The Causse de l'Isle is 410 hectares of preserved nature, including several areas classified as Sensible Natural Space, located between Savignac-les-Églises, Mayac, Coulaures and Saint-Jory-las-Bloux. A limestone plateau dating back to the Middle Jurassic (150 million years).
See the photo gallery.
Wooded today, covered by the typical vegetation of the dry countries of the South-West, the causse is home to rare species such as the ocellate lizard and contains a heritage of dry stone huts particularly rich. Its numerous huts (“bories”), miles of walls, small paths and the foundations of a hamlet bear witness to the life of the place since at least the Middle Ages. For more than 10 years, The association ADDCI has been working for the preservation and reconstruction of these witnesses of the long agricultural history of the causse, which constitute one of the most beautiful sets of vernacular architecture in the department.
You can always travel back in time, but now it's the outdoors that take over from farming.
Discover this beautiful area walking along the marked trails, and spend an "active" moment with family or friends!
All trails are accessible by foot, mountain bike, horse - access is free and open all year round.
No motor vehicles, except parking.
- Three Nordic walking routes of 6, 7 and 9 km are marked out. Billboards show you the different exercises to do during your walk, if you have a smartphone, you can flash the QR codes and view the videos of the exercises on our youtube channel.
- There is a 2.7 km health course,
- An outdoor fitness area with 8 workshops for cardiovascular work, bodybuilding, stretching,
- A 5.8 km long mountain bike trail, as well as three large FFC-labeled loops (details below),
- A Randoland loop, a fun way to introduce children to this place with games,
- An artistic itinerary "Art sur le Causse" is renewed every year in June. The exhibition is open all year round, freely accessible along a 3.5 km shaded and marked path. It has been organized by ADDCI (Association for Sustainable Development of the Causse de l'Isle) for 14 years now.
- Two stone hut loops of about 3.5 km will allow you to discover more than twenty of these exceptional architectural works in dry stone, largely restored by the ADDCI.
- Four picnic areas and dry toilets are available.
- On the parking lot you will find billboards indicating the different loops.
The hiking maps to download:
(Clic at the picture)
The
mountain bike base Naturellement Périgord is certified French Cycling Federation and offers
350 km of marked trails divided into 14 loops with difficulty levels ranging from green to black - here are the three loops from the parking of the Causse:
See our other mountain bike loops and download the gpx tracks in our section Outdoor leisure - mountain bike.
Randoland, the track game for children from 4 to 12 years, below the pdf to download:
* Definition of the Causse: arid and heavily eroded karstic plateau, bare or wooded, characteristic of the sedimentary auraoles of the south and west of the French Massif Central. The term comes from the Occitan, derived from the Latin calx "lime". (Wikipedia)
To get there: From Excideuil towards Périgueux by the D704: pass Coulaures and take right after Chardeuil, the D74 towards Sorges. After about 5 km turn left following the sign "Causse de Savignac".
Coming from Périgueux by the D704, in Savignac les Eglises, turn left following the sign "Causse de Savignac".
GPS : N 45,28907 – E 0.91580
