Route des Tourbières - Vassivière

Peat bogs develop in granite basins called alveoli, where the acidic, poor soil provides favourable conditions for their growth. These fragile environments are home to a specific flora composed of very particular primitive plants: sphagnum mosses. The different stages are visible here: low marshes covered with quaking bogs, active raised bogs, and peat heaths bordered by willows and birches.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.21 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 255 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 257 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 778 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 607 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the car park, at the Carrefour de Chassagnas, take the lane behind the EDF transformer then the path on the left. Descend towards the pond, join a road and follow it to the left. Reach Masgrangeas and, at a fork, take the street on the left.

(1) At the intersection immediately ahead, take the street on the right and pass in front of a fountain. Cross a road (cross) and take the path lined with low walls opposite. At the T-junction, turn left. Cross a stream and reach a crossroads.

(2) Go up to the left along the path through the undergrowth. At the next crossroads, take the middle path.

(3) At the rocks, turn left. Descend, walk along the bog to the rocky outcrop (viewpoint). Reach a road

(4) Cross it and follow the path that goes through two gates. Continue along the D7 on the left until you reach the Orladeix fountain and wash house.

(5) Turn right onto the path between two houses. Go through several gates and continue straight up the stony path. At the crossroads (elevation 731), continue north-east.

(6) Follow the path on the left which winds down towards the bog (ignore the paths on either side).

(7) Go around the bog on the right. The path becomes wet; cross the footbridges over the stream that irrigates the bog. You will come out onto a track.

(8) Follow the track to the left. At the next junction (elevation 671), turn left. At the T-junction, turn right. Ignore a path coming from the right and reach the D51.

(9) Cross the road and continue straight ahead to cross Auzoux (bread oven, calvary). Descend towards the D7 road. Follow the road to the left for 50 metres, then turn right onto the road (towards Auchaise). Cross the Auzoux bog.

(10) Halfway up the hill, take a path on the left that is not very marked at first. Continue through the woods, with a sharp right turn.

(11) At the crossroads, follow the large avenue on the left, which turns into a faint path. You will reach the Étang de Vaux.

(12) Continue to a house and turn right onto a path. After about 500 metres, turn right onto the path between two low walls. Cross the stream via a stone bridge and walk along the Masgrangeas bog. At a fork, take the right-hand path, cross the woods uphill and reach a crossroads (view of Orladeix).

(13) Turn left, then veer right and cross the pond's dyke. Go through a fence and continue along the sunken path that climbs towards the road leading to Masgrangeas.

(1) Turn right and follow the outward route to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 681 m - Chassagnas crossroads
  2. 1 : km 0.55 - alt. 666 m - Masgrangeas
  3. 2 : km 1.76 - alt. 697 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.58 - alt. 719 m - Les Combettes
  5. 4 : km 3.02 - alt. 707 m - Orladeix wash house fountain
  6. 5 : km 3.93 - alt. 688 m - Towards the peat bog
  7. 6 : km 4.89 - alt. 771 m - Crossroads
  8. 7 : km 5.79 - alt. 680 m - Wet path
  9. 8 : km 6.31 - alt. 694 m - Track
  10. 9 : km 8.28 - alt. 625 m - Auzoux
  11. 10 : km 9.55 - alt. 628 m - The Vaux pond
  12. 11 : km 10.43 - alt. 644 m - Crossroads
  13. 12 : km 11.24 - alt. 626 m - Masgrangeas
  14. 13 : km 12.71 - alt. 672 m - Crossroads
  15. S/E : km 14.21 - alt. 679 m - Chassagnas crossroads

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 10 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
Caroline70
Caroline70

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with varied landscapes. In places, nature has reclaimed its rights and the forest has grown over the peat bog.
Beautiful pond along the route.

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SeveMorg
SeveMorg

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike.
Please note, there are no views of the lake and some sections are quite muddy.

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dom87
dom87

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike, well shaded, with few roads and a pleasant route. We did it in hot weather and really appreciated being in the forest. Definitely worth doing if you're in the area. There's a bit of mud in places, but you can always find a way around it. There are two fountains with cool water along the route, which is great. This route is not difficult. I do all my hikes with GPS tracking, so it's impossible to get lost.

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James81
James81

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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MissTouille
MissTouille

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Short hike lasting 3 hours and 15 minutes for experienced walkers, with a few stops along the way.
Perfectly marked trail.
Pretty scenery and the beautiful village of Masgrangeas.
Very few roads and magnificent trails.
MissTouille for the Fées Rosses

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VIOT37
VIOT37

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike requires a bit of physical exertion and can easily be completed in under four hours.
This wild hike is very enjoyable thanks to its variety and is a great way to spend your time.
The local markings (very well done) deviate from the GPS track and/or the PDF between points 6 and 7.
It seems that vegetation has reclaimed its rights on the Visorando route.

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Daroic
Daroic

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent, very wild route, perfectly marked (follow the yellow markings): two water points on the first quarter of the route.

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blutch1
blutch1

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely hike offering beautiful views of the varied landscapes of this part of the Millevaches Plateau. However, be sure to pay close attention to the markings, which are most clearly visible when walking in the direction suggested in the description. We got a little distracted, missed a marking, and ended up a bit lost, but managed to find our way again with the help of a map and compass...
As for the name 'Circuit des Tourbières' (Peat Bog Trail), it may be less obvious to recognise this type of environment on this walk, which may seem more characteristic to novices in peat bogs such as the Tourbière de la Mazure in the north-east or the Tourbière des Dauges in Haute Vienne, but this does not detract from the overall beauty of the route, which maintains a good balance between wooded paths and more open areas.
Thank you for the walk.

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David Lopez
David Lopez

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike around the peat bogs. The paths are magnificent and very well maintained. Extensive logging and deep ruts spoil the fun a little between points 10 and 11, but otherwise it's perfect.
You can add on the circular route around the Chassagnas peninsula, which is very nice.
Total route length is 21.9 km, with no major difficulties other than the distance.
Thank you very much.

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jeffray
jeffray

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Hello
I really enjoyed this hike. The paths are superb. There was a bit of mud at the bottom of the slopes, but that's to be expected given the weather conditions over the last few days. It's a good overview of the marshy areas and peat bogs. It's quite shady, so it's best to do it when the sun is shining.I followed the GPS track, so I didn't bother with the route description, but the yellow markings are spot on.

Thank you for this hike.

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