The Templars

7 points of interest

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  Heritage site

  Courteix

  Courteix church, built in the 12th and 13th centuries, was part of the Maltese Commandery of Bellechassagne. On the paved floor of the church, there are several gravestones of former monks of the Order of Malta. Outside, a fragment of the old cross marks the site of the former cemetery, which has been relocated.

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  Peat bog

  Wet meadows

  Situated at the bottom of valleys, often in spring areas or on the bank of a stream that is barely flowing, wet meadows and peat bogs provide small reserves of fodder in times of drought. Livestock finds food there during very hot and dry weather events. In the spring, these areas are also good for dragonflies.

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  Panorama

  The Plateau of Millevaches

  Culminating at an altitude of nearly 1,000 metres at Mont Bessou, the Millevaches plateau takes its name not from the number of cattle grazing on its green pastures but from the expression ‘one thousand springs’, as there is so much water.

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  Heritage site

  The Le Gardy well

  The villages of Limousin were all heavily involved in agriculture. Walking through these hamlets always produces interesting discoveries during a hike: barns, large country houses, crosses and monuments, traditional local architecture, etc.
  As you go through the village of Le Gardy, take a look at the well on your left.

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  Panorama

  The Massif du Sancy

  This hike will offer you several viewpoints overlooking the highest volcano in mainland France, the Puy de Sancy. At 1885 metres above sea level, this summit is the highest point of the Massif Central. The two streams, the Dore and the Dogne, originate there, and their confluence forms the Dordogne.

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  History

  The Maquis stele

  The forests of the Haute Corrèze were often used as shelters, hiding places and training bases for the members of the Maquis during the Second World War. A group of more than 120 resistance fighters found refuge in the Bois des Trois Faulx. At the end of September 1943, German troops attacked the camp, and several Maquis members were killed in the fighting.

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  Heritage site

  The beech tree alley

  While the first part of the route leads through coniferous forests with numerous logging areas, this magnificent path leads to a beech forest.
  Historically, the department of Corrèze was not forested. In 1900, forests in Corrèze occupied only ¼ of the territory. Today, almost half of the department's surface is wooded. The significant decline in agriculture has encouraged planting, particularly of softwoods, with a clear predilection for planting Douglas fir.