The oaks of Murat

In Gourdon, follow the signs to the church to reach the hamlet of Murat. Drive through the hamlet to the fork in the road and park in a small, very shady grassy car park on the right, next to a cross.

(S/E) Walk past the cross and follow the road on the right towards Moulin du Travers. The road descends into the Murat stream valley.

(1) Leave the road before crossing the stream and turn left onto the mill grounds (free entry). Cross the stream via a footbridge to reach the mill (under restoration in 2019). Retrace your steps a little and you will see a sign for "four à pain" (bread oven) on the left. Follow the path that leads to a farmhouse currently being renovated. Note the beautiful oak tree. Retrace your steps and return to the road.

(1) Walk back up to the cross.

(S/E) Take the road on the left for a few metres, then immediately turn left to go around and visit the church ^(a) with its bell tower. Inside, paintings from different periods overlap. Back on the road, turn left to the Sully oak tree ^(b) on the left side of the road, at the last house in the hamlet.

(2) Retrace your steps by crossing the hamlet via the road until you reach the small car park (S/E).

Very easy walk, no special equipment required.

Discover more walks in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Some photos here

^(a) The church had a Romanesque structure, as evidenced by the side door decorated with a torus, but it underwent modifications in the 17th century. The slope of the roof is characteristic of an old thatched roof, which has been replaced by beautiful slate tiles.

The bell tower has three aligned windows and three bells, one of which is said to have been donated by the House of Pompadour. It is the only bell tower in the Bugeat region with three windows. The others have two.

^(b) The oak tree known as Sully's Oak is said to have been planted around 1600. A Sully tree is a remarkable, ancient lime, elm or oak tree, the origin of which can be traced back to a decision by Sully, minister to Henry IV and Grand Voyeur of France, to have beautiful trees planted in French villages, in front of church doors or in the main square. Many Sully lime trees still remain in towns and villages throughout France, although it is not always possible to establish that they were planted as part of Sully's initiative. The same is true of this oak tree, hence the name "Sully oak".