The Champs de Pierres and Augerolles waterfalls

At the edge of the Millevaches plateau, set off on a walk, accompanied by information panels, to explore a listed natural site covering 50 hectares.

Details

183646
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 1.81 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 299 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 318 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,982 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,690 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park your car in the Champs de Pierre car park.

(S/E) From the car park, take the path straight ahead, towards the stonemason’s workshop (south-west). Then head downhill, veering to the right.

(1) At the sign for “La Carrière”, turn right to reach it. Then retrace your steps.

(1) Turn right and cross the wooden footbridge. On the left, walk back and forth along the wooden decking towards the Ruisseau du Pic. Then head up to the right along the sunken path. At the Fork in the road, turn right towards “Le Moulin”. Further on, head down to the right at the sign for “Le Chanvre”. You can walk up to the old hemp mill, or stay on the main path.

(2) At the restored mill in Augerolles, turn left up the slope, following the signposts. Continue straight on through the deciduous woodland. At the T-junction, turn right. Cross the leat and carry on straight ahead.

At the signpost marked with the ‘viewpoint’ symbol, leave the path to the right and walk a few metres into the clearing to enjoy the view over the valley. Back at the signpost, take the path to the right, winding through the woods. As you emerge from the fir woodland (viewpoint over the village of La Vedrenne), begin the descent along the winding switchbacks through the beech woodland. Below the undergrowth, cross another leat and head straight towards the brook.

Take the wooden footbridge to cross over. Step across the stream using the wooden duckboards. At the Charreaux mill (ruins), head up to the right. At the T-junction, turn right, above the stream, to look out over the waterfalls.

(3) At the Fork in the road, turn right (a round trip to a viewpoint over the Augerolles Waterfalls).

Head into the pine forest, in the middle of the Champs de Pierres. At the junction, go straight on and rejoin the path running alongside the road. Take the steps and continue to the right. You have now returned to the quarry where you started.

(1) Turn left uphill, following the signposts (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,965 ft
  2. 1 : mi 0.07 - alt. 1,952 ft - Junction towards the quarry
  3. 2 : mi 0.51 - alt. 1,936 ft - Restored mill at Augerolles
  4. 3 : mi 1.37 - alt. 1,759 ft - Cascades d'Augerolles
  5. S/E : mi 1.81 - alt. 1,965 ft

Notes

There are 17 information boards along the trail. For children, a treasure hunt featuring puzzles to solve allows them to explore the site whilst having fun. Make sure you wear sturdy shoes as the terrain is very hilly.

Worth a visit

Granite and stone-cutting: the Compeix region is a centre for granite quarrying and cutting, which once employed up to 80 workers, mainly for construction and monuments.

The plank bridge: consisting of two courses of stone and a central pillar made of dressed blocks supporting granite beams (“the planks”), this structure is a distinctive feature of the Limousin mountains.

The Augerolles mill: recently restored using traditional masonry techniques, this flour mill bears witness to the valley’s historic architecture, having once used water power to grind grain. Six remains of flour or hemp mills have been identified on this site.

The Champs de Pierres: imposing scree slopes of rounded boulders and blunt blocks, formed during the Ice Age, shape the wooded landscape and dot the waterfalls.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
bon30
bon30

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk without any major difficulties.

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Francin
Francin

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Everything was very well explained, a bit steep but it worked out well

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Marie-Noëlle 23
Marie-Noëlle 23

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walk with teenagers

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wiloucaramel
wiloucaramel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I followed the hike on the Visorando app and it was perfect. A very beautiful parish-specific to Brittany hike! Thank you for sharing

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JulieV93
JulieV93

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Unable to find our bearings completely with the description, we decided to follow the yellow hiking trail marked on the trees.
It was a beautiful, pleasant hike, with magnificent weather and not a soul in sight. We were able to pick a few fresh chestnuts and enjoy the waterfall, even though its level had not yet returned to normal. What a reward after so much fear on the way down the hill! (Vertigo, you've got us in your grip...). The climb back up was more difficult, and the trail ended up being more of a mental challenge than a physical one!
Thank you for this beautiful walk!

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Enomiset9!
Enomiset9!

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent walk through woods, peat bogs and hillsides, following the river with its waterfalls and hemp mill.
Information panels made this walk very informative in terms of the flora and fauna and way of life in this region.
Well done to the creators of this trail!

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Isa45
Isa45

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very enjoyable and interesting trail through the woods!

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nolive xu
nolive xu

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, the route follows the PR markings fairly closely.
Allow extra time to enjoy the various sites, ruins and information boards.

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Mariesaxo
Mariesaxo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike, not to be missed!
The trail is well maintained, and the scenery is beautiful throughout the hike, whether in the woods or near the waterfalls. The arrival at the waterfall is absolutely magical.
The information boards are well done and mark the route clearly. Make sure you wear good shoes, as there are some steep descents (and ascents)!!
I recommend it... We did this hike in February, and the scenery was beautiful. What's more, we were completely alone...

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fretille
fretille

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful short trail dotted with information boards about the fauna, flora, mill and stone cutting.

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ChantalBA36
ChantalBA36

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A short, pleasant and interesting family walk. Allow around two hours to complete the entire route, read all the information boards and enjoy the stream in fine weather.
The route on the map wasn't useful to us, but the walk is well signposted on site.

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creusoise
creusoise

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

beautiful route, worth the trip but a bit difficult.

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bjc17
bjc17

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Beautiful hike with explanatory signs along the way; well-marked trail.

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jean pierre 23
jean pierre 23

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk accessible to all. Peaceful and green.

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Annekein
Annekein

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Easy and enjoyable. Beautiful autumn colours. The entire walk is in the shade of trees, so bring a jumper!

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