The house in L’Allue  is located about 50 miles east of Limoges (1-hour 15 mins by car from Limoges airport) on the edge of the Massive Central. L’Allue is about 7 1/2 hours drive or 450 south from Calais.  The house is set 2100 ft in the rolling mountains of the Plateau de Millevache, (plateau of a thousand springs) 5k from the village of Faux le Montagne and 4k walk from a large Lake, Lac De Vassivier.  The area is a regional nature reserve  and is renowned  for its large areas of natural wilderness and unspoiled beauty.

The old granite farmhouse is a work of love.  I originally found it while mountain biking.  Stumbling out of the beech forest it stood derelict and abandoned, uninhabited for over thirty years.  Over the last 7 years it has been restored into a comfortable spacious house in a perfect location for relaxing, walking, cycling, canoeing and swimming.  This is far off the tourist track in a sparsely populated area, giving a perfect retreat from all the nonsense that comes with commercial exploitation.

A stone’s throw from the house is a small lake fed by natural springs.  Come the evening the lake is dancing with fish.  Sometimes a local may pass with a rod, returning half an hour later with a brace or more of fish for their supper.  Apparently they taste good.

Slightly further afield a short walk across the hill, do-able even by the moderately energetic young, Lac de Vassivier provides a fantastic fresh water resource for swimming, sailing, sunbathing and many other outdoor activities for adults and children alike.  An excellent papoose is available at the house for those too young to stagger their way along the paths.

Beech woodland surrounds the house.  One can walk or cycle for miles crossing only the most minor road.  Though the forestry tracks are rough but good, reasonable map reading skills are important for those who want to adventure deep into the forest or explore the wide-open wilderness of the Plateau de Millevache.

The sun, at this elevation with the clear atmosphere, is very bright and UV levels are high.  However, nothing is certain, but change.  Warm days can be followed by cool damp days.  I always warn people that if they are expecting Mediterranean weather, forget it.  It’s like a hotter, drier version of the Lake District so go prepared.  It is the climate that makes the landscape so fervent and exciting, and creates the lush pasture that produces the famous Limousin beef

The house is not a holiday rental per-se and is full of personal artifacts giving it a warm and inviting, homely, lived in feel.  It is there for people to enjoy, share and care for. Painting and drawing is to be encouraged and please, please contribute to the house by leaving a drawing or painting behind.  I hope that, in time, there will be a collection of diverse and interesting pieces of art for all to see.

Being the first high ground after the Atlantic ocean, the climate is very changeable. From April to October the days can be warm and in high summer, very hot.   June and July are delicious, October hot, but prone to thunderstorms sweeping in from the west, September, simply divine and the autumn a blaze of colour. For mycologists, mushrooms grow in abundance, the woodland being famous for its ceps. 

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L’Allue

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