Heather Trail

The softwood forest in front of you is not natural, as you can tell from its very precise alignment of trees. It was only in the early 1920s, and at the initiative of Marius Vazeilles, that the Limousin mountain began to be forested. Today, as a region marked by silviculture, it is common to see human-made forests like the one before you.

Here you can admire a traditional moorland, composed mainly of heather. Its existence is due to the grazing by Limousin sheep during the last century. With the abandonment of this practice, the moorland has decreased enormously, occupying 5% of the space today against 70% at the beginning of the 20th century. It should be noted that about 98% of the moors in Limousin have disappeared in the space of 100 years.

These granite boulders, also called outcrops, arrived here by sliding from the top of the surrounding puys. The legend of the hundred stones tells of the existence of a chateau surrounded by stables and cottages whose lord was a hard man. When he refused to give an old man shelter, the man cursed him. A few hours later, a violent storm had destroyed everything. The one hundred stones were said to be, in fact, the dairymaid and her one hundred cows, the only remaining part of this seigneury.

With a length of 211 km for a basin of 3736 km², the river Vézère has its source at an altitude of 700 m in the Longéroux peat bog, on the Millevaches plateau in Corrèze. The richness of the lower Vézère in prehistoric deposits gives it an incomparable prestige, which is why part of the Vézère valley has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The altitude of this site, between 700 and 1,000 m, makes it the coolest and wettest area in Limousin. It is these particular weather conditions that explain the presence of different lichen species. Lichens disappear when there is too much air pollution. Given the multitude of species present on this site, we understand that the air here is clean.

Educational panels are installed here to help you understand the landscape. Please take a moment to read them to understand better the panorama that is available to you.

The round-leaved Sundew (rosolis rotundifolia) which cannot find its food in the soil will seek it in the animal environment by capturing small insects in its leaves.

The Longeyroux peat bog (255 hectares) occupies the bottom of a basin that collects rainwater from the surrounding puys; This is how the Vézère river was born. A cold and humid climate and an acid granitic soil have favoured the development of distinctive fauna and flora. A short, 30-minute interpretation trail provides a better understanding of this environment. To preserve this ecosystem, the site's enhancement policy encourages grazing by Limousin sheep and cows.