Gouzon: Nature, Hiking Trails and Heritage

A trip to Gouzon can be shaped around different interests: nature, hiking, golf or heritage. If you are looking for a hotel in Gouzon, these options can help determine the focus of your plans. Would you like to focus on wildlife observation, trails of varying lengths and difficulty, a round of golf or historic buildings? The destinations below differ considerably in theme and route profile, giving you specific points of reference for planning your itinerary around your own interests.

Nature in the Sedimentary Basin

The Réserve naturelle de l’étang des Landes nature reserve is located in the commune of Lussat, in the Gouzon sedimentary basin. With the Maison de la Réserve, observation points and waymarked trails, it provides access to 950 animal species, including 240 bird species, as well as 480 plant species. These figures offer several ways to explore the theme of nature: the bird species are included in the total number of animal species, while plant diversity is a separate aspect. The observation points, trails and Maison de la Réserve provide specific places to visit, complementing the species counts with different ways to explore the area.

Hiking Trails by Length and Difficulty

The Circuit des Moulins is a 12 km circular route starting from Gouzon. You can travel it on foot, on horseback or by mountain bike. The route passes through the bocage landscape of the Gouzon plain, alongside the Voueize, and goes by former mills that have been converted into homes. The circuit thus combines several ways of getting around with a landscape in which the converted mills are also a feature.

The Sentier de la Brande de Landes is an easy 5.4 km circular walk starting from Gouzon. It passes through an unusual checkerboard landscape of hedgerows and offers insight into the history of the Pays de Gouzon. By contrast, the 13 km Circuit des Tuileries is a moderately difficult hike in Gouzon. Two differences are clear in comparison: the Brande de Landes is shorter and rated easy, while the Tuileries route is longer and moderately difficult.

The Circuit des Tuileries follows the Voueize through the Gouzon basin and showcases the tile works as evidence of local craftsmanship. The routes therefore offer different focuses: a circular route with a choice of ways to get around, a shorter, easy loop through the hedgerow landscape, and a longer hike combining scenery with a craft tradition.

Golf as Another Travel Option

Golf de la Jonchère adds a course with clearly defined figures to the selection: it has 18 holes, a par of 72 and a length of 6,060 metres. The course is open to both experienced golfers and beginners. These details provide different points of comparison from those of the hiking trails: for golf, they are the number of holes, par and course length; for the routes, they are distance, whether the route is a loop, and difficulty. Which activity takes priority for you therefore also depends on which of these differences matter to your trip planning.

Architectural History and Heritage

The Chapelle St Nicolas des Forges in Gouzon dates from the 12th century, was altered in the 15th century and restored in the 19th century. Carolingian wall paintings from the 9th century were uncovered in the chapel; only three examples of these exist in France. The chapel therefore brings together several building phases and a rare form of medieval wall painting.

The Église Saint-Martin in Gouzon was built in the 13th century and listed as a historic monument in 1933. In comparison, the church’s construction date and monument listing are the main points of interest, while the Chapelle St Nicolas des Forges brings together several aspects of its history through its alterations, restoration and wall paintings. If you would like to include historic buildings in your trip, Gouzon’s two churches offer different points of interest.

Discover more destinations: Bord-Saint-Georges, Le Grand-Bourg, Tercillat, Aubusson, Lioux-Les-Monges, Auzances, Malleret-Boussac, Masbaraud-Mérignat

For the wider travel overview: Creuse.