A 7.3-kilometre circular trail starts in Lembras, with shorter route options along the Caudeau. Together with its forested landscape and sites of cultural and historical interest, the area offers different ways to plan a stay. If you’re looking for hotels in Lembras, you can first decide whether hiking, wildlife watching or historic buildings should feature most prominently in your travel plans.
Trails between forest and the Caudeau
The Sentier des Châtaigniers starts in Lembras and is 7.3 kilometres long. The circular route is rated easy for hiking, mountain biking and horse riding. There is also a second circular route along the Caudeau: it covers 2.5 kilometres and follows an out-and-back format. This means you can choose between a longer circular route and a shorter trail with a designated return leg.
The 800-metre nature trail along the Caudeau adds an educational focus to the routes. Information boards explain the waterway and its surroundings.
Forest landscape and wildlife
The Caudeau valley borders Lembras to the south; to the northeast, the area stretches across a rolling plateau with extensive woodland. The forests support a rich variety of plant and animal life. With a little patience, you may also spot deer there. At least seven fish species are found in the Caudeau near Lembras. Both the forests and the waterway are distinctive nature features of the area: one offers opportunities for wildlife watching, the other is home to the river’s fish.
Well, tower and château
The Puits des Gironnets is 32 metres deep. Above the well is a small shelter with a pitched roof covered in tiles. A hand-turned wheel operates a winch positioned outside the well shaft. The well was carefully restored in 2008, but is no longer in use. Its depth, the shelter’s construction and its historic mechanism make it a distinctive part of local history.
The Tour Cyrano also recalls an earlier history: in 1113, the present-day tower formed the bow of a triple-walled fortress in Ribeyrie. Richard the Lionheart had the fortress demolished around 1198. The Tour Cyrano still stands at the crossroads of the roads to Queyssac and Greloux. The so-called “Roman bridge” of Lembras is a stone bridge over the Caudeau.
Château la Renaudie is an 18th-century château. Self-guided visits and guided visits by appointment are possible. The château has an adjoining 35-hectare vineyard, which accounts for 10 percent of the total AOC production of red wine from Pécharmant. Here, architectural history and winegrowing come together, while the well, tower and bridge reveal other aspects of the area’s historic heritage.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Germain-de-Belvès, Château-L'évêque, Manzac-Sur-Vern, Saint-Avit-Rivière, Saint-Médard-D'excideuil, Calès, Saint-Martial-De-Nabirat, Lavaur
For the broader travel overview: Dordogne.
