The Château de Campagne and the national forest of Campagne

A few kilometers from Bugue in the Vézère Valley, there is an amazing site, with a multitude of activities and leisure activities for the whole family. Free of charge, the Château de Campagne and its superb romantic English landscaped garden are a delight for a walk. Admire the superb Château and take the Escalier des Dames to reach the Forêt Domaniale de Campagne and its 370ha of nature (open all year round), perfect for hiking, trail running, running, mountain biking, but also climbing, orienteering and adventure at the bike park! A site to discover urgently and 100% free!

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The Château de Campagne and its garden

Labeled Remarkable Garden, the garden of the Château de Campagne is a bucolic stopover that you would be wrong to miss. Park your car in the car park in front of the castle (another car park is available on the Saint-Cyprien road), cross (carefully) the road and pass the ornate metal gate to the left of the Saint Jean-Baptiste church (12th century renovated recently she is superb).

You enter a large 6ha park, which is open to walkers free of charge. Created and laid out between 1857 and 1862 by Raoul de la Borie de Campagne, then Marquis de Campagne, it was at the time planted with an arboretum of 10,000 species of trees and shrubs, some of which are today venerable specimens as tall as they are majestic. Century- old sequoias and cedars, magnolias, bald cypresses or plane trees, species very popular at the time of these English-inspired, romantic gardens. In the garden, interpretation panels allow you to learn more about the trees and the environment around the castle, as well as the landscaped arrangements. Part of the garden (which is labeled Eco-Jardin ) is devoted to an orchard for the conservation of species, a vegetable garden with an educational area and a labyrinth.

The Château de Campane sits elegantly in the middle of the garden. It is built on the site of an ancient castle of the 12th century, which was destroyed in the 15th and then rebuilt and redesigned for nearly 3 centuries by various owners of the castle. In 1970, Gerald de la Borie de Campagne, the last Marquis who had no heir, left him to the Ministry of Culture. For several years, the castle remains in a curious lethargy, unused, then it will be completely renovated (as well as the park) when it is taken over by the Department of Dordogne, which has since administered its maintenance and entertainment. It is a beautiful neo-Gothic castle in its latest renovations. It is not open to visitors, but regularly hosts art exhibitions. Part of the outbuildings serve as premises for the Mixed Pole of Archaeological Research. The Castle is partially surrounded by moats (in water), which help to put it into perspective, echoing the small stream that surrounds the park.

Activities in the park of the Château de Campagne

In summer mainly, animations are numerous in Campaign Castle Park. To be informed, consult the Agenda du Guide du Périgord, but also the website of the Lascaux Dordogne Vallée de la Vézère Tourist Office. Concerts, outdoor cinema sessions, storytelling evenings for young and old, naturalist activities (such as bat watching), guided tours and night walks, but also the Festival of Music from Périgord Noir!

The Countryside State Forest

The national forest of Campagne is a large green and wooded space, on the limestone hillside of Campagne, with an area of 370 hectares. From the garden park, you can reach it by taking the Escalier des Dames and its 139 steps (22m drop), carved into the rock.

At the top of the Escalier des Dames are cluzeaux. These are semi troglodyte shelters, dug into the limestone rock, which is very soft in this place. We do not know the date of realization of these cluzeaux, which can date from the Middle Ages as well as from the 19th century, one thing is certain, at the time of the Château de Campagne, banquets were given there! Several shelters are dug, with rooms, suspension rings on the ceiling... Venture out and if you are brave, enter the dark caves...

The forest is a fantastic playground for everyone, you can practice many sports there, independently such as trail or mountain biking, orienteering. There is a bike park equipped with picnic tables and a superb view over part of the Vézère Valley. 2 hiking loops are available:

• The southern forest loop(in fr), which is 2,5km
• The Polissoir loop (in fr) which is 5,5km long

Other sports activities are available in this natural space, in summer through the active summer it is possible to do Kick Bike and climbing (among others), booking an activity with the Tourist Office for a pittance. For locals and holidaymakers alike, these are quality activities supervised by approved activity leaders.

We wish you a pleasant discovery of the Domaine de Campagne, its forest and its garden. Nearby is the amazing Gouffre de Proumeyssac, in Audrix. To visit to dive into the bowels of the earth which reveal incredible geological concretions highlighted and set to music.

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