The Groléjac marsh trail: An unusual walk in the shade, punctuated by a swim

The perfect combo, come discover with us a unique place, a little magical, a few kilometers from Sarlat. Here we are in Groléjac, a pretty little village near the Dordogne Valley. Near the Le Roc Percé leisure center and bathing, water sports and fishing lake, there is an unusual interpretive trail, a walk on a wooden footbridge, in the middle of the Groléjac marshes. It is a very rich, unusual environment that we invite you to explore with us… Shall we go?

Photos of the report: Guide du Périgord

A swamp ? In Perigord?

There are marshy areas everywhere where the water stagnates, where the mud produces more or less isolated arms, these are closed waters. In these spaces, a unique and characteristic fauna and flora unfolds. The Groléjac pond is old. Even if the leisure base was created in the 90s, it was based on an existing body of water, which was dug and equipped with a filling and emptying system, and stocked. The Marais de Groléjac is the largest limestone marsh in the Dordogne. It is a 20ha wetland, a sensitive natural space under the protection of the Department.

Stroll on the wooden footbridges of the Groléjac marsh

1.5 km of wooden footbridges have been built, on stilts, in this sensitive space, to allow everyone to discover it, to understand it. We walk among the reeds and other plant species that evolve in this very special environment. Ferns, various mosses, aquatic species. Everything is explained on the panels along the route. We walk, we learn, we take a break, we appreciate the landscape, the freshness of the environment... For the aficionados of their telephone, panels with QR codes are present, to find out more...

This path is pleasant for its coolness in summer, but it is to be discovered all year round. It's free, it's fun, original and the vegetation follows the rhythm of the seasons. In winter and early spring, the brightness is different as the deciduous trees are bare and light gorges the path. The mosses present swell with water, the level of the marsh is a little higher. The water (you can't bathe in it, be careful!) is healthy because the mud, the mosses and the reeds act as a real phyto-purification. You will be surprised at the clarity of the ponds and basins. Wetlands are important for their function of regulating carbon in the atmosphere, they are despised places, which tend to be redeveloped since they found their stripes in the mind (of humans, because the fauna and flora have never ceased to coexist in harmony in the marshes...)

Exceptional fauna and flora

Observers will take their binoculars and magnifying glass! Here we find species of fish and crayfish, batrachians, invertebrates (salamander, newts), various insects (dragonflies, damselflies, flies and foragers, ladybugs), birds (kingfisher, duck, gray heron, hen of water). The panels will teach you more about the flora present (alder, large fluke, red willow, marsh pollution, fern, sphagnum, water clover, orchis, etc.)

The lake and the Roc Percé leisure center

You have finished? Off to the swim! Bring your bathing suit and towel to enjoy the Roc Percé lake, its refreshment bar, its toilets, showers, children's games... Sports enthusiasts will enjoy the fitness trail, pedal boat rental and other boats. Bring your rods to fish (and your fishing license too)! It is a very pleasant place appreciated by all, tourists and locals alike! Large free car park. Attention bathing is supervised in summer, every day except Monday, from 12 p.m. is your responsibility.

We wish you a pleasant day in Groléjac, don't forget to visit this pretty village.

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