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From Eguzon,
we go into Indre, and
the Creuse river the course of which we have been following for
some time, which has
charmed us with its striking and intimate spots, suddenly changes
upon entering the Berry into an impressive and gigantic
reservoir : the Eguzon's dam, forming
the Chambon lake.
Of course, Eguzon is not limited
to this site, but it has changed the area so radically that
it often overshadows the other sources of income of this
area
Together we will look at :
>
Eguzon's dam
>
Chambon's lake and its tourism
>
Eguzon-Chantôme and its surroundings
Eguzon's
dam
The
site was brought into service in 1926 after building works lasting
4 years. At that time it was the largest dam in Europe. It still remains today,
for amateurs of civil engineering or simply for curious
tourists , an interesting place to visit, attracting more than 2000
visitors, every year.
We
should point out that
the 3 reservoirs of the 3 Lakes' country, the dam of "La
Roche-Bat-L'Aigue" and "La
Roche aux Moines", are all attached to the Eguzon
power station.
This shows how important this site is.
So,
some data to satisfy our friends who are fluid physics scientists or budding
electricians:
- " weight-curvilinear " dam
type with average falls functioning in lockwater and comprising
6 evacuation valves with a flow capacity of 1377 m3/second
-
height: 61.11 meters,
length in crest : 300 meters
- base width: 54 meters,
thickness in crest : 5 meters
- volume of masonry: 220 000 m3
- waterfall height : 58.27 meters
- production
groups: 6 with a power of 12 MW each
- annual production:
101 million kWh corresponding to the
yearly consumption of an agglomeration of 20 000 inhabitants.
Information for the visits:
Eguzon power station, Tel.:
02 54 47 41 00
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of the page
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Chambon's lake and its tourism
Usually, big dams do not form small lakes!
That's true
for the lake of Chambon: 312 hectares
(compare with the Age lake , 38 ha,
that you visited very near to L'Ecole Buissonniere) which is 16 kilometers in
length.
Imagine
all the beaches we can create here!
Yes indeed, the lake of
Chambon offers a real opportunity for holiday-makers to carry out
water activities, possibilities that they will not find in our
immediate area. It is a question, not only of size, but
also of topographic conditions: it was difficult to create
and arrange leisure sites at the 3 Lakes because of the deep gorges
of the valley, the more moderated relief of Indre - which
does not belong to the Massif Central, facilitated the establishment
of a broader tourist area .
> beaches : Chambon(left
bank), Bonnu and Fougères
(right bank) all three on the banks of the lake, Ceaulmont
and Montcocu, downstream on the river.
>
activities :
* fishing: pikes,
zanders and roaches, special posts for carp-fishing at night
* sailing, windsurfing, water skiing (schools), motorboating
* canoe-kayak, oar, sailing dinghy (schools)
* leisure sites"Le Pont des Piles": climbing, diving, cyclo-cross,
miniature golf
* water toboggan
* boats to hire
* motorboat
excursions
* pedestrian and equestrian excursions around the
lake
* archery, tennis, mountain bike
Information
: Eguzon tourist office , Tel.: 02 54 47 43 69
You have
worked it out, you will not find at the Chambon lake the same quietness you enjoyed in La Celle Dunoise, but
why deprive yourself of one or two days to become familiar with the oar,
the sail or the water ski?
After all, it is only 1 hour by car from l'Ecole Buissonniere,
and in the evening, after coming back, you could rest from the crowd
and the motor boat engine noise !
Eguzon-Chantôme and its surroundings
You
are not obliged to limit your discovery of Eguzon to
a
sieste on Chambon's beach (but why not ?...!) Here are, in case
they should be useful, some alternatives:
-
villages to be visited: Cuzion, Ceaulmont, Orsennes,
Gargilesse (see page about this village)
-
monuments: Cuzion's church (Tomb
of François de Montmorency), churches of Chantôme,
Ceaulmont, Gargilesse, castles of Châteaubrun, La Prune-au-Pot,
Gargilesse, Eguzon, Clavière, Bonnu.
-
visits and sites: museum
"Arts and Popular Traditions of the Creuse valley",
"Le Pont Noir", "La
Boucle du Pin", crossing the lake by the ferry
at L'Emouché.
Information
: Eguzon tourist office, Tel.: 02 54 47 43 69
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