From Pont-Aubert to Rochers Noirs
Soursac
From Pont-Aubert to Rochers Noirs
Difficult
Difficulty3h
Duration11,3km
Distance+337m
Positive Elevation-338m
Negative ElevationLoop
Course typeYellow markers
NetworkEmbed this item to access it offline
You will discover the natural heritage of Soursac as you go to the Pont-Aubert lake. After passing the old station, you will follow the Tacot track. You will visit Firmin's garden and his hut, which offers a breathtaking view of the Luzège Valley, and you will reach the Rochers Noirs viaduct, built between 1911 and 1913 and today classified as a historical monument.
6 points of interest
- Pond
Pont Aubert lake and stream
Fed by the stream of the same name, the lake offers an 8-hectare stretch of water, with supervised swimming in July and August, fishing, children's games and a waterslide. A trail takes you all the way round it. - Heritage site
Locomotive
This "Type 26TDE locotractor" is a remnant of the "tacot", the tramway which linked Ussel to Tulle at the beginning of the 20th century. On average, 190 passengers used this tramway every day. It served about 50 villages, including Soursac. - Art
Sculpturama
Every year at the end of July, the Sculpturama festival of contemporary artistic creation invites artists to highlight nature and traditional architecture. Several sculptures made during the festival can be seen outside the Soursac sports hall. - History
The Tacot tramway station
The starting point of the circuit to explore the "Tacot", this former station (now disappeared), was a stopping point for the tramway until 1959. A symbol of modernism, it allowed the opening up of the region. - Panorama
Firmin's garden
The terraced garden owes its name to Firmin, a former stone mason, who in the last century came down to tend his patch of land every day. It offers a stunning panoramic view over the Rochers Noirs viaduct. - Heritage site
Church
The church Saint-Julien de Brioude features a bell tower dating from the 12th century. The stained glass windows in the choir were made at the beginning of the 20th century by Pierre-Jules Boulanger (1833-1911), a master glass artist from Rouen. The path leading down to the Jardin Firmin begins at the square.
Description
Park at the tourist information office
- Go to the main street and follow it to the left. Pass in front of the town hall. At the crossroads at the exit of the town, go towards Neuvic then turn left towards St-Pantaleon.
- Turn right onto the tarmac path before the water tower. At the bottom of the descent, continue straight ahead in the woodland undergrowth. Go to the right around the pond and cross the dike. Go up to the left on the trail along the edge of the pond that passes below the gîtes. You come to a small footbridge. Proceed.
- At the end of the pond, go up towards the car park. Continue to the left along the road. Cross the stream. 50 m later, turn right onto the rising grassy path.
- Take the road to the right and then towards "houses from 1 to 17". 10 m further on, take the path immediately on the left. At the next crossroads, turn left at the stable to return towards the road. Follow it to the right, pass the locomotive and continue on the road. Go through La Croix Neuve.
- Turn right towards the sports hall, then right on the path after the hall. Go left after the chalet. The path becomes a trail and joins a pathway that you follow to the left. Turn left at the next crossroads. Follow this pathway for 1 km: this is the old Tacot tramway track.
- Cross the road and the esplanade. Leave a path on the right that goes towards the viaduct and go up the grassy path. Go on alongside the water treatment plant to a road that you follow on the right.
- Before the church, take the rue du Viaduc on the right, which descends, becomes a path and then a trail. At Jardin de Firmin, there are two possibilities: the path on the right overlooks the site or, off the circuit, go down into the garden.
- Follow the road to the left. Go through a tunnel. Enter the second tunnel, which leads to the viaduct. Turn around, pass through the 2 tunnels. 100 m after the last one, go up to the right by a steep path which leads to the village.
- Follow the path to the right that leads to Soursac, then go around the church to the right and turn right at the D 16.
- Departure : Tourist information office car park, Soursac
- Arrival : Tourist information office car park, Soursac
- Towns crossed : Soursac
Forecast
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
Joint departure with the "Beyond the Water" trail. Follow the signs carefully as you leave the village.
Information desks
Access and parking
40 km from Meymac, follow the D 181 and D 166.
Parking :
Tourist information office car park, Soursac
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