PR 26 : Le Puy de Teldes

A hike that takes you from the village and its singular church, around Lac de Saint-Pierre and then to the summit of Puy de Teldes, in the footsteps of the Templars.

Saint-Pierre church: its contemporary, regionalist style (1961-1962) is striking. It replaced the church of the old village of Saint-Pierre, a few hundred meters away, which was razed to the ground to exploit a uranium ore deposit. Today's church, dedicated to St. Peter the fisherman from Lake Tiberias, has a frame in the shape of an inverted ship's hull. The floor is made of Corrèze slate, which imitates the swirls of water. As for the stained glass windows, they were made from mass-tinted glass slabs, a process widely used in the 1960s.

Inaugurated in 2000, Notre-Dame des Templiers was erected at the summit of Puy de Teldes, in memory of the presence of the Knights Templar. Remains of huts, stables and fortifications that once belonged to the Knights Templar remain here, probably an advanced guard post watching over the Mauriac-Ussel road.

Departure point: Saint-Pierre church parking lot.
Go past the town hall and straight on to the campsite.
At the D12 junction, go straight ahead. Take the gravel path towards the Templiers site.

Variant : You can reach the bottom of the Gorges de la Dordogne (site du Mentier). A path along the riverbank allows you to admire the granite giants. A short but physically demanding route (ascent 670 m).