Circuit of the Lac de Faux
Description
Landscapes of moors, grasslands and wetlands have given way to 45 hectares of water for electricity production.From the Place de Faux-la-Montagne, opposite the 12th-century church, with the covered laundry on the right below, follow the road to Gentioux (D992) for 300 m until you reach the fountain at the edge of the village.Take the "Chemin de la Fontaine-Pouilleuse" on the left of the fountain, leave the ascending path on the left and carry on to the Traluamont crossroads near Lake Faux.Turn left onto the path that runs alongside the lake in a hardwood forest. About 700 m further on, go up the path on the left: it leads away from the lake and reaches a crossroads.Go down to the right on the trail, until you reach a clearing with lots of broom and find the shore of the lake.At the intersection, go down to the right behind the Dorat dam. This multi-arch dam is of a type rare in France. Go back up then continue to the right on the trail beside the lake until you reach a path under the trees. Turn right and take it, cross the bridge over the La Maulde River and continue until you reach a crossroads.Continue straight ahead until you reach a new intersection.Turn right and take the path that goes down through the undergrowth towards the lake. Go along it until you reach the D992.Follow the D992 on the right (in the direction of Faux-la-Montagne), cross the dam (viewpoint on both sides) and fork right just after it to find the trail to follow.Then turn left to reach Faux-la-Montagne.
Technical informations
6.1 km
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max. 722 m
min. 699 m
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Altimetric profile
Starting point
Steps
Les lavoirs de Faux-la-Montagne
Apparus au XIXème siècle dans un souci de salubrité publique puis d’hygiène individuelle, les lavoirs publics étaient des lieux de sociabilité villageoise réservés aux femmes qui s’y rassemblaient par sympathie et où chacune avait sa place. Les hommes n’y venaient que pour en assurer l’entretien, évitant ainsi les quolibets des lavandières qui avaient la réputation d’avoir la langue bien pendue. Les lavoirs couverts ont souvent servi jusque dans les années 50.
Faux-la-Montagne
Faux-la-Montagne doit son nom à son altitude élevée (plus de 700 m d’altitude) en bordure ouest du plateau de Millevaches. Si la région ne fut pas toujours boisée, de nombreuses futaies de hêtres (ou fayards) ont dû cependant exister au Moyen Age aux abords du village. En effet "Faux", issu du latin fagus, signifie hêtre en vieux français ; au XVème siècle, le village s’appelait Faguo (altération occitane du latin fagus). Aujourd’hui, autour du lac de Faux, hêtres et chênes se mêlent aux résineux, occupant ce qui était encore au XIXème siècle des landes pâturées par les moutons.
L'église de Faux-la-Montagne
Cette église dédiée à Saint-Etienne, premier martyr de la chrétienté, fut construite au XIIIème siècle et fut inscrite au titre des monuments historiques en 1963. Sa restauration en 2010 a fait apparaitre sa maçonnerie de granite rose, huit siècles après son édification.
Le barrage à voûtes
Le barrage à voûtes multiples a 8 cm d’épaisseur, 16,5 m de haut et 130 m de large.
Points of interest
The laundries of Faux-la-Montagne
Appearing in the 19th century through concern for public health and personal hygiene, public laundries were sociable places in villages, reserved for women, who gathered there out of common need and where everyone had their place. The men only came to maintain them, thus avoiding the jibes of the women doing the washing, who had the reputation of having very sharp tongues. Covered laundries were still frequently used until the 1950s.
Faux-la-Montagne
Faux-la-Montagne owes its name to its high altitude (more than 700 m above sea level) on the western edge of the Millevaches plateau. Although the region was not always wooded, many beech plantations (or fayards) must have existed in the Middle Ages on the outskirts of the village. Indeed "Faux", from the Latin fagus, means beech in Old French; In the 15th century, the village was called Faguo (an Occitan variation of the Latin fagus). Today, around Lake Faux, beech and oak mingle with coniferous trees, occupying what was still heathland grazed by sheep in the 19th century.
Additional information
Advised parking
Square in front of the church, Faux-la-Montagne
Public transport
Public transport >> www.aubusson-felletin-tourisme.com
Access
35 km from Felletin, take the D992.
Ambiance
Come and discover this dam built between 1947 and 1951. Its elegant form, where the simplicity, refinement and minimalism of the construction are sufficient to fulfil the functions assigned to them, has lines which are still fully in harmony with the landscape. There are only two examples of this work of art in Europe.
Arrival
The square in front of the church, Faux-la-Montagne
Departure
Square in front of the church, Faux-la-Montagne
