The Vienne and the Servières and Chammet lakes

In Tarnac, park in the car park (actually a field) behind the church.
Please note! This hike is not marked as such, nor is it marked in its entirety.

(S/E) Follow the yellow markings. Head towards the crossroads in the centre of the village, between Rue du Tilleul, Rue du Château and Avenue de la Mairie, and set off opposite, on Rue du Tilleul. Continue along this road for about 800 metres, then turn right onto a path.

(1) Ignore a path on the right and continue towards "Chez Troussas". Ignore another path on the left that descends towards the road. At a traffic island, continue straight ahead, then ignore a path on the left. The path can be very grassy in the deforested areas, but is much more passable in the wooded areas.

(2) Come out onto a path and follow it to the left, then, immediately afterwards, take the path on the right (which is not shown on the map) towards "Chez Troussas". You will come to a wide gravel path.

(3) Turn left and follow this path, which is paved in places, to the hamlet of "Chez Troussas".

(4) Take the small road on the right to cross the hamlet (note the beautiful oak tree in the garden on the left), then return to the road (opposite another beautiful oak tree) and follow it to the right. You will come to a larger road. Take the dirt track opposite (old "Servières" sign). Further on, you will see an anthill on the right-hand side of the track. You will arrive at a bridge crossing the Vienne river.

(5) Do not cross the river, but take the path on the right for a round trip to Lac de Servières ^(a). The path runs alongside the Vienne and arrives at the dam. You can continue a little further along the lake, then retrace your steps.

(5) Take the bridge on the right to cross the Vienne, then ignore a path that branches off to the right (towards a mill). The path climbs up to the hamlet of Servières. Immediately on the right, you will find a renovated bakery and an information board.
Then follow the road to the right, leaving the yellow markings behind. Further on, at an intersection, at an information sign about the lake, ignore the road to the left and cross a canal (the spillway from Lac des Servières, and therefore the Vienne, to Lac du Chammet).

(6) Immediately afterwards, leave the road and take a path on the left. At the fork, keep to the right (note the yellow and green markings, but in the opposite direction). Continue along this path until you reach a T-junction with another path.

(7) Turn left and follow the red and white^GR®® markings (which are fading in places). Further on, there is a view of Lac du Chammet on the right. The path then descends into the woods. Ignore a path on the left.

(8) Immediately afterwards, leave the path and abandon the^GR®® markings to follow a trail on the right. After a left turn, the trail runs alongside Lac du Chammet and then rejoins the^GR®® path at a sign indicating that the forest belongs to EDF.

(9) Take the footbridge on the right (crossing the Vienne diversion canal that comes from Lac de Servières), then immediately turn right onto a path that is not shown on the map. It is more or less "marked" by orange markings. The path runs as close as possible to the edge of the lake, but has to climb at one point before descending to the right.

(10) Ignore a path on the right and continue left on the path that appears here on the map and widens. There are no more orange markings. Stay on this main path, which offers some views of the lake, ignoring the paths on the right, some of which have orange markings.

(11) You will come to a T-junction with another path marked with a VTT43 sign, and follow it to the right. Ignore the path on the right that leads to picnic tables and you will come to a small road, where there is an information board about the lake.

(12) Turn right to go to the other end of the dam, then retrace your steps.

(12) Continue straight ahead on the small road, which soon turns into a path ^, following the ^GR®® markings^. At a path intersection, facing a large meadow, continue to the right. Reach the hamlet of Chammet.

(13) At the exit of the hamlet, leave the^GR®® markings and follow a small road on the right, which passes close to some farm buildings. Cross a bridge over the Chandouille ^(b) (the overflow stream from Lac du Chammet), then, just after, at the EDF forest sign, leave the road and go up the path straight ahead.
The path, which winds between meadows, becomes very grassy. Further on, at a fork, follow the most obvious path on the right, which leads to a small road about 100 metres further on.

(14) Follow the road to the left, cross the hamlet of Orliac (a few beautiful houses), and continue on the road until you reach a junction with the D109. Look for the yellow markings, which you will follow until the end, but which are not always very visible.

(15) Cross over to enter the hamlet of Le Trech. Ignore a street on the left. At the end of the street, at a beautiful oak tree, continue straight ahead on the path and then, at the fork just after, go straight ahead again (small yellow markings a little further on a low wall).
At a fork, go left, then ignore a path on the right further on. The path, lined with old low walls, passes near a round ruin (which looks like an old coal oven). You will come to a crossroads where all the paths are marked in yellow.

(16) Follow the path to the left towards Tarnac. You will come to a small road.

(17) Follow it to the left, then leave it at the "Tarnac" sign and take a path on the right. Ignore a path on the right and join another small road at a house (known as Pont de Lagorce). Follow the path straight ahead, pass near an old oven, follow the old road to the left, then the path to the right.

(18) Cross the Vienne river at a cross. Shortly afterwards, ignore a path on the left. You will come to a small road; follow it to the left. Just after this, you will see a beautiful beech tree. You will come to another road.

(19) Follow it to the right, walking alongside the Château de Tarnac estate on your right (note the beautiful yew tree just beyond the fence at the end of the estate). You will arrive at the village of Tarnac at a square with two beautiful oak trees. Before reaching the car park (S/E), make a very short detour in front of the church to the beautiful Saint-Georges Fountain (follow the sign).

Moderately difficult but long hike, with standard hiking equipment.

On unmarked sections, use the map, GPS or Visorando app to find your way.

Caution! This route includes some long stretches of (very quiet) road.

The paths are very grassy in places, so shorts and skirts are not recommended.

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

Photo album here

To generate electricity, a dam on the Vienne river has created the small Lac de Servières, which allows water from the river to flow into the larger Lac du Chammet, which is regulated by another dam.

This hike follows the course of the Vienne, which you first encounter at (5), just outside Lac des Servières ^(a). However, at this lake, part of the water has been diverted via a canal (6) to Lac du Chammet.

This canal can be found further on (9), where it reaches Lac du Chammet. A path along the lake shore leads to the Chammet dam (12), where the lake's overflow gives rise to a stream, the Chandouille. This stream can be found further on ^(b), as can the Vienne (18).

In Tarnac:

The Romanesque church of Tarnac dates back to the 12th century for its oldest parts. It is dedicated to Saint George (a coat of arms depicting the knight slaying the dragon still adorns the entrance door).

The Saint-Georges fountain and wash house date from the 17th century.

The oaks of Tarnac:
Sully Oak: circumference of 3.90 metres at a height of 1.40 metres
Oak of Liberty: planted in 1848, circumference 2.9 metres