Up Hill & Down Dale
Walking - There are many marked walks
and quiet country lanes in the area, taking advantage of the beautiful forests, fields and quaint villages.
Throughout the year, there are also guided walks, should you wish to join fellow ramblers.
You can take the leisurely walk along the quiet road to Pompadour, Segur or Lubersac from Le Roc and within
an hour, you can be relaxing with a coffee and cake or beer and icecream. We have walked
these routes on several occasions and often have to stop to admire deer in the fields. Whether
you enjoy a gentle stroll or an all-day hike, you will be spoilt for choice here.
Climbing - The nearby village of Uzerche offers a variety of sports including
climbing. Alternatively, for the experienced climber, in under 2 hours you can drive to
the mountainous region of the Auvergne and the volcanoes.
Horseriding - If you have a thing about horses, there really is no better place to
visit than Pompadour. A real equestrian town, you are spoilt for choice. Drive past fields
of horses and their young foals in the Spring, stop and stroke one of the many donkeys.
There are several horse-riding schools and stables in the local vicinity, and of course
there is the national Stud farm where Anglo-Arabs are bred. In addition to the Stud farm,
you can also visit the brood-mare farm, where again, in Spring, it is a beautiful sight.
Alternatively, you can participate or spectate the many equestrian events and competitions
held throughout the year. Go to our equestrian
page for more information.
Cycling - There is cycle hire approximately a 20-minute drive away. Should
there be the demand, we will consider having bicycles available for your use direct from
Le Roc, so please let us know if you are interested.
Bringing your own bikes? We have secure, covered storage and can supply a hose to clean up
after a day splashing through mud!
The area is popular with cyclists and organised events are often held from nearby villages.
We would describe the grade of difficulty as 'moderate' with one or two more challenging hills
thrown in here and there. The local landscape could be described as gentle rolling hillsides
and is by no means 'flat'. Roads are quiet and there are plenty of places to stop and picnic
or take refuge with a strong black coffee.
Looking for a 'greener' holiday? Why not leave the car at home and travel here via the 'bike-express'.
Click this link for more information.
Water, water, everywhere
Canoeing/Kayaking/Rafting - Just a
20 minute drive away, the village of Uzerche has facilities for many watersports. They
will drop you off upstream and leave you to paddle down at your leisure (stopping for a
picnic on the way of course!). There are minor rapids to make the ladies squeal and calm
waters where the men can take a nap (and a break from the oars). There are more challenging
rapids on other sections of the river for those of you seeking more excitement. If rivers
are not your style, try one of the lakes - there are several in the area offering a variety
of facilities such as windsurfing, pedalos and canoes.
Fishing - Permits are obtainable from several outlets in neighbouring villages,
enabling you to fish on many of the local lakes and rivers. The nearest fishing river (trout) is
just across the field from your accommodation (literally a 5-minute walk). There really is
no shortage of choice of places to go fishing in this area. Local supermarkets stock a
good supply of equipment and you can always dig for your own worms in the vegetable garden!
Take to the Skies
Ballooning - There are two local
companies, one operating from Pompadour, who provide balloon flights. It may be possible
to arrange your take-off from the meadow at Le Roc! Your flight will take you over
spectacular scenery of forests, rivers, lakes and hills (some big ones!) and will really
make that special celebration something to remember.
Astronomy - With virtually no light pollution, we are ideally located for a spot of
star spotting. Take a sun-lounger up to the meadow and lie back under the moonlight to
count the stars, or take a romantic stroll under the light of a full moon down to the
river at midnight. For serious gazers, visit the Observatory, approximately a 30-minute drive
away.
Flying - The airports at Brive and Limoges offer flying lessons, hangliding and
other related activities. Brive is approximately 40 minutes by car and Limoges 50 minutes.
Flora & Fauna
Bird-watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, and
flower fanatics will be in their element here! Visit in the Autumn for best glimpses of
deer, red kites, wild mushrooms, beautiful colours, siskins, and migrating cranes. Spring
brings the return of the migrating cranes, an abundance of wild orchids and cowslips, and the fresh flush
of green and fields bright yellow with dandelions. Summer brings the red-backed shrike, black
redstarts, golden orioles, woodchat shrikes, hoopoes and harriers. Of course, there are always
badgers, foxes, owls, black woodpeckers (and the usual green ones and spotted ones), herons,
buzzards, kingfishers, hen harriers ........ the list is endless. (Note: we have only mentioned
the flora and fauna that we personally have seen in the grounds or upto a 5 minute walk away.)
Food & Drink
Markets - Both Pompadour and Lubersac
host alternating weekly markets - the essential meeting point for all the local residents.
The beautiful and unspoilt nearby village of Ségur-le-Château has a particularly good
market event, held weekly on Monday evenings throughout July and August. Here you can
purchase fresh local produce, have it cooked onsite for you, then sit down with all the
locals and enjoy the entertainment (including live music).
Local Delicacies - Having the added benefit of being on the border of several
departments, there are lots of specialist local delicacies to tempt your tastebuds! Walnuts
and apples (both of which have a recognised tasting 'trail' to follow), mushrooms, patés,
farmhouse cooking, duck, foie gras, black-bellied pigs, violet mustard, chestnuts, and of course the
infamous Limousin beef.
Vegetarians/Vegans - We must point out that, whilst not impossible, it is very
difficult to find restaurants catering for vegetarian diets. There are salads available (and
very nice they are too), however, the majority of dishes are of pork, beef or duck, and
only the occasional fish or chicken dish (locally).
Dining out - From May onwards into September, you will find plenty of choice in
terms of evening dining, however during 'out of season' months, locally, there are only
literally one or two restaurants open in the evening. With the exception of perhaps one
or two, all are open at lunchtime as this is when the French traditionally eat their
main meal. Lunchtime menus usually offer excellent value with a 3 course meal from around
€11 per head (approx £8).
Shopping
Nearby small towns and villages have all the
essentials. For shopaholics, the large town of Brive-la-Gaillarde is a 40 minute drive or
the city of Limoges is around 45 minutes. Both have pleasant pedestrian areas, lots of
specialist shops, great places to do some crowd-free Xmas shopping or topping up those designer
labels. Or, should you wish to venture further, Uzerche (20 minutes) offers direct trains to the
larger cities of Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse in around 3 hours.
