Circular walk from Fratteau to Neuvic

The walk starts at the signpost in the small car park at the western entrance to the hamlet of Puyastier (opposite a bus stop sign).

(S/E) Right from the start, there are some fine buildings on the right with numerous dovecotes.
With your back to the car park, turn left, heading south-west. Cross the hamlet, then, 50 metres further on at a right-angled bend, leave the road and take the unpaved track opposite. About 100 metres further on, at the junction of the tracks, turn right onto the dirt track, following the wooden fence. After about 200 m, continue along the dirt track (pleasant and shaded), leaving the grassy path on your left. You’ll come to a three-way junction. See Practical Information.

(1) Keep to the left on the dirt track. Shortly afterwards, when you reach a junction of several paths, turn right towards the north-west. After a short descent, you’ll reach a crossroads.

(2) Leave the dirt track and turn right onto the Chemin de Castine. The unobstructed view at the bottom of the path allows you to see the stately Fratteau estate on your left. Continue due north until you reach the Fratteau fountain on your right , just before the entrance to the hamlet.

(3) You’ll come to a tarmac road. Leave the Route de Puyastier on your right and continue north, passing a wayside cross dating from 1896 at the junction. Leave the Route du Château and, just before reaching the bridge under the motorway, follow the road that climbs up to the right. After about 150 m, turn right towards La Chabanne.

(4) Pass through the hamlet of La Chabanne, staying on the tarmac track. Continue to the end of the tarmac road, which turns into a limestone track through the woods. Follow the limestone track straight on (firebreak) until you reach the start of a wide right-hand bend.

(5) Ignore the connecting path on the left and continue along the forest track heading south, then south-east. After several hundred metres, the track joins a tarmac road.

(6) Turn right onto this road to return to the hamlet of Puyastier and the car park (S/E).

See this walk suggested by the St Astier-Neuvic Tourist Office.

According to local elders, this is a very old path linking the Isle Valley, Fratteau and Villamblard Castle. View of a ruin on the right, a former inn marking the site of the hamlet of Le Maine (now gone), which was inhabited by the residents of Puyastier before they moved away.

A bit of history...
In the early 18th century, Jean de Villefumade – or Millefumade – used to mint counterfeit coins in underground locations such as Pouyols in the commune of Villamblard, as well as in the underground passages of Fratteau.
The cave’s seclusion was both useful and essential for minting coins without being seen or heard.
We follow the trail of this Jean de Villefumade through hearsay… but his execution for counterfeiting was very real.
A document records the judgement handed down. Mr de Savignac, a magistrate at the Parliament of Bordeaux, wrote these words:
‘On 15 February 1713, two men were hanged today in front of the Palace for the offence of counterfeiting. One of those hanged was a gentleman.’ They were Jean de Villefumade and Raymond Bauduc, a merchant.

The ornate dovecotes of Puyastier
The ornate dovecotes in the hamlet of Puyastier are notable for numbering eight in total, which suggests the wealth of their owners at the time.
The dovecotes appear to date from the^second half of the 19th century. They are decorated with frescoes made using ‘lime wash’ applied to the roughcast.
These frescoes are remarkable as they feature two decorative themes:
A ‘traditional’ motif depicting the couple who owned the property in festive or wedding attire, gathered around a cross. Sugar loaves are depicted around the entrances to the dovecotes. The other motif is reminiscent of African or Indian architecture. The entrances to the decorated dovecotes are reminiscent of houses, fortresses or distant palaces.

The Noble Retreat of Fratteau
Fratteau’s Lair is a former 12th-century medieval fortress, parts of which were dismantled during the Revolution. The passionate owner has successfully restored and revived the site over the last forty years, restoring its charm and authenticity.
Access to the château begins with a walk through the underground refuge (a ‘cluzeau’, unique to the Périgord). From there, visitors emerge into the inhabited and furnished rooms, passing from the medieval kitchen to the grand drawing room.
Nearby, a Périgord potter’s workshop has been reconstructed as it once stood on the site; indeed, the owners sell pottery made on the premises. The whole complex is dominated by the castle mound, which visitors can walk around.

The Fratteau Calvary
This calvary was donated to the village of Le But in the 19th century by Jean-François Puissant, a farmer and potter at Fratteau Castle, or one of his descendants. The initials ‘J.P.’ and the date ‘1896’ can be seen on the calvary.