Lamazière-Basse: Pond Landscapes, Circular Hike and Cultural Heritage

Lamazière-Basse brings together several specific points of interest for a stay: the municipality’s five woodland ponds, the Circuit des étangs, the catchment area of the Chaumeil stream and the Église Saint-Barthélémy. If you would like to include nature, waterscapes or sacred architecture in your travel plans, these themes offer different focuses. The following features of the area can help you choose what to focus on during your stay.

The Circuit des étangs and the woodland ponds

The Circuit des étangs is an easy 5.5-kilometre circular hike. It takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, with a positive elevation gain of 70 metres. The distance, approximate duration and ascent can help you estimate how much time to set aside for the route. The hike is marked in blue and listed in the French departmental hiking trail network, PDIPR. Check trail conditions and markings before setting off.

The route focuses on the wildlife and plant life of the five woodland ponds: Viers, Montsour, les Ganes, le Grenouiller and la Trompette. At 11 hectares, Étang de Montsour is the largest of these five municipal ponds. It is in a woodland area and is home to carp and predatory fish. This presents two different connections with nature: Montsour, described in terms of its area and fish species, and the circular hike, whose theme is all five ponds.

Chaumeil as a landscape feature

The catchment area of the Chaumeil stream is in the municipality of Lamazière-Basse and covers about 143 hectares. By area, the Bassin de Chaumeil makes up the largest part of the Natura 2000 site Ruisseaux de la région de Neuvic. According to current knowledge, a population of white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) lives in the basin. This extends the nature theme beyond the ponds to a named water catchment and its wildlife.

Église Saint-Barthélémy: construction phases and features

Construction of the Église Saint-Barthélémy in Lamazière-Basse dates back to the 12th century. The church consists of a single-nave main body with a flat-ended choir and a roof structure lined with wooden panelling. A single-nave main body refers to the church’s longitudinal main space; the flat-ended choir describes the end of the choir area.

A side chapel was added on the north side in the 15th century; its counterpart on the south side followed in the 17th century. Both chapels have rib vaults. The west façade is crowned by a 19th-century bell-cot. The church is also notable for an outdoor sundial, an elaborate 17th-century pulpit and its associated communion rail. It has been protected as a Monument historique since 13 October 1971. The church’s architecture, features and protected status give it a distinct place alongside the area’s nature-related attractions.

Wool crafts and llama activities

La Ferme de Lama’zière adds crafts and animal-related activities to the area’s attractions: it offers demonstrations of wool processing, wool workshops and an introduction to felting. Guided visits and walks with a llama on a lead are also available by reservation. Hikes take place with at least two llamas and must be booked. The activities therefore differ in focus: wool processing and felting, guided visits, and hikes with llamas. Book visits, walks and hikes in advance, and check the details before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Condat-Sur-Ganaveix, Lagleygeolle, Masseret, Margerides, Merlines, Ambrugeat, Forgès, Lapleau

Go to the broader travel overview: Corrèze.