Millevaches, the plateau of a thousand springs, is undulating upland country 800–900m in altitude, a sort of step on the northern edge of the Massif Central, with a wild and sparsely populated landscape and villages few and far between. Those that do exist appear small, grey and sturdy, inured like their mainly elderly inhabitants to the buffeting of upland weather. It's a country of conifer plantations and natural woodland – of beech, birch and chestnut – interspersed with reed-fringed tarns, dam-created lakes and pasture grazed by sheep and cows, where you still find people haymaking with rake and pitchfork.The small towns, like Eymoutiers and Meymac, have a primitive architectural beauty and an old-world charm largely untouched by modern development. It's an area to walk or cycle in, or at least savour at a gentle pace, and there's a surprisingly large number of attractive old-fashioned hotels. Obviously, getting around by car is easiest, but there is access by public transport. Ussel, the largest town, is on the main road and rail link between Brive and Clermont-Ferrand, and is also connected by a cross-country line through Meymac and Eymoutiers to Limoges.
Pages in section ‘Millevaches’: Ussel, Meymac, Eymoutiers, Château de Ventadour.
| 