Lake Viam

Heritage site and architecture

Lakes and rivers

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Head towards the Lac de Viam for this family circuit which allows you to discover the Bugeac countryside.

This circuit is part of the FFVélo Haute-Corrèze mountain bike base, the largest mountain biking area in France with 1000 km of marked circuits. This circuit is accessible to all, easy going, with few technical sections. Be careful however in the two descents after Terracol and when arriving in Bugeat. A very pleasant route on paths alternating shrubby areas and meadows. A beautiful ride through the autumn colours.

6 points of interest

History
Espace 1000 Sources
The circuit starts near the Espace 1000 Sources stadium, a training centre that welcomes groups of sports enthusiasts who love the great outdoors. Behind this centre is Alain Mimoun, winner of the Sydney 1956 Olympic Games marathon, who had fine-tuned his preparations in Bugeat.
Lake
Lake Viam
Filled in 1946, this dammed lake marks the passage of the Millevaches plateau with its streams snaking through wet peaty hollows towards higher areas where the watercourses come together. It is the first upstream hydroelectric structure on the Vézère.
Panorama
Le Haut de Couignoux
The physicochemical alteration of the granite has created a disconcerting landscape because it is difficult to read. There are no well-marked valleys or vast plains but a succession of basins and hills; a so-called "honeycombed" landscape". Nor are there any raging mountain streams, as the water, trapped in the wetlands of these basin bottoms, scarcely flows.
As a result, from this rocky promontory which culminates at an altitude of 730 m, one can see the Puy Pader, the Puy Niouloux, the Lake, the village of Viam and the Belvedere, as well as the Monceau Dam.
Panel no. 6 is located there and contains more information.
Heritage site
L'Echameil
The villages of Haute-Corrèze are all involved in agriculture. Walking through these hamlets always produces interesting discoveries during a hike: barns, mansions, crosses, bread ovens... At l'Echameil, don't miss the old well. Broussouloux then Coulournat are also characterised by their traditional granite buildings.
Heritage site
The railway
You're going to walk along a railway track on the way back from this hike. It is a portion of the line that connects Limoges to Clermont-Fd. This line, opened in 1883, contributed to the opening up of the region. The section between Ussel and the capital of Auvergne has been closed since 2014.
Heritage site
The village of Bugeat
Granite is everywhere in the traditional buildings of the Millevaches plateau, such as the village of Bugeat. From the extraction of rock to the work of artists and traditional local buidings, the Granite House, a permanent exhibition within the Bugeat tourist office, is a starting point for many discoveries.