Camping Dun-le-Palestel

There are, as you might imagine, heaps of gorgeous views to be seen around the Valley of the Painters – especially those where the woods meet the Creuse river. The best way to see them is to head out on the well-marked trails from Dun-le-Palestel, or from neighbouring villages Fresselines and Crozant, both around a 10-minute drive away. The popular hike for most visitors around here is the Painters' Trail, a four-kilometre circular walk from Crozant, which has info boards along the way to explain the connection with various artists. Also in Crozant you can visit the ruined fortress and wander round the Lépinat Centre, where you can learn about about painters’ techniques in the artists’ studio, or pack the kids off to the activities and studios running throughout the year. If you’d like to see the countryside from a different angle, hire canoes from Crozant to take out on the Creuse river or Lake Eguzon, or cruise down the Creuse on a boat trip to see some of the sights: mills, lakes and rock faces among them.