One of 48 French nature parks
The Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park (Parc Naturel Régional Périgord-Limousin) is one of France’s 48 regional natural parks, which together cover over 7 million hectares, representing nearly 17% of the national territory.
With more than 3,900 municipalities and over 3 million inhabitants, these parks are renowned for the diverse and exceptional natural landscapes.
The Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park also boasts a rich architectural and cultural heritage and is one of the two main regional natural parks in the Limousin region, the other being the Regional Natural Park of Millevaches.
Created in 1998, its mission is to preserve and promote a magnificent rural area of 180,000 hectares. It encompasses nearly 51,000 inhabitants spread across 78 municipalities, including 49 in the Dordogne (Aquitaine region) and 29 in the Haute-Vienne (Limousin region).
Focused on ecotourism, the park works to safeguard local natural, human, cultural, and environmental heritage. Its headquarters, the Maison du Parc (Park House), is located in the charming village of La Barde, near La Coquille (Périgord).
Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park’s untamed landscapes
The Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park covers vast areas with altitudes ranging from 85 m to 556 m.
This geographical diversity creates a striking geological duality, straddling the Aquitaine Basin and the Limousin mountain range.
In the northeast, at the foot of the Massif Central, lies a mountainous terrain formed during the Palaeozoic era, created by the collision of tectonic plates and the formation of continents.
The southeastern region, on the other hand, is part of the Aquitaine Basin and is composed of sedimentary rocks dating from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras.
These variations in altitude result in a rich mosaic of vegetation and agricultural practices.
The park is also renowned for its abundance of water, with numerous streams and rivers crisscrossing the landscape. Two lakes, Lac Lavaud and Lac de Mas Chaban, although geographically located in the Charente department, are included within the park’s boundaries.
The Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park enjoys a temperate climate, with micro-climates varying according to the area. The northern regions experience a continental climate, but the southern slopes exhibit a sub-Mediterranean influence.
Numerous archaeological artefacts unearthed over the years in the numerous rock shelters along the riverbanks, but also the megaliths scattered throughout the countryside, attest to continuous occupation dating back to the Lower Palaeolithic period (300,000 years ago).
Departement of Dordogne
Coordinates: Lat 45.556982 – Long 1.002921
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Dolmen Brantôme by Père Igor and watermill CC BY-SA 3.0 – Saut Chalard by Traumrune CC BY-SA 3.0
