To Masserat - Skipping About the Continent - CycleBlaze

May 9, 2022

To Masserat

The day started with sparkling blue skies, crispness in the air, and perhaps  my favorite breakfast - granola, yogurt, jams, and bread, all homemade.  After yesterday’s experience with the ups and downs of the Périgord-Limousin regional park, I made some slight route adjustments and had a splendid day. There was a lot of climbing, but it was largely on gentler grades with downhills that even I could enjoy. I won’t say too much about the day as the internet has been a bit sketchy the last couple of days and I don’t want to get too far behind on the journal.

The first part of the ride was within the regional park, through a mostly wooded landscape on medium-sized roads that wound up and down through the towns and small communes of La Coquille, Saint-Priest-les-Fougères, and Jumilhac-le-Grand. After the climb to  Jumilhac-le-Grand, the landscape opened to agricultural field and small livestock farms. Soon, I said good-bye to the Périgord-Limousin park and Dordogne and entered the department of Haute-Vienne. 

Heading to La Coquille on a beautiful spring morning
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La Coquille
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The small commune of Saint-Priest-les-Fougères
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Saint-Priest-les-Fougères -the first town I've seen to recognize it's location in the Parc naturel régional Périgord-Limousin
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Saint-Priest-les-Fougères - where pizza is available for 3 hrs every Monday
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Jacquie GaudetHow very French!
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2 years ago
In Saint-Priest-les-Fougères
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Vivien George wants to see where we are
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Our approximate route today through the Parc paturel régional Périgord-Limousin
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Through the woods of the Parc paturel régional Périgord-Limousin
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Pilgrims on the way to Compostela, or just out enjoying a nice walk? I couldn't get a clear answer but they seemed to be enjoying themselves
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One of the few wooden barns I've come across - a bit saggy but still housing a tractor
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Château de Jumilhac!
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Scott AndersonLooks like a forest!
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2 years ago
In Jumilhac-le-Grand.
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Parc naturel régional Périgord-Limousin
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Near the southeastern corner of Parc naturel régional Périgord-Limousin,
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Leaving the Parc naturel régional Périgord-Limousin
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Shortly after leaving the park, I stopped for a coffee and a pastry in the lovely town of Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche. When planning the tour, I’d thought it'd be a great place for an overnight, but couldn’t make it work. After my snack, I continued on through Haute-Vienne, first on one of the larger department roads to Coussac-Bonneval, then back on the smaller D79 to Meuzac. The legs were getting tired as I crossed into the department of Correze and made the final uphill push to Masserat and the Logis Hôtel de la Tour, located at the top of the town by the Tour de Masserat. I was done for the day, a challenging but very rewarding day on the bike.

In Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
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In Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
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In Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
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In Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
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My stop for elevenses in Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
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Apple cake and an espresso
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On the way to Coussac-Bonneval
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Entering Coussac-Bonneval - I wasn't able to poke around the castle as the Château Bonneval is privately owned
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In Coussac-Bonneval
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Looking at tomorrow's challenge on the way to Meuzac
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On the way to Meuzac
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Lunch stop along the Les Baraques river
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The Tour de Masserat beckons me
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On the way to Masserat
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Looking out my hotel room at the Tour de Masserat - I made it!
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Today's ride: 37 miles (60 km)
Total: 655 miles (1,054 km)

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Keith KleinHi,

Your route criss-crosses the routes I took when I was last in the Limousin. It’s both fun and frustrating to see what I missed.
You’ll be coming through Gevrey in a few days, and we’ll have a chance to compare notes.

Cheers,

Keith
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2 years ago