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SWIMMING AND HIKING :

   The village of Saint Martial and its lake is 2 Km away from your cottage. Have a great relaxing time at the lake on the beaches, play with your friends and family, swim... or just stroll around the lake.
  Nearby the village, stretches the old and large forest of Bonnefoy, and dominating the forest, you will find the Mount Gerbier de Jonc. Hiking on trails in the woods or along brooks is a great way to recharge your batteries and to discover breath taking scenery.

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Photos à proximité des Gites
 Near your cottage
     

 THE VILLAGE OF SAINT MARTIAL AND ITS LAKE ....
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    Looking at the lake you can see his volcanic origin, until seventeen hundred the lake filled the inside of the crater of the volcano Estrat. Later, many leaks dryed it up and it's only in the seventies that it was re-created. It's now a beautifull 13 Ha large lake.


  At the lake, there is wind-surfing, canoing and pedalo hire, fishing a couple of mornings a week and supervised swimming beaches. Just near you will find a tennis court, a play ground for kids and a picnic area with benches and tables. Around the lake, in some places, fir trees provide shade if needed.


      


           The village and the lake of Saint Martial
     
                         Water sprays at the lake


Water massages on sprays :

  Fun water sprays are very much appreciated during summer. The cool spring water is a real delight, for kids to play with, or even adults.



 FOREST OF BONNEFOY ....
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          The forest of Bonnefoy   




                         

      It's in 1550 that monks from the abbey of Bonnefoy created the forest, they had a great knowlege of forestry.

  The forest of Bonnefoy is made of old mountain trees, like oak, fir and spruce. As people left the land for the cities ( rural exodus ), trees have taken over old terraces.
   Fabulous scenery awaits those who decide to criss-cross the forest, by foot on trails or with car on a special touristic route. The different tones in the colours of the rocks, craggy in places, smoothly eroded in others, the forests of chestnut trees and firs and spruces are all mixed together in a very fine scenery.

You may also find in many places this sign with Mediterranean sea in one direction and Atlantic in the other, it's the place where the water splits in two different catchment basins one flowing to one sea, the other one to the other.

               

 
 

         THE MOUNT GERBIER DE JONC
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    The mount Gerbier de jonc
  The Mount Gerbier de Jonc is very famous in France, because the Loire river ( the biggest river in France ) has its spring right at the foot of the mont.
   This seven millions years old, volcanic sugar-loaf mountain is unique in Europe and you will only find the same in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

At the foot of the mount a big market place is open during the season, you may buy there local products and tasty and flavoursome foodstuffs.
 
   
                                                                                                                             
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 Claire and Roger - Cros la planche ST MARTIAL F-07310  TEL : 33 ( 0 ) 4 75 29 27 60  ©2004 - Roger GONIN -