The Maulde Valley

6 points of interest

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  Heritage site

  Detour to Saint-Martin-Château

  Situated between two rocky spurs, the Jarrauds waterfall is close to the village of Saint-Martin-Château which is full of heritage treasures. The detour by the trail leading to the village (distance: Five hundred metres from the car park) allows you to appreciate a 12th-century church, stone statues, a carved cross, a sarcophagus, dry stone walls and traditional granite houses.

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  Small patrimony

  The village fountain

  A niche of granite blocks with a grindstone as a cover to protect the purity of the water and two protruding stones for the seals. This was the only water point in the village of Saint Martin Château, a meeting place for the inhabitants of the village who had to fetch water several times a day.

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  Small patrimony

  The plank “bridges”

  These are rustic bridges with large granite slabs as their deck. The planks of Verrière are remarkable for their size, those of Pont for their regularity. Both offer great views of the river. These are pedestrian crossings, with wagons and animals using the ford crossing the bridge.

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  Small patrimony

  Fisheries

  Dug in the upper part of the meadows, they retain the water that used to be used for irrigation ditches: “the levades”. In this way, the spring growth of the grass was encouraged. Near the village, the women used to come here to rinse the ashes they used for washing clothes. This is the habitat of numerous amphibians: the frog, the salamander and the marbled newt recognisable by the male’s dorsal crest.

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  Small patrimony

  Rural paths

  Often lined with low walls, these famous sunken paths are inseparable from the Limousin landscape, and are to be found everywhere, especially when going down to the Verrières bridge. On the other hand, they may be raised to make the passage of very wet areas easier: An excellent example of this arrangement is clearly visible between the village of Pont and the bridges of the same name.

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  River

  The Maulde

  It has its source on the Plateau de Millevaches and feeds Lake Vassivière. Its particularly clear water is conducive to the development of beds of the aquatic plant water starwort. With a bit of care, you should be able to see the white-throated dipper, which flies very quickly at the water’s edge. This bird, the size of a blackbird, feeds on insects that it seeks out in the water beneath the rocks.