Much like the cowardly lion in The Wizard of Oz, you don’t need courage to follow the road of Richard the Lionheart if you’re camping in Haute-Vienne in the historic department of Limousin – swashbuckle along in his steps and canter along a drawbridge to reach the thirteenth century fortress and castle of Rochechouart. This official monument historique houses the Rochechouart Museum of Contemporary Art; if, on reflection, you think it might take some bravery to announce this as a day out to the kids, there’s a meteor museum at Rochechouart too.
Book a Haute-Vienne campsite for other heavenly Limousin sights: about an hour to the east of Rochechouart, the wildlife park at Reynou should make up for dragging the kids to an art museum, and from here it’s a quick drive north to Haute-Vienne’s capital Limoges (with an art museum here too should you be so inclined). Another 25km north is one of the top tourist attractions in Haute-Vienne, the 750-acre Lac de Saint-Pardoux for sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, waterskiing and fishing by water, and climbing, mountain biking or treetop adventuring by land. You might need a little bit of bravery for that last one.
