A half-hour train ride north of Brive along the course of the bubbling River Vézère, the town of UZERCHE is impressively located above a loop in the river's course. It's worth a passing visit as the town has several fine old buildings. From the gare SNCF, the old town is a five-minute walk south along the main road. The tourist office (April to mid-June & mid-Sept to Oct Mon–Fri 10am–noon & 2–5.30pm; mid-June to mid-Sept Mon–Sat 9am–12.30pm & 2–6.30pm, Sun 10am–12.30pm & 2.30–6pm; Nov–March Mon–Fri 10am–noon; tel 05.55.73.15.71), behind the main church, provides a suggested walking route, but the place is so small you can easily find your own way around. If you need a place to stay, the Teyssier, by the river (tel 05.55.73.10.05, hotelteyssier.free.fr; €40–55; closed Tues & Wed, also Jan & 10 days in Dec; restaurant from €16), is a good option, as is the slightly cheaper Ambroise round the corner (tel 05.55.73.28.60, fax 05.55.98.45.73; €30–40; restaurant from €13).Roughly 20km west of Uzerche (40min by train, on a different line, from Brive), is ARNAC-POMPADOUR, a town dominated by its grey, turreted Château, presented in 1745 by Louis XV to his mistress, Madame de Pompadour, though she never actually visited it. Set in the green countryside of southern Limousin – reminiscent of parts of Ireland – the Château is home to one of France's best-known stud farms (haras), created by Louis XV in 1761, where Anglo-Arabs were first bred. Only the Château terraces are open to the public (daily: April–June 10am–noon & 2–5pm; July–Sept 10am–5.30pm; Oct–March 2–4.30/5pm; €2), but it's more interesting to visit the dépôt des étalons where the stallions are kept (daily: July–Sept 10am–5pm; Oct–June 2.30–4.30/5pm; €4.50), across the square from the Château. The mares live in the Jumenterie de la Rivière (daily: mid-Feb to June 2–5pm; July–Sept 3–5pm; closed Oct to mid-Feb; €4.50), 4km away near the village of Beyssac; in spring the fields around are full of mares and foals, the best being kept for breeding, the rest sold worldwide as two-year-olds. From May to October there are frequent race meetings on the magnificent track in front of the Château, plus events and open days. The gare SNCF is 500m southeast of the town, on the D7 Vigeois road. There's a reasonable place to stay and eat, the Hôtel du Parc (tel 05.55.73.30.54, fax 05.55.73.39.79; €30–40; closed two weeks in Jan; restaurant from €10), behind the Château.
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