the many country festivals and go to the famous Piégut market, in the granite part of the Park where remarkable chaos is visible.
Suggestions for stays
©Sébastien Meester The Jumilhacois plateaus and valleys of the Isle
This entity is organized into vast plateaus and narrow valleys offering a remarkable variety of environments.
Along the banks of white-water rivers, the wet meadows nestled in the valley floors host a great wealth of the Park's natural heritage, including the dipper which will satisfy the most patient observers. Several sites pay homage to this richness, in particular numerous interpretation trails on the fauna, flora, etc. It is also here, in the commune of La Coquille, that the Park has taken up residence, near the pond of the Bard which can be explored on a pleasant walk.
As you travel through this territory, you will undoubtedly be attracted by Jumilhac-le-Grand where a majestic castle stands out. You will discover a whole activity linked to gold which we will tell you about by visiting the castle gardens, the soon to be renovated museum or even by doing a gold panning course! Two of the six gateway towns to the Park will welcome you around their gastronomic specialties, based on goose and duck products in Thiviers, whose secrets are revealed to you in the museum in the town center, or around the cul-noir pig in Saint-Yrieix.
Suggestions for stays
©From the Dordogne Atlas The Périgord Valleys
More than thirty species of orchids are recorded in the Park!
The numerous limestone lawns of the Périgord valleys to the southwest of the Park offer, when spring comes, the spectacle of orchids and are home to other less spectacular but very rare plants. The coexistence of very humid environments, such as rivers and the meadows that border them, and very dry environments, lawns and limestone plateaus, favors exceptional fauna, flora and landscape diversity in this region. Several developed sites allow a fun and educational discovery. Castles and fortified houses proudly mark this part of the territory.
It is also a land of know-how, particularly around Nontron where the famous Nontron Knife is made and where many craftsmen exhibit thanks to the Pôle Métiers d'Art (PEMA). Finally, the gateway town of Brantôme, otherwise called “the Venice of Périgord” is the pride of this part of the Park: discover its abbey, its bell tower and its curious bent bridge over the Dronne.
Suggestions for stays
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