Blog : Tourism news from our region

Taking advantage of European Heritage Days, we returned to visit a site we had already visited a few years ago: Les Tours de Merle. It is located in the heart of the Xaintrie region in Corrèze, about an hour's drive from the mill, via Beaulieu sur Dordogne and Argentat. This fortified site, standing on a rocky outcrop surrounded by the turbulent waters of the Maronne River and lush forest, comprised several towers and dwellings belonging to different noble and seigneurial families who coexisted on the same estate. It is a remarkable example of the kind of shared living arrangements that already existed in the Middle Ages.

Our Dordogne Valley Tourist Office regularly invites us to visit tourist, historical and heritage sites. This was the case in early April, when we took part in a tour of this magnificent abbey, which is home to much of our region's historical heritage. Perched on a rocky promontory overlooking the Coiroux valley, south of Corrèze and 45 minutes from the Moulin du Boisset, Aubazine Abbey is a masterpiece of Cistercian architecture founded in the 12th century. This place of rare serenity tells a story of faith, rigour and inspiration through its golden stones and clean lines. Let's take a look at its history:

In 1134, Etienne d'Obazine, a priest driven by a deep desire to return to an austere evangelical life, withdrew to the solitude of the Corrèze forests. He was quickly joined by disciples and founded a monastic community in Aubazine based on prayer, silence, manual labour and simplicity. Recognising the authenticity of this approach, the Order of Cîteaux officially welcomed the foundation in 1142. The abbey thus became the only Cistercian house in the Limousin region and developed in strict accordance with the Rule of Saint Benedict. A notable feature was that Aubazine was from the outset a double monastery, home to both a community of monks in Aubazine and a community of nuns in Coyroux, a few kilometres away. The two groups lived in the utmost austerity, according to the same spiritual principles.

The monks of Aubazine built an abbey that was exemplary of Cistercian architecture: pure, functional, bathed in light, but without exuberance, ornamentation or colourful stained glass windows. The abbey church, cloister, dormitory and chapter house still bear witness today to this art of simplicity in the service of spiritual elevation.

Rocamadour is not just a medieval and religious town. It is also a remarkable tourist destination offering a wide range of activities for young and old alike.

From visiting farms such as La Borie d'Imbert, The Ferme des Campagnes or The Ferme des Alix, to seeing the Rocher des Aigles or the Durandal show, you are sure to find something to enjoy.

Let's move away from the Moulin du Boisset! Oh, not too far, just an hour's drive and still in the Dordogne Valley, but this time not in the Lot department but in the nearby Dordogne. Like the Lot, the Dordogne is an incredibly rich area in terms of tourist sites, history and heritage. There are medieval towns such as Sarlat-la-Canèda, La Rocque-Gageac, Domme, Benac and Cazenac, most of which have been awarded the "Most Beautiful Villages in France" label. The Dordogne is home to the famous Lascaux cave, with its exceptional, world-renowned cave paintings, and a host of medieval castles built during the Hundred Years' War.

If you'd like to combine a hike with a visit to an unusual place steeped in history, we recommend a walk not far from Miers, a village located between Rocamadour and the Gouffre de Padirac. It's from Miers that you'll find one of the starting points for a very special hike, the "Dolmens de Miers" trail, which has been given this name quite simply because the region has traces of human occupation dating back to the Palaeolithic period, with a large number of Neolithic tombs and dolmens, making the Lot one of the French departments with the most burial mounds.

The Dordogne is a magnificent river, which you can canoe or kayak down from one of the many water sports centres along the way. One of these is less than 10 minutes from the Moulin, and it was from this base that we canoed down the Dordogne on several occasions.

There are several routes on offer, ranging from 9 to 27 km, and thanks to the river's easy flow, they are suitable for everyone as long as you know how to swim.