Nergout - Vassivière Dam

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Nature and Land Art for this second stage, around the 5th largest artificial lake in France!

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Route around Lake Vassivière

Details

n°538653
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 18.62 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 203 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 224 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 708 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 649 m
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Photos

Lake on the Nergout side
Lake Vassivière

Description of the walk

(S) Walk down from the Pourvoirie to Nergout Beach. This white sandy beach has lifeguards on duty in summer. Take the blue-marked trail on the left. Walk along the riverbank.
Discover the port of Nergout, then go back up to the road and follow it to the right (short 1 km stretch).

(1) After Châteaucourt, take the path on your right that leads back to the lake shore.
Follow the path along the lake shore and enjoy the various viewpoints.
In summer, look out for elderberries, which are used to make wild berry jelly. Take the road on the right again until you reach the next fork.

(2) At the fork, turn right onto the path towards the Pierrefite peninsula and Vassivière Island.

(3) At the crossroads, take the path on the left to reach the island (follow the blue markings).

(4) Visit the island and its sculpture forest for a unique Land Art experience. Enjoy the permanent and temporary exhibitions at the contemporary art centre.

NB: from May to September, you can take the free taxi/boat shuttle that will take you directly to Auphelle (pier at the foot of the bridge).
Refreshments are available in season, before the island bridge or on the island.

Return to the crossroads at Pierrette.

(3) Turn right, then right again, about 150 metres further on.

(5) Take the path towards Auphelle on your right and follow the lake shore to the port of Auphelle.

(6) Turn right onto the dam road (D233) and find a path at Les Côtes.

(7) Take it on the left towards the dam. Join the road and follow it to the left to the lake dam (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 675 m - Departure from the Pourvoirie, return to the lakeside.
  2. 1 : km 1.74 - alt. 670 m - Leave the road and take the path on the right.
  3. 2 : km 3.96 - alt. 653 m - Leave the road and take the path on the right.
  4. 3 : km 4.69 - alt. 661 m - Take the road on the left
  5. 4 : km 6.06 - alt. 654 m - Choose to tour the island clockwise or anticlockwise.
  6. 5 : km 11.29 - alt. 650 m - Take the path on your right.
  7. 6 : km 17.27 - alt. 659 m - Follow the road to the right.
  8. 7 : km 17.76 - alt. 682 m - Cross the road and take the path on the left.
  9. E : km 18.62 - alt. 654 m - Arrival at the car park, pick up your car

Notes

(6) Swimming available at the beautiful beach, bar and restaurant open in season.
Bed and breakfast accommodation and table d'hôte meals on the shores of Lake Vassivière. Picnic baskets available upon reservation.
La Pourvoirie du Lac, 9 rue des Bruyères- Nergout - 87120 Beaumont-du-Lac.
06 07 43 55 21

Worth a visit

Not to be missed: Otro, a skateable artwork by a Korean artist, and the viewpoint with its 360° panorama.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 3 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Weesan
Weesan

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very quiet place at this time of year, we only encountered three people in two days, and the scenery is magnificent.

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Pierre11
Pierre11

Hello
Your route along the Sentier de Rives caught my attention, as I am planning a hiking trip for a group of friends in September around Lake Vassivière. Since this route was posted on the website, are the water taxis still operating and will they be available in September? Like other hikers, I would like to combine hiking and boating to avoid a long circular route and enjoy a more original trip.
Please let me know if you have any information that could help me organise this trip.
Best regards
Pierre11

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henri57
henri57 ★

Hello,

but it would undoubtedly be an advantage to be able to find your way around using local landmarks, especially when night falls and the paths and landscape are visible.

Markings can be changed or disappear. The terrain remains unchanged, so it is preferable to use a descriptive route map.

However, when it is no longer possible to match the map to the terrain (due to fog, snow or darkness), it is advisable to follow virtual markings using a GPS or the Visorando GPS app.

See you soon!

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michellaunois
michellaunois

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This is just a suggestion, as we are always happy with the walks we do from the site, but it would undoubtedly be a bonus to be able to find our way around the local area, especially when night falls and the paths and landscape are visible.

Thank you for your site.
Kind regards, Michel

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batireve
batireve

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We set off from Auphelle to Nergout, but we went as far as Broussat to the water taxi pier. It took us four hours to cover 18 km. On the way back, we took the water taxi between Broussat and Pierrefitte, and I should have taken the water taxi between Pierrefitte and Auphelle, except that the taxi captain refused to take me with my Labrador, who was wet, so from the Pierrefitte pier and the Auphelle campsite,Auphelle, it took me an hour to walk the 7 km back. Not a very friendly welcome, was it?

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