First pick
Forêt Départementale des Vaseix
Wood or forest
93 ha11 km of path
2 h 25 minto walk all 11 km of path
4.1 km north-westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Yzergues · CC BY-SA 4.016%woodland
Outdoors in Isle · protected areas, woods and footpaths
Almost every home in Isle is within 800 m of a park or wood
No protected area reaches Isle; the nearest, Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park, is 9.8 km from the town center. 44 km of footpaths cross Isle (2.2 km per km²). Waymarked hiking routes add up to 10 km in Isle. France has no Outdoors Grade yet: these are the figures, each beside the compared towns’ median.
Protected areas
0%
of the commune’s land
Nearest: Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park, 9.8 km
Woodland
16%
of the land, mapped on OpenStreetMap
Compared town: 13%
Footpaths
44 km
2.2 km per km²
Compared town: 1.7 km per km²
Hiking routes
9.5 km
waymarked, GR and others
Compared town: 0.3 km per km²
Parks & woods
7
named, in or within 400 m of the commune
First: Forêt Départementale des Vaseix
Throughout this page, the Haute-Vienne median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median.
Against French towns
How Isle compares with French towns
Each figure against the 3,798 compared French towns (communes with an overall grade): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Described, not graded.
Protected areas0%Share of the land in a national park, regional nature park, nature reserve or Natura 2000 site
22out of 100
Woodland16%Share of the land mapped as forest or woods on OpenStreetMap
55out of 100
Footpaths2.2 km per km²Km of mapped footpath and track open on foot, per km² of the commune
61out of 100
Hiking routes0.5 km per km²Km of waymarked hiking routes (GR and others), per km² of the commune
60out of 100
Percentiles among compared French towns; ties count half.
Towns its size
Isle has the 13th most footpaths per km² of 41 towns its size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population (7,877 to 8,116 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Seyssins (7.1 km per km²) to Le Malesherbois (0.3 km per km²).
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seyssins Isère | 7.1 | 44% | 45% | 201 km |
| 2 | Boussy-Saint-Antoine Essonne | 6.6 | 28% | 0% | 172 km |
| 3 | Jouy-en-Josas Yvelines | 5.9 | 42% | 0% | 151 km |
| 4 | Libercourt Pas-de-Calais | 4.5 | 23% | 0% | 75 km |
| 5 | Langueux Côtes-d'Armor | 3.7 | 8% | 8.6% | On it |
| 6 | Billy-Montigny Pas-de-Calais | 3.6 | 8.6% | 0% | 79 km |
| 7 | Louveciennes Yvelines | 3.3 | 31% | 0% | 140 km |
| 8 | La Ricamarie Loire | 2.8 | 20% | 3.2% | 206 km |
| 9 | Wintzenheim Haut-Rhin | 2.8 | 51% | 100% | 471 km |
| 10 | Guénange Moselle | 2.7 | 24% | 0% | 315 km |
| 11 | Linas Essonne | 2.5 | 32% | 0% | 166 km |
| 12 | Romagnat Puy-de-Dôme | 2.3 | 22% | 3.1% | 252 km |
| 13 | Isle Haute-Vienne | 2.2 | 16% | 0% | 159 km |
| 14 | Le Soler Pyrénées-Orientales | 2 | 4.9% | 0% | 20 km |
| 15 | Aureilhan Hautes-Pyrénées | 1.8 | 12% | 0.7% | 133 km |
| 16 | Sorbiers Loire | 1.8 | 14% | 0% | 217 km |
| 17 | Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse Landes | 1.8 | 51% | 0% | 11 km |
| 18 | Champagnole Jura | 1.7 | 48% | 0% | 352 km |
| 19 | Vaujours Seine-Saint-Denis | 1.7 | 26% | 0.9% | 152 km |
| 20 | Lège-Cap-Ferret Gironde | 1.6 | 73% | 21% | On it |
| 21 | Houplines Nord | 1.4 | 1.4% | 0% | 51 km |
| 22 | Contes Alpes-Maritimes | 1.4 | 37% | 0% | 9.9 km |
| 23 | Beaugency Loiret | 1.4 | 6.8% | 24% | 206 km |
| 24 | Tignieu-Jameyzieu Isère | 1.4 | 11% | 0% | 255 km |
| 25 | Vineuil Loir-et-Cher | 1.3 | 27% | 3.4% | 219 km |
| 26 | Lure Haute-Saône | 1.3 | 47% | 0.1% | 440 km |
| 27 | La Tour-du-Pin Isère | 1.2 | 4.7% | 0% | 240 km |
| 28 | Aussonne Haute-Garonne | 1.2 | 4.8% | 0% | 159 km |
| 29 | Saint-Affrique Aveyron | 1.2 | 37% | 100% | 85 km |
| 30 | Geispolsheim Bas-Rhin | 1.1 | 17% | 0.5% | 451 km |
| 31 | Les Arcs Var | 1.1 | 35% | 12% | 21 km |
| 32 | Gleizé Rhône | 1.1 | 7.7% | 0% | 275 km |
| 33 | Mordelles Ille-et-Vilaine | 1.1 | 5.4% | 0% | 48 km |
| 34 | Martignas-sur-Jalle Gironde | 1.1 | 48% | 2.8% | 23 km |
| 35 | Saint-Julien-de-Concelles Loire-Atlantique | 0.9 | 6.1% | 17% | 50 km |
| 36 | Bellegarde Gard | 0.7 | 5.7% | 13% | 33 km |
| 37 | Jarny Meurthe-et-Moselle | 0.7 | 12% | 48% | 311 km |
| 38 | Ustaritz Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 0.6 | 47% | 28% | 11 km |
| 39 | Languidic Morbihan | 0.6 | 24% | 0% | 9 km |
| 40 | Monts Indre-et-Loire | 0.5 | 28% | 0% | 173 km |
| 41 | Le Malesherbois Loiret | 0.3 | 11% | 3.6% | 196 km |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park or wood. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is the commune’s boundary.
Green: parks, gardens and woods mapped on OpenStreetMap, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · INPN / PatriNat · IGN
Places to walk
Parks and woods to walk in, in and around Isle
Named parks, gardens and woods in the commune or within 400 m, the biggest and best-pathed first: Forêt Départementale des Vaseix leads, at 93 ha. Directions go to a point inside.
Parc du Roussillon
Park or garden
7.8 ha1.7 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.7 km of path
1.5 km northfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Étangs d'Arliquet
Park or garden · 340 m outside the commune
4.2 ha1.1 km of path
15 minto walk all 1.1 km of path
4.4 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Bois des Bayles
Wood or forest
3.3 ha1.9 km of path
25 minto walk all 1.9 km of path
Centralin the middle of Isle
Directionsto a point inside
Sanctuaire Notre-Dame d'Arliquet
Park or garden · 360 m outside the commune
3 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
4.5 km westfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Parc des Bayles
Park or garden
0.5 ha0.2 km of path
Centralin the middle of Isle
Directionsto a point inside
Parc LaFayette
Park or garden · 150 m outside the commune
0.4 ha0.2 km of path
1.2 km north-eastfrom the center
Directionsto a point inside
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL): named parks, gardens and woods; sizes are the whole site.
Protected areas
Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park is the nearest protected area, 9.8 km away
The protected areas reaching the commune, and the nearest: national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites.
Regional nature park
Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park
9.8 km from the town center
Share of the commune’s land
Any protected area0%
Designations overlap (a regional park can hold a Natura 2000 site), so the rows don’t add up; the first counts each piece of land once.
Source: INPN / PatriNat, protected areas July 2026, Natura 2000 December 2024; shares of IGN’s commune boundary.
Footpaths and woods
44 km of footpaths and 10 km of hiking routes cross Isle
Paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and waymarked hiking routes, mapped on OpenStreetMap inside the commune; woods are mapped forest and woodland, private woods included.
Footpaths
44 km
2.2 km per km²
Hiking routes
9.5 km
waymarked: 0.5 km per km²
Woodland
16%
about 3.1 km² of mapped woods
Km per km² of the commune · mapped on OpenStreetMap
IsleHaute-Vienne medianFrance median
Footpaths2.2
Hiking routes0.5
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
IsleHaute-Vienne medianFrance median
Woodland16%
0%50%100%
That is more than in 61% of compared French towns for footpaths per km², and for woodland more than in 55% of compared French towns. Hiking routes often follow paths and lanes already counted, so the two lengths overlap: don’t add them. Every home in Isle is within 800 m of a mapped park or wood, as in most French towns.
10 named hiking routes within 2 km
Other named walk
Circuit Puys et Vallées en Pays d'Aixe12 km
Les Vaseix - Tour du Grand Bois5.5 km
Autour de la gare d'Aixe-sur-Vienne4.5 km
Circuit des Écureuils3.3 km
Sentier des Écrevisses3.2 km
Les Vaseix - Promenade de l'Étang2.9 km
Les Vaseix - Promenade de Chamberet2.4 km
Sentier de Plein-Ciel2.3 km
Voie de Vézelay, Saincoins - Aixe-sur-Vienne2.2 km
Voie de Vézelay, Aixe-sur-Vienne - Châlus0.9 km
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), extracts of October 25, 2026 (Geofabrik).
When to get out
The best walking months in Isle: May to September
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at Limoges-Bellegarde, 6.8 km away, and the daylight at the town’s latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 91 | 75 | 78 | 88 | 93 | 80 | 63 | 72 | 75 | 94 | 106 | 105 |
July is the driest month (63 mm) and August the warmest (highs of 24 °C). 106 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. Frost comes on about 35 nights a year. The climate in Isle →
Neighbors
Next to Isle
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by the share of their land in protected areas.
Condat-sur-VienneBosmie-l'AiguilleLimogesAixe-sur-VienneVerneuil-sur-ViennePanazolIsle
Under 1%1–10 %10–25 %25–50 %50 %+
| Town | Protected | Woodland | Paths (km/km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isle | 0% | 16% | 2.2 |
| Condat-sur-Vienne 5,281 · 2.7 km | 0% | 17% | 0.9 |
| Bosmie-l'Aiguille 2,667 · 4 km | 0% | 26% | 1.6 |
| Limoges 129,937 · 5.1 km | 0% | 15% | 3.3 |
| Aixe-sur-Vienne 5,890 · 5.6 km | 0% | 12% | 1 |
| Verneuil-sur-Vienne 4,903 · 7.7 km | 0% | 23% | 1 |
| Panazol 11,342 · 8 km | 0% | 21% | 2.7 |
Bosmie-l'Aiguille and Verneuil-sur-Vienne are more wooded.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Protected areas. National-park cores, national parks’ outer areas, regional nature parks, nature reserves and Natura 2000 sites, from INPN. A national park’s core is strictly protected; its outer area and a regional park are charters between communes, not bans. Designations overlap, so the total counts each piece of land once.
- Woodland. Forest and woods as OpenStreetMap maps them, private woods included: woods nobody has mapped are missing, and a mapped wood isn’t necessarily open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footpaths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, then waymarked hiking routes (GR and others) measured apart. A route often follows a path or lane already counted: the two overlap. Paths nobody has mapped are missing.
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (INSEE’s 200 m grid) within 800 m, as the crow flies, of a mapped park, garden or wood edge. It measures nearness, not a way in. Guadeloupe and French Guiana have no grid: their pages say whether the town center is within 800 m.
- The coast. The straight-line distance from the town center to OpenStreetMap’s coastline, which follows the tide line into estuaries. A commune is on the coast when the coastline crosses its boundary.
- No grade yet. U.S. and UK towns have an Outdoors Grade; French towns don’t yet. Each figure is set beside the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade) in the département and in France, each figure its own median.
Questions about the outdoors in Isle
Is Isle in a national or regional nature park?
No. The nearest protected area is Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park, 9.8 km from the town center.
Are there good walks in Isle?
OpenStreetMap maps 44 km of footpaths and tracks open on foot in the commune, 2.2 km per km² (the median compared town: 1.7 km per km²); 10 km of waymarked hiking routes cross it.
How much of Isle is woodland?
16% of the commune is mapped woodland, private woods included; the median compared French town has 13%.
Is Isle near the sea?
No: the coast is 159 km from the town center, as the crow flies.
When is the best time for walking in Isle?
May to September: long days, mild highs and little rain, from Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals at the nearest suitable station.
Why is there no Outdoors Grade for French towns?
TownRatings grades the outdoors in the U.S. and the UK; the French figures are new and not graded yet. This page sets each one beside the median compared French town instead.
Sources: INPN / PatriNat (protected areas 2026, Natura 2000 2024) · © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL (paths, hiking routes, woods, coast, gardens) · INSEE, Filosofi 2021 200 m grid (residents) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Météo-France normals 1991–2020 · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 9, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.