The Limousin Region is said to be the French Lake District, and certainly lives up to its name!c

Lac Mondon, which is a Plans d’eau (a lake especially for swimming and fishing, often man-made and usually with a sandy beach), is within a 5 minute drive of the house. It is great for children to mess around in if they want to build sandcastles and have a dip and it has a café for ice-creams and snacks. There is also the lovely Lac Sainte Pardoux which has a waterslide, pedalos, kayaking, waterskiing and bike and walking paths.

The larger lakes in the area are fantastic for swimming, fishing, water sports and walking, many lakes have trails designed for pony trekking. Many have supervised swimming areas. There are really too many to list here, although Lake Vassiviere must be mentioned for its sheer size and beauty.

Lake Vassiviere has plenty of facilities (including over 300km of walking trails) and many water sports available. It also has an island that boasts a sculpture park and Centre d’,art Contemporain, which is designed in the image of a ship and lighthouse. There is a café on the island. The art museum here is impressive and the setting makes it an unforgettable experience. You can also take a boat trip on the lake (in season).

There are also watersports including canoeing, kayaking, rafting, water polo and waterskiing on the main river of the region, the majestic Vienne.

The stunning Gimmel-les-Cascades is the site of three waterfalls ranging from a 45m drop to 60m drop, the last, called Queue de Cheval (Pony Tail), into a deep ravine, and is really worth the walk to enjoy.

There is an immense nature reserve, the Parc Naturel Regional Perigord-Limousin that would take even the dedicated hiker a few weeks to explore (1660sqkm). The Reserve has loads of wildlife and, like the region in general, is of particular note for birdlife.