By bike on the greenways...
By bike, on foot, on horseback, but above all at your own pace, explore the many kilometers of greenways on the destination of the Canal du Midi in Saint-Chinian, in the heart of the Occitanie region, and cross the magnificent landscapes shaped by the vineyard, the scrubland and the olive groves ...
The Capestang-Cruzy greenway
This Green Lane almost 12km, created in 2014 on the route of the old railway line which once started from Colombiers, now connects Capestang and the Canal du Midi, to the old station of Cruzy transformed into a restaurant, passing near the villages of Puisserguier, Creissan and Quarante .
It is located in the heart of nature, surrounded by vineyards as far as the eye can see, scrubland, pine woods, olive groves, small streams...
Departure : parking possible near the tourist office in Capestang. You walk along the canal, the start of the cycle path is at the old station. You get there by taking the road that goes up in front of the iron bridge.
The greenway of Saint-Chinian- Canal du Midi
There are nearly 33 km of tracks, from Saint-Chinian to the Canal du Midi via Cessenon-sur-Orb, Cazouls les Béziers (where you will find a bike stop), Maureilhan, Colombiers, which are arranged in tracks green. Between Saint-Chinian and Maureilhan, the track follows the old railway line of local interest Saint-Chinian, Béziers Gare du Nord. Then between Maureilhan and the Canal du Midi, it takes the municipal roads with low traffic.
This greenway will certainly delight lovers of bicycles and hikes, and many connections are possible with the FFC mountain bike circuits of the Terroir Saint-Chinianais.
Departure : From Saint-Chinian rue de l'Ancienne Voie Ferrée or easy parking near the Tourist Office in Saint-Chinian labeled Accueil Vélo (Allée Gaubert).
Take the opportunity to discover the village of Saint-Chinian and its AOC wineries, take a swim in the Orb at Cessenon, cultural with its alleys and its heritage, sports stop at the base of Réals, and gastronomic at the Pont de reals.
The Canal du Midi greenway project
Inscribed on the list of World Heritage sites by theUNESCO on December 7, 1996, the Canal du Midi remained for centuries in the planning stage.
Only the tenacity of a man, Pierre Paul Riquet, will overcome this crazy idea: to create then feed an artificial watercourse 240 km long, 10 to 20 meters wide and 2 meters deep connecting the Garonne and therefore the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean with the technical and topographical means of the XNUMXth century, at the time of Louis XIV.
Like the railways in the past, the Canal du Midi allowed the transport of goods from one end of France to the other, by river. Today, tourism having taken over, the towpath is gradually transformed into a cycle route allowing to take advantage of the freshness that reigns there and to admire the magnificent landscapes crossed by this structure.
Specialized agencies can help you plan your excursion and offer all-inclusive packages.
Warning: Today it is possible to cycle the towpath by bike, but with the authorization of VNF (contact VNF) and preferably a mountain bike, to deal with the condition of the path which lacks maintenance ...
