The Limousin

The Limousin region of Central France has been compared to the English Lake District, without the rain and also much bigger. It is roughly the size of Yorkshire and divided into 3 départements: Correze, Creuse and Haute Vienne. The Papillon office is based in the northwest of the Creuse in the picturesque medieval town of La Souterraine and covers about a thirty mile radius of the town.

The Creuse is one of the least populated départements and one of the poorest. It is like stepping back in time 50 years. Predominately agricultural, sleepy hamlets and small market towns abound and the lack of traffic puts the pleasure back into driving. It is not particularly famous for its cuisine, but Limousin beef is world-renowned as is the porcelain produced in Limoges, one of the few large agglomerations in the region. This is perhaps not the region for the young and upwardly mobile but for the retired or soon-to-be retired it provides a stark contrast to the stressful life of urban Britain.

Back