La VagabondeCombrailles - Millevaches - Quercy
1 – Montluçon – Evaux-les-Bains : 44 km / 793m D+
Your bike trip starts in the Allier in Montluçon. Dominated by the Bourbons’ castle, the city sets the tempo: stroll in the medieval quarter, discover the exotic style villas of the architect Pierre Diot, rhythmic and melodious musical journey at the MUPOP… enough to satisfy and get everyone in shape! The stage begins with a pleasant 6 km greenway that makes a nice transition between the city and the spa town of Néris-les-Bains. On the hilly roads of the Combraille, the landscapes mixing hedged meadows, heather moors and forest environments are gradually revealed before your eyes, until the village of Chambonchard crossed by the Cher.
AUvergne - Allier - Néris-les-Bains.|
2 – Evaux-les-Bains – Aubusson : 55 km / 518m D+
After the Allier, make way for the Creuse through which you enter via Evaux-les-Bains, the only spa in the Limousin. You continue your route in this plain landscape in the direction of Chambon-sur-Voueize, a high place of Romanesque art. Head east until you reach Lussat and the Landes pond, the largest natural pond in Limousin with 100 hectares. Then head south on the Tapestry road towards Aubusson. On your way, make a stop at the pond of Naute, perfect place for a little freshness break. End your second stage in charming Aubusson where the Creuse River meanders and don’t miss a visit to the Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie to discover this know-how, Unesco intangible cultural heritage.
3 – Aubusson – Royère-de-Vassivière : 46 km /825m D+
Continue your cycling trip in the Creuse by leaving Aubusson, heading to Felletin. This town is also the cradle of tapestry and the gateway to the Millevaches Regional Nature Park. Discover this city of character with its many architectural details. It will then be time to take a little altitude by going towards the lake of Vassivière. On your way, you will visit La Nouaille but also Saint-Marc-à-Loubaud where many legends lie dormant. You can then enjoy the wild side of Lake Lavaud-Gelade before arriving at Lake Vassivière, one of the largest in France with its 1000 hectares.
4 – Royère-de-Vassivière – Bugeat : 49 km / 747m D+
You enter the department of Corrèze from Faux-la-Montagne in Creuse, skirting the 100-hectare Chammet lake. You are in the heart of the Regional Natural Park Millevaches in Limousin, labeled International Starry Sky Reserve. Discover an exceptional landscape of moors, heaths and peat bogs. Take a detour to explore the remarkable Gallo-Roman site of Les Cars. Finally, end this stage in Bugeat, a small commercial town with a very old characteristic building, slate roofs and granite walls.
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5 – Bugeat – Clergoux : 57 km / 691m D+
5th stage of your stay on the V87, you leave Bugeat and continue your route through the roundness of the Millevaches plateau to the Monédières massif, passing through picturesque villages such as Lestards, Chaumeil and Sarran. Under your eyes, you will see the vast undulating expanses of the middle Corrèze, dotted with springs, ponds and streams that enliven the landscape. At the end of the day, Clergoux offers an ideal place to rest, giving the possibility to swim in the peaceful pond of Prévot. The domain of Sédières, in the immediate vicinity, is a vast playground where culture, nature and sport are mixed.
6 – Clergoux – Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne : 49 km / 698m D+
Starting from Clergoux, you continue your route south. Following the Doustre stream, you pass through La-Roche-Canillac, a picturesque village built in the 9th century, and gently descend the hillside on a pretty road lined with forests. The itinerary continues to Argentat-sur-Dordogne, a former major trading port of the gabariers of the Dordogne. You then follow the left bank of the river to Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, also known as the “Limousin Riviera”, a medieval city built around its remarkable abbey church, famous for its tympanum, a masterpiece of Romanesque art. You can stroll through the narrow streets before arriving at the Chapelle des Pénitents whose bell tower-wall is reflected in the waters of the Dordogne.
7 – Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne – Rocamadour : 58 km / 765m D+
A stage that allows you to discover the richness of the Dordogne Valley and its pretty cliff-lined villages before arriving at the final stage of Rocamadour, the highlight of the show. Rocamadour, the sacred city, medieval city clinging to its cliff, stone splendor illuminated by the fires of the setting sun. This extraordinary village transports you to another time, when people came from far away to venerate the Black Virgin. Medieval houses and fortified gates accompany visitors to this high place of pilgrimage since the 12th century.
8 – Rocamadour – Cahors : 64 km / 765m D+
You leave Rocamadour towards the south to soak up the atmosphere of the Regional Natural Park of the Causses du Quercy. On the program, the crossing of the causse, the intimate and secret valley of the Vers before an arrival in Cahors where the Lot Valley traces one of its most beautiful loops. Cahors is truly a City of Art and History! From the Valentré bridge to the Saint-Etienne cathedral, passing by the market place and the terraces of the Gambetta boulevard, the first city of the Lot combines southern atmosphere, historical wealth and gourmet pleasures.
9 – Cahors – Lafrançaise : 50 km / 588m D+
Cap on the Quercy Blanc for this stage that leads you to Lafrançaise in the Tarn et Garonne. In the south of the Lot, the Quercy Blanc wears well its nickname of “little Provence”. In the land of white stone and chalky paths, the sun shines and slowly ripens melon, sunflower, lavender and vine. Land of inspiration for artists, the variety of its natural environment offers a palette of impressive colors. In spring and summer, lavender, sunflowers, broom, poppies and orchids stretch as far as the eye can see, while in autumn, the brown and orange tones of the oaks, maples and vines light up the landscape. The arrival is planned in Lafrançaise which has a rich and diverse heritage. The town is an old bastide founded at the end of the 13th century.
10 – Lafrançaise – Montech : 34 km / 80m D
Leaving Lafrançaise on its promontory, you see the orchards of the Tarn and Aveyron plain. Discover Montauban, City of Art and History, one of the oldest and best preserved medieval new towns in the South-West, which nevertheless has no shortage of them. In pink, the famous Place Nationale, in pink, the roof tiles of the mansions, the Saint-Jacques church, the old College, the Pont-Vieux which spans the Tarn and the famous Ingres Bourdelle Museum. The itinerary continues through the Canal de Montech. The water slope of Montech, an exceptional work, allowed barges to cross a threshold of over 13m. Today, a walk lined with surprises, leads you to the “Machine” of the water slope and its barge converted into a fun and immersive space.
