Crédits photo bandeau Le jardin Clos du Rempart à Besse
Need a natural setting in which to enjoy a rest and observe the plant life? Looking for a picnic spot or a play area for the children? Here’s our selection of 4 parks and gardens where you can take a break before resuming your exploration of the Massif du Sancy.
And if you love taking breaks, you'll find plenty of other parks and playgrounds in the Massif du Sancy!
Parc Fenestre in La Bourboule
This English-style park of 12 hectares is known for its 45-metre sequoias but is also kids’ heaven with play areas, a little train, the famous 3-lane slide and much more. Suitable for pushchairs, it is ideal for family walks and, in summer, becomes a mini amusement park with pay rides!
Adults will enjoy relaxing in the spacious alleys and on the vast lawns.
Added bonus: The Fenestre park also hosts big events like Sancy Outdoor, the nature sports festival held at the beginning of July.
Jardin Clos du Rempart in Besse et Saint-Anastaise
A product of a local tradition of “urban” gardens, this medieval park reveals the life of the people of Besse of yesteryear. Hidden behind the rampart walk of the ancient town of Besse, the Jardin Clos du Rempart features medicinal plants, herbs, vegetables and plants grown for perfumes, textiles and dyes.
Stroll between the gardens arranged in squares, each on a different theme, to find out more about wild vegetables, the herbs that give Saint-Nectaire cheese its taste, or even the poisonous plants that you should avoid when out hiking.
Added bonus for summer: readings, guided tours, drinks & nibbles and workshops are just some of the activities organised in the gardens!
View of the Capucin from the Parc des Léchades in Mont-Dore
Just a short distance from Le Mont-Dore centre, the Léchades Park is designed for relaxation and meditation. The Dordogne river winds through this park which also has a small lake.
The perfect picnic spot where you can unwind while the children have fun in the play area, unless you fancy the fitness trail. Above all, there’s the view! The spectacular Pic du Capucin towers over the park while the Upper Dordogne Valley and Puy de Sancy unfurl before your eyes.
The pontoon makes a great photo spot, if you can capture the mirror image of the mountains in the water.
Parc du Prélong in Murol
This park is at an ideal location, midway between the village of Murol and the medieval fortress! At Prélong park you enter a French-style garden which then extends eastwards into an English-style landscaped park.
Dating from the mid-19th century, it features around 700 trees, a mix of indigenous species and varieties that were new in that era, including 2 giant sequoias, one of which is 160 years old! This park has lots of shade, making it ideal for a nice cool stroll, a walk up to the castle or a tour of the Museum of the School of Murol(s) Painters.
Added bonus: the explanatory arboretum panels dotted around the park.
There are of course other parks to explore in Sancy, such as Parc Louis Perrier in Besse, Parc Municipal du Mont-Dore or Parc du Dolmen in Saint-Nectaire.
And to stay with the themes of fun and meditation, go in search of the artworks scattered across our region in the summer months. Works of art in the great outdoors that dialogue with their surroundings.
