Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat / Limoges

Leaving Saint-Léonard de Noblat for Limoges, the Vélidéale continues to lead you beside the Vienne. This river has deeply marked the landscapes around here, as well as supplying all manner of mills with power, such as the Moulin du Got (a 10-minute ride out), still making paper the old-fashioned way. And to see how cleverly cartoonists can turn paper into art, stop to visit the Centre International de la Caricature et du Dessin d'Humour at Saint-Just-le-Martel, where you can enjoy a good laugh at the same time as resting your pins! The cycle route guides you into the city of Limoges via a fine historic bridge, the Pont Saint-Martial. Do explore the cathedral quarter, among others, with the Bishops’ Garden, or Jardin de l'Evêché, a wonderful place to relax and take in views of Limoges before tomorrow’s cycling stage.

The route

At Saint-Léonard de Noblat, take the D39 road towards St Martin Terressus. Stay on this road up to St Priest Taurion, then take the D44 towards St Just-le-Martel. This stretch involves some ups and downs. At Place de l’Église, take a little street to your right (the C1) towards the Mairie (town hall), then at the round-about, continue straight on towards the Palais and the Golf de la Porcelaine (in the parish of Panazol). At a crossroads, turn left onto the D140 road towards Limoges. After passing the church at Panazol, turn right (onto the D224). At the round-about after the A20 motorway bridge, take a right onto Avenue du Sablard. You pass close to Limoges’s other historic bridge too, the Pont Saint-Etienne.

Link to the V56 Saint-Jacques à Vélo (a Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage cycle route, Via Vézelay)

At Saint-Léonard de Noblat, our cycle route meets Saint-Jacques à vélo - Via Vézelay, and in fact the two routes run along the same stretch for a while, from the level of the D39 road, heading towards Saint-Priest-Taurion, and up to Limoges.

Practical information

• Office du Tourisme de Limoges
  12 Bd de Fleurus, 87000 Limoges - 05 55 34 46 87
  https://www.destination-limoges.com/ 
• Office du Tourisme de Noblat
  4 Pl. du Champ de Mars, 87400 Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat - 05 55 56 25 06
  https://www.visitlimousin.com/saint-leonard-de-noblat/

SNCF

The Gare des Bénédictins de Limoges is a splendid 1920s station that it’s worth stopping to see, even if you don’t need to use it. Its trains serve the following towns and cities, among others: Vierzon; Périgueux; Brive-la-Gaillarde; Toulouse Matabiau; Bordeaux-Saint-Jean; Poitiers; and Paris Austerlitz.

Don't miss

• Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat: the Moulin du Got, an old-fashioned paper-making mill and printer, with museum and shop; Porcelaine Carpenet, a family business using traditional Limoges porcelain-making methods to create contemporary pieces; the collegiate church forming part of the wider UNESCO World Heritage Site dedicated to fine monuments along the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route…
• Saint-Priest-Taurion: the Relais du Taurion, a hearty traditional hotel-restaurant close to the river; the Viaduct, with lovely views; local saffron from the Domaine de la Roche.
• Saint-Just-le-Martel: the Centre international de la Caricature, du Dessin de Presse et d'Humour, for a good laugh, looking at highly amusing cartoons.  
• Panazol: Golf de la Porcelaine, a fine golf course a bit east of Limoges. 
• Limoges: the medieval stone bridges, the Pont St Étienne and Pont St Martial; the banks of the Vienne River; the Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, its quarter and the Jardin de l’Évêché, the Bishops’ Gardens looking down on the Vienne…