Where is Creuse?
The Creuse is one of the 3 departments of the Limousin region in central France. A beautiful mixture of woods, green fields, lakes and mountains the area is a popular tourist destination in the summer months. It is close enough to some ski areas to make a day trip possible for those of you keen on the piste. A 6 to 7 hour drive from Calais and a little over 350 kilometres south of Paris, the A20 motorway comes into the region and makes access by road quite easy. There are direct flights from the UK into Limoges operated by Ryanair and Flybe from various UK airports. You can also take the train as the main line between Paris and Toulouse runs through the area and stops at La Souterraine and of course Limoges, the regions capital. The population of the Creuse live in numerous small hamlets scattered throughout the area. In Creuse there are only 22 inhabitants per sq m. The main towns are Gueret, La Souterraine, Aubusson and Bourganeuf.
A Gentle Climate
As Creuse is on the edge of the mountains the winters can be harsh but they are short and sharp with lots of crisp clear days as well. The Limousin is called the green heart of France so it gets its fair share of rain, but the summers are generally hotter and longer than the UK.
Like the way of life here it is best described as gentle.
Lots to do
Around a third of the area is forested and there are hundreds and hundreds of lakes with many of them adapted so you can swim in them in complete safety. Nearby Lake Vassiviere is one of the largest in Europe and you can take a boat trip around or simply hire a pedalo and go around under your own steam. For those with a love of outdoor activities you can walk, play golf, go fishing, or cycle your way from village to village. Most of the villages have weekly markets and many organise walks and other activities to fill the summer days and winter nights
The typical “maison creusoise”
In villages you can still see three kind of houses: up to the end of the 18th century houses where people and cattle live under the same roof, then from the 19th century there is a separation between the barn and the place people live in. In the 2nd half of the 19th century the houses get higher and the thatched roofs are replaced by tiled and slate roof. Please click on my photo gallery to see pictures from my own restorations. We have just renovated an old cottage and kept the traditional beams, bread oven, stone sink and the various niches where people kept the few valuable things they had
