Corrèze Gorges or Laguenou Gorges

The starting and finishing point is the car park opposite the town hall in the commune of Bar.

(S/E) Facing the valley, take the road to the right and, after 120 m, take the dirt track that descends to the left, cutting back below the last house on that side. This path descends for 600 m to cross the Corrèze via a bridge, then climbs again, becoming tarmac-surfaced as soon as you reach the first buildings, for 500 m to arrive at the Notre-Dame de Chastres chapel.

(1) At the junction with the RD53, head towards Hublange for just a few metres, then turn left onto a tarmac road that goes round the transformers and quickly take the path on the left that climbs up behind them. The path climbs steeply at first, then, when the gradient becomes gentler, pass a path on the left, then two on the right, to reach a tarmac road after covering a distance of 700 m with an elevation gain of 130 m. You are now level with the water chamber connecting the supply canal to the penstock feeding the Bar hydroelectric plant. Follow this road uphill for about 200 m.

(2) At the end of the wooded area, take the path that branches off perpendicularly to the left. After a stretch through the undergrowth, it runs alongside the power station’s feed canal, then, after another stretch through the undergrowth, reaches a fairly wide track after 600 m. Turn left for 100 m until you reach a fork.

(3) Leave the path on the left for the return journey. Turn right onto the path and follow it for 160 m between two meadows, then enter the woodland to reach, after 850 m of a pleasant walk and after crossing a small stream, a crossroads where the direction to the Hublange ponds is signposted on the right.

(4) Turn left and continue along the path for a further 200 m, then turn right at a ‘Caution: Danger’ sign relating to the small Corrèze dam, which serves as a water intake to feed the canal carrying water to the penstock seen earlier.

(5) This new path is eventually blocked by fallen trees. An alternative, steep path running perpendicular to it allows you to descend to the banks of the Corrèze. Follow the path heading upstream and, after a short climb and a descent, cross the small temporary branch of the Corrèze.

(6) On this temporary island, follow the slightly less well-marked path, still heading upstream, to cross the temporary branch again. The path becomes a little more difficult. A few metres further on, a tributary stream can be a bit tricky to cross at high water, using a small tree trunk (you can always take your shoes off, as the leat is 20 cm deep and 2 m long).

(7) From this point, the Corrèze Gorges narrow and there are frequent steeper ascents and descents, sometimes over ten metres long, climbs and descents of steps around a metre high, and detours generally over the tops of uprooted tree stumps, after which you must climb back down to find the path. There is nothing insurmountable here for a reasonably experienced hiker. Do take care, however, in wet weather, as the rocks can be slippery.
The path eventually joins the signpost for a trail leading up to the Hublange ponds.

(8) Continue a little further to reach a vast rocky plateau, facing a beautiful pool with a waterfall where it is a lovely spot for a picnic.

(9) Turn back to the previous fork.

(8) Head up the path leading to the Hublange ponds. After 200 m, go round the fallen trees from underneath and rejoin the path immediately afterwards. After a further 200 m, you’ll reach a tributary stream to cross above a pretty waterfall (the same one as before, with the option of taking off your shoes during high water to avoid crossing over slippery boulders).

(10) Continue for another 100 m to find a path that zigzags down towards the Corrèze and is eventually blocked by fallen trees. A path descends easily to the right to reach the small temporary branch of the Corrèze, which you cross without difficulty by passing in front of two fallen trees lying across the path, and continue straight on, or veering slightly to the left, to rejoin the path used on the way there to cross the temporary island.

(6) From there, turn left, following the path taken on the way out in the opposite direction, until you reach point (3).

(3) Turn right onto the path, which is somewhat overgrown with grass; it is flat at first but becomes steeper in places, leading after 1.3 km to a tarmac road at a place called “Roume”. Continue along the same route for 200 m to reach the RD53 opposite the hydroelectric power station.

(11) Follow the RD53 to the left, skirting the power station (heading south), and after 400 m you will reach the junction you passed on the way out, near the Notre-Dame de Chastres Chapel.

(1) Then retrace your steps along the outward route until you reach the village of Bar and the car park where you started (S/E).

The Corrèze Gorges circular route requires a good level of fitness and experience of hiking in rugged terrain, unless you choose to stop at the start of the narrow gorges and turn back along the same route.

At the far end of the route, there are two options:
- either, though this is a different hike, continue along the path which remains in the same condition, then becomes easier as the gorges widen and the Corrèze returns to a gentler course, to reach the village of Corrèze.
- or carry on, as described above, to explore a little more of the steep-sided section of the gorges, and retrace your steps to rejoin the route described on this page.

The route allows you to discover several elements of the hydroelectric infrastructure of the Bar power station, which historically supplied the Tulle arms factory with electricity and is currently owned by a private investor.
You can therefore see the intake channel, pass close to the water chamber (the structure connecting to the penstock), the penstock itself, and the hydroelectric power station.