Through the villages
>>
Home
>
Pedestrian
>
Through the villages
Saint-Merd-de-Lapleau

Through the villages

Heritage site and architecture
Embed this item to access it offline
La Rongère, Coiral, Le Grolier, Libouroux, Lascaux, so many hamlets woven into the countryside and inviting to you discover their local heritage.
This circular walk through the villages is your invitation to discover the networks of paths that once allowed you to move freely between all these places: a real link between the inhabitants of the communes. Through the villages, you are also discovering local heritage and architecture.

3 points of interest

  • Heritage site

    Barn

    Traditional farm buildings are rather low, covered by a massive slate or stone tiled roof. Walls are generally made of uncut granite or gneiss stones. The only decoration is a lintel engraved with the owner's initials and sometimes as a protective sign. Dwellings and farm buildings could cohabit under the same roof, constituting what was called a "bloc à terre", a "compact house", or be independent. There are two types of barn-stables in this area: the Auvergne and the Limousine.
  • Flora

    Royal Fern

    The Royal Fern (osmunda ragalis) is a very large fern that bears its name of "royal" well. With a thick stump and fronds growing in tufts, its deciduous pinkish foliage begins light green and turns red in autumn. There are two kinds of long, petiolate fronds, the shortest ones, with slightly serrated margins, are sterile; the longer fertile fronds carry spore cases that are perfectly visible in summer (July to September) forming kinds of green bars that turn rusty brown. 
  • Heritage site

    Classroom of yesteryear

    The Maison du Patrimoine is a former school that has now been converted into overnight accommodation for hikers and a community hall. It houses an old classroom, preserved in its original state, with desks, blackboard, maps and other educational materials from the 1930s. Paid visit, by appointment, with the Friends of the Maison du Patrimoine.

Description

  1. From the former schoolhouse, go down the D60. At the town hall, turn right, then take the road on the right. At the houses, take the path on the right below the trees, pass a pond and continue. Take the D978 to the left and then the road to the right.
  2. Take the path on the right. Before La Rongère, fork right onto the path in a dip, then take the D98 to the left. Leave Rongère on the left.
  3. Take the path on the left. It goes down into a wet area. Go up the path, which is bordered by low walls. Cross the cattle grids (grids fixed in the ground), arrive at Coiral, leave the road, and then follow the road to the right.
  4. Before the last house on the left, take the path on the left. Cross the Sombre on the footbridge and go up by a rather wet path. At the left fork, continue alongside the field, then turn right between the meadows. Continue along the edge of the field, and you will arrive at Chassang (house with bread oven). Take the road on the right and, at Le Grolier, the D98 on the right, then the track on the left. Leave the left-hand track and continue straight ahead.
  5. At the five-way crossroads in the paths, take the second path on the right. Cross the Sombre (Royal Fern) and continue along the path. Take the D978 to the right.
  6. In the bend, take the left-hand path. In Lascaux, continue opposite, go through the hamlet (view of the gorges of the Dordogne and the Xaintrie) and continue by the descending path. Cross a damp area at the bottom, leave the path on the left and go up between coppice and plantations. Take the road on the left, the path on the right for 75 m, then the path on the right, between the trees. Take the D978 on the left, the D98 on the left and the path on the right to return to the Maison du Patrimoine.
  • Departure : The Maison du Patrimoine, Saint-Merd-de-Lapleau
  • Arrival : The Maison du Patrimoine, Saint-Merd-de-Lapleau
  • Towns crossed : Saint-Merd-de-Lapleau

Forecast


Altimetric profile


Information desks


Access and parking

At the entrance to the village of Saint Merd-de-Lapleau arriving by the D978 from Marcillac la Croisille.

Parking :

The Maison du Patrimoine, Saint-Merd-de-Lapleau

More information


Report a problem or an error

If you have found an error on this page or if you have noticed any problems during your hike, please report them to us here: