Château de Val
- Type
- Harbour
Small lake landing below the Château de Val on the Bort-les-Orgues reservoir, Cantal, upstream of the dam on the Dordogne.
Guide
Approach and anchoring
Navigation on the artificial reservoir created by the Bort-les-Orgues dam, in service since 1952. No tide, no maritime signalling. Access from the road side of the castle, the waters come right up to the castle walls. The lake is about 21 km long. Speed and engine power limits apply on the reservoir.
Practical
Pontoon used by the Vedettes Panoramiques cruise boats and by small craft. Boat hire, pedalos, canoes and kayaks at Fontilles beach next to the castle. No yacht services, no fuel on site. Shops and restaurants in Lanobre village, 3 km west, and in Bort-les-Orgues, 8 km south.
Ashore
Visit of the Château de Val itself, 15th-century keep with six corner turrets, classed Monument Historique, painting exhibitions each season. Fontilles swimming beach at the foot of the castle. Bort-les-Orgues dam and its viewpoint, 8 km south. Orgues de Bort basalt columns walk, 9 km, signposted path.
History
Built in the 15th century by the d'Estaing family on foundations going back to the 13th century. The valley was flooded in 1952 when the Bort-les-Orgues dam was commissioned on the Dordogne, isolating the castle on a rocky promontory surrounded by water. The commune of Bort-les-Orgues bought the castle to save it from demolition before the valley was flooded.
Story
The village of Val and its church were drowned by the reservoir in 1952. In low-water years the ruins of the old church sometimes reappear a few hundred metres from the castle.
Key facts
- Type
- Harbour
- Coordinates
- 45.44191, 2.50649 (45°26.51'N 2°30.39'E)
- Town
- Lanobre
- Country
- France
- Updated
- July 7, 2026
Getting there
Château de Val lies at 45°26.51'N 2°30.39'E, that is 45.44191, 2.50649 in decimal degrees.
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