Plateau de Millevaches, Retrouvance®

Level 2 to 3. Easy to moderate. Between 6 and 7 hours of walking and/or 40 to 450m of ascent per day, with no technical difficulties and easy to moderate tracks and paths. The logistics coordinator may be able to pick up anyone who wishes to shorten their day’s walk.

We walk through terrain shaped by a series of hollows, which naturally involves uphill and downhill sections. Underfoot, there are often roots and stones, with a few stretches through wet areas. Although we are on a plateau, the walks are not “flat”. However, there are no major obstacles, and this walking trip is suitable for a wide range of people accustomed to hiking.

All you need to carry is a small daypack with your belongings for the day, your picnic lunch and snacks for the walk. Your luggage will be waiting for you at each overnight stop.

Accommodation

Accommodation, offering an excellent standard of comfort, is provided in four secluded forest lodges, either in the forest or in hamlets.

These high-quality houses have been fully and tastefully renovated. Accommodation is in rooms for a maximum of 2 - 3 people, with separate bathroom facilities. These forest lodges are reserved exclusively for the group of walkers (a maximum of 12) who have chosen the “Retrouvance ®” itinerary.

At each accommodation, the group is assisted every evening by a logistics coordinator who handles all the practical arrangements and transports luggage and food from one overnight stop to the next. The food is made with local produce and prepared by local providers, and the coordinator helps create an authentic atmosphere in our lodges. Bed linen is provided (towels are not).

Breakfast and dinner are served at the accommodation, with menus based on local produce and specialities. At lunchtime, you eat the picnic you carry in your daypack.

6 to 12 people

Guiding

The trip is led by a qualified mountain walking guide, assisted by a logistics coordinator at the ONF buildings reserved for the group.

Trips run from Monday to Saturday or Sunday to Friday. Departures from June to September.

Meeting point / End of trip

Meeting point

On Day 1 at 14:00 at Bugeat SNCF railway station for those arriving by train. Please arrive dressed for walking and with a filled water bottle, as you set off straight away on your first walk.
Or at 14:30 at the Retrouvance lodge in Millevaches for those arriving by car.

End of trip

On Day 6 in the early afternoon, around 13:00, at Bugeat SNCF railway station or in Millevaches.

By train

From Paris, Toulouse or Bordeaux, travel to Limoges railway station, then take a TER regional train towards Ussel.

Limoges–Ussel TER line L26, alighting at Bugeat.

Outbound: departs Limoges at 12:37, arrives in Bugeat at 14:00.

Return: departs Bugeat at 13:02, arrives in Limoges at 14:14.

For the return journey, you can also leave from Felletin, where the walk ends, taking the R15 regional bus to La Souterraine railway station (on the Toulouse–Paris line), departing at 12:20 or 13:20.

You can check your route on the SNCF website: https://www.sncf-connect.com/

By car

From Limoges, take the D979 towards Eymoutiers, then the D940 towards Bugeat. You can park your car in Bugeat. Check your route on www.viamichelin.fr

From Lyon or Clermont-Ferrand, take the A89, exit 23 Ussel Ouest, then continue via Meymac to Bugeat. From Paris, take the A20 to Limoges, then continue via Eymoutiers to Bugeat. From Bordeaux, take the A89, or from Toulouse, take the A20 to Brive, then continue via Seilhac and Treignac to Bugeat.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim, either during the day’s walk or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we stress that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; any swimming is therefore your own responsibility and at your own risk.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to invite everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As members of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the industry develop more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we are committed to:

• Transparency in our practices and pricing
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and foster meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible environmental, ethical and sustainable management practices, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises our concrete actions in support of responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

In this section, you will find links to products from our partner Alpinstore, a French online retailer specialising in outdoor equipment, based in Annecy.

For carrying your belongings

• A comfortable 30 to 50 L backpack with a hip belt to carry your personal belongings and picnic lunch during the day
• One bag for luggage transfers: a backpack, a travel bag in good condition or a suitcase that is not too bulky. One bag per person, with a weight limit of 15kg

Read our Mag article on how to pack your hiking backpack.

For hiking

For maximum comfort, choose a layered clothing system: warm base layers (leggings + top), such as “Carline” or “Capilene” (hollow fibres that wick away perspiration), followed by a sweatshirt or fleece jacket, then a mountain jacket and overtrousers with a waterproof, breathable membrane (such as Gore-Tex or equivalent) for bad weather. In general, except in hot climates and countries, avoid cotton, which holds moisture close to the body (and dries slowly), and opt for suitable synthetic fabrics instead.

• Hiking boots with ankle support, a good lugged sole, a heel counter and good waterproofing
• Comfortable hiking socks (at least 3 pairs)
• A fleece
• Comfortable walking trousers (quick-drying technical fabric)
• Comfortable technical shorts
• T-shirts or technical base layers (quick-drying fabric)
• A long-sleeved shirt
• Walking poles (telescopic), very important for making walking easier. Discover all the benefits of hiking poles in our dedicated article or how to choose your hiking poles

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. New merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of resisting odours from perspiration!

For your lunchtime picnic

• Your “kitchen” kit: 2 plastic containers, cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• 1 or 2 water bottles (a total capacity of at least 1,5 L) – compulsory –; an insulated flask for winter

For protection from sun and rain

• Sunscreen (high protection)
• Sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or a waterproof jacket such as a softshell or Gore-Tex jacket, and possibly waterproof trousers

After your walk

• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A toiletry bag and towel (small)
• Bed linen is provided
• Swimwear and a towel for wellness facilities (where specified) or swimming
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, surgical masks, hand sanitiser, plasters, sterile dressings and a bandage, gauze, disinfectant, arnica pellets and aspirin, etc. (please note that this list is not exhaustive and should be adapted to your own medical needs).

Find these tips in our article “what to take with you on a hike”.

This list is intended as a guide and should be adapted to your trip and the season in which you are travelling.

Bugeat and Sornac Tourist Offices
35 place du champ de foire
19170 Bugeat
1 rue de la République
19290 Sornac
Tel: 0555951868 / 0642626272

Millevaches Regional Natural Park
https://www.pnr-millevaches.fr/territoire/tourisme/