A dozen kilometres south of Limoges in the lovely wooded valley of the Briance, the Château de Châlucet and the church of SOLIGNAC make the most attractive day's outing from the city. There are trains to Solignac-Le Vigen station, 1km away on the Limoges–Brive line, and infrequent bus services to Solignac itself; you'll have more choice if you take a bus to LE VIGEN and walk the final kilometre.Approaching from Le Vigen you can see Solignac's Romanesque abbey church (daily 9am–6.30pm; free) ahead of you, with the tiled roofs of its octagonal apse and neat little brood of radiating chapels. The twelfth-century facade is plain with just a little sculpture, as the granite of which it is built does not permit the intricate carving of limestone. Inside it's beautiful, a flight of steps leading down into the nave with a dramatic view the length of the church. There are no aisles, just a single space roofed with three big domes, and no ambulatory either – an absolutely plain Latin cross in design. It's a simple, sturdy church, with the same feel of plain robust Christianity as the crypt of St-Eutrope in Saintes. There's a very pleasant, comfortable hotel opposite the church, Le St-Éloi (tel 05.55.00.44.52, www.lesainteloi.fr; €40–55; closed Jan & two weeks in Sept), with a good restaurant (closed Sat lunch, Sun eve & Mon; menus from €13). Alternatively, try the much simpler but welcoming Les Sarrazins (tel & fax 05.55.00.51.48; under €30; closed three weeks in Aug), also in the village, which serves generous meals from €9.60 (restaurant closed Fri evening, Sat & Sun). The Château de Châlucet is a good five-kilometre walk up the valley of the Briance in the other direction – uphill quite a lot of the way along the D32 and D32a. After about 45 minutes, at the highest point of the climb, there is a dramatic view across the valley to the romantic, ruined keep of the castle, rising above the woods. It's a further kilometre down to the bridge on the Briance, where a path follows the riverbank before climbing steeply up again into the woods. Built in the twelfth century, the Château was in English hands during the Hundred Years War and, in the lawless aftermath, became the lair of a notorious local brigand, Perrot le Béarnais. Dismantled in 1593 for harbouring Protestants, it has recently been acquired by the local authorities who are in the middle of major restoration works, including an archeological dig. It's still possible to visit, though you are restricted to safe areas along fenced-off paths. You can borrow an explanatory guide from the visitors' centre (mid-April to mid-Oct daily 10am–12.30pm & 1.30–6pm) on the path up to the ruins.
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