From Meymac to Pérols-sur-Vézère

White and red markings for^GR®®440and 440b

(S) Leave the Le Millésime hotel by crossing Avenue Limousine, take the stairs to pass in front of a monumental sculpture by Robert Jacobsen and come out onto Place de l'Église and then Place de la Croix. Walk up Grand Rue, admire the fountain and reach Rue de la Fontaine du Rat.

(1) Turn left to rejoin Avenue Limousine and follow it to the right until you reach the roundabout. Opposite, take Rue des Buiges and then Rue de la Côte.

(2) Cross the RD36e with caution and continue straight on to Moulin de Goumoueix.

(3) Cross the Ruisseau des Farges and continue uphill, ignoring the side paths, until you reach the Pont de la Reine bridge over the railway line.
(4) Continue along the track until you reach a large crossroads (signpost, end of the Meymac round trip and start of the^GR®®440circular).

(5) Continue climbing opposite and reach a three-way junction at altitude 864.

(6) Take the track on the left, passing under a high-voltage power line (view of the Cantal mountains).

(7) Immediately afterwards, turn right just before the hamlet of Las and reach the Puy Barnas crossroads at altitude 933.

(8) Turn left and continue for almost 2 km to reach an intersection (altitude 918).

(9) Turn right and continue to the RD979, cross it to reach the Place de la Madeleine crossroads 200 m further on.

(10) Turn left, ignoring the old road, and continue for just over 1 km until you reach a high-voltage power line.

(11) Continue to a crossroads (altitude 858) and turn right downhill, cross the Ruisseau des Maisons stream and stop at the remarkable little mill of the same name (water source).

(12) Head back up to cross the hamlet of Les Maisons and, at the cross carved into the wall, turn right for 70 metres, then left. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead along the tarmac road to the hamlet of Les Rioux.

(13) Leave the^GR®®440after the thatched house and turn left onto the^GR®®440b, which is lined with low walls. After 700 m, keep an eye out for a small, barely marked and unmarked path that branches off to the right towards the ruins of the villa at the Gallo-Roman archaeological site of Les Cars.

(14) Cross the site to reach the car park and the café-terrace building (water point). Take the path below the car park to quickly rejoin the GR®^®.

(15) Turn right onto the^{GR®® trail}, crossing wetlands and moorland, and you will reach a tarmac road after 1.5 km.

(16) Turn left and cross the hamlet of Ars. At the exit, turn right onto the wide forest track and follow it to Varièras (a hamlet with thatched roofs).

(17) At the crossroads at the exit of the hamlet, turn left towards the very old bridge. Cross the Rivière d'Ars and walk up to the old Places farm.

(18) Follow the tarmac road opposite to La Bussière. Turn right to cross the RD979, walk alongside the cemetery and reach the square in front of the church in Pérols-sur-Vézère.

(19) At a magnificent well topped with a cross, turn right onto Rue du Lavoir and walk a few dozen metres to reach the wash house (water point).
Retrace your steps to the church and follow the Route de Limoges to the right for about 100 metres. Turn right onto Rue de la Planche to reach a large picnic area below the town hall, on the banks of the Ruisseau de Pérols (tables, camper van parking and bivouac possible) (E).

Various accommodation options in Meymac (campsite, hotels).
White/red markings for^GR®® 440 and 440b.
Accommodation available in Pérols-sur Vézère: Chez Pauda, in the centre of the village, guest rooms in a former hotel restaurant www.chezpauda.com.
Several opportunities to refill your water bottles along the way, with a suitable filter.

Meymac: Marius Vazeilles Archaeology and Heritage Museum and Saint André Abbey - Contemporary Art Centre.
Moulin des Maisons.
Gallo-Roman archaeological site of Les Cars.
Variéras: hamlet with thatched roofs.
Pérols-sur-Vézère: a beautiful granite village on the plateau (church turret housing a staircase and magnificent well topped with a cross).