Russet-brown Limousin cattle watch you from their pasture as you leave Saint-Léonard. The day starts gently: rolling countryside, woodland tracks and the odd quiet village. Nowhere does it get really steep. You climb a bit, but overall you descend more than you climb.
The challenge is the distance. Almost 7 hours of walking is a lot, even without any hard climbs. The highest point stays below 430 metres, so these are mostly long, easy kilometres. Limoges announces itself with traffic, roundabouts and residential districts. Then the city suddenly lies ahead of you, on the hill above the Vienne. Behind you, the Limousin is left behind: green, rolling, with cattle in the fields.