blog kleinschalige camping aan meer in Limousin - Frankrijk

Lac de Vassiviere

lac de vassiviere in de Limousin

Lac de Vassiviere and Lac Saint Hélène are 25 km apart in the Limousin, Haute Vienne. Both are great holiday destinations with water always nearby for a cooling dip. Lovers of nature, hiking and water sports can indulge themselves here.

Below is a list of some characteristics of these two top locations in the Limousin. We ourselves have a strong preference for Lac Saint Hélène. But maybe that's not very objective 😁 Anyway, they are crowd favorites in the summer!

lac de Vassiviere

About Lac de Vassiviere

Lac Vassivière is a large reservoir (9.76 km²) in the Limousin, central France. It lies on the border of the departments of Corrèze, Creuse and Haute-Vienne. The reservoir was artificially created in 1947-1950 with a large concrete dam 3 meters thick. Eight abandoned villages were swallowed by the rising waters when the lake filled for the first time. One of those old villages was Vassivière and the lake owes its name to it.

With its almost 10 km², Lac de Vassiviere is the main water supply of the Limousin. The lake is mainly fed by the river Maulde, which is also the literal connection with Lac Saint Hélène.

Did you know...

On Lac de Vassiviere you can take a small tourist train or a water taxi to the island in the middle (Ile de Vassiviere). There is a tour boat and water skiing and wake boarding are available from Plage de Pierrefitte.

Lac de Vassivière has staged three times in the Tour de France. For cycling enthusiasts, there is the Tour de Légendes around the lake. It is a tribute to 'Poupou', or Raymond Poulidor. A famous cyclist, born in St Leonard de Noblat, not far from Bujaleuf. It is a nice bike ride along the shores of Lac de Vassiviere with many viewpoints. The route is indicated on large signs at the lake and is 23.5 km long. Also suitable to do with an electric bicycle.

lac de Vassiviere

About Lac St Hélène

Lac de Sainte-Hélène is a widening of the river Maulde. This river flows from Lac Vassiviere, through Lac St Hélène, on to the Vienne. The EDF has built a number of dams (barrages) in the Maulde to use the difference in height to generate electricity. Annually, 170 million kWh is produced, enough to power a city with 40,000 inhabitants.

The widening at Bujaleuf is 70 ha and is therefore called Lac de Saint-Hélène. Although you hardly notice any current, it is not actually stagnant water. It is constantly being refreshed. And that benefits the quality of the bathing water. Even at high temperatures, there is no blue-green algae.

Pedal boats, 2 and 1-person canoes and stand-up paddles (supps) can be rented at the reception of Camping du Lac. All for the well-known friendly rates. The part of the lake on the other side of the bridge is reserved for motor boats and water skiing.

Mike & Marian
28-01-2023

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