Attractions and Places To See around Lahontan - Top 13

## The tunnel The tunnel, located between the Puyoô and Salies-de-Béarn stations, is one of the significant structures on line n° 662.000 connecting Puyoô to Mauléon. It is a single-track tunnel 848.5 m long and 5.00 m wide between the abutments. The height under the crown is 6.00 m. It is a multi-radius arch. The structure is generally oriented North-South, with a curve of R400 m for the first 250 meters on the North side, then a straight section to the South end. The longitudinal profile has a constant gradient of 0.01 m/m from the North. A central aqueduct equips the structure along its entire route. The maximum cover is 49 m. The tunnel is built in the Campanian flysch (Upper Cretaceous). The construction of the tunnel (1879-1883) was carried out from two headings via shafts approximately 35 m deep, located at PM219 and PM632. The shafts were retained as ventilation shafts. The masonry thicknesses (limestone rubble set in lime mortar) vary from 0.50 m to 1.20 m. The length of the tunnel, initially projected at 400 m, was increased to 787 m following the decision to lower the profile (from 20‰ to 16‰). During construction, ground instabilities encountered during the excavation of access trenches led to a further extension of the structure, which finally reached a length of 848.5 m. Numerous ground instabilities (landslides) caused significant delays in the progress of the work. The tunnel was electrified in 1930 and the overhead line equipment was removed in 1971.

A really beautiful cycle path on an old railway line. It is completely asphalted and is therefore a wonderful ride and there are one or two bridge highlights to admire along the way.

THE FOUNTAIN-WASHBOARD OF BOURG-NEUF Its construction is linked to the Bourgneuf district which developed to the west of the medieval enclosure. The houses are connected to Chemin du Lavoir by stairs built on the old ramparts. They were taken down to fetch water from the fountain and do laundry chores. The washhouse is made up of two basins and flat stones or boards on which the washerwomen soaped or beat the linen. This fountain-washhouse is mentioned in the municipal registers in 1609 under the name of Cappellade fountain and was, until the mid-1960s, before water supply, the nerve center of the Bourgneuf district. Here is the testimony of a resident who remembers this recent past: “This Bourgneuf fountain was very famous because the water was very fresh and most of the women of Sordes came at midday with their jug to collect water. They waited sitting on the stones of the washhouse and that's where we learned the stories of the village. It was the housewives' meeting. » (Source: Pays d’Orthe Cultural Center)

Cagnotte Abbey, located in the Landes in France, is a Benedictine and then Cistercian abbey founded in the 9th century. It was founded by Salvius and his servant Mauricius, who were assigned by the bishop of Dax to guard the tomb of Maria Corfedia. In the 11th century, the monastery moved temporarily seven kilometers to the east and in 1097 built a new abbey church. Returning to Cagnotte following a raid by the Normans, the community there adopted Cistercian rule in 1141. All that remains of the abbey is a part of the abbey dwelling which has become a barn and the small parish church reduced to the sanctuary, the choir bay, the side and cross chapels of the transept of the former Notre Dame de Corheta abbey church. This church houses the tombs of the Viscounts of Orthe and Adelaide of Anjou. The abbey experienced a slow decline from the Wars of Religion until the Revolution. In 1776, Louis XV authorized the demolition of the monastery. Source: Wikipedia, Cagnotte Town Hall, Festival des Abbayes

no lighting between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

An old railway line rehabilitated as a greenway, very pleasant to enter Salies-de-Béarn.

Superb abbey! Please note the cryptoporticus is under construction (November 2022). Beautiful presentation of the restoration work and suitable for all

The abbey of Sordes, in the commune of Sorde-l'Abbaye, is a Benedictine abbey from the 10th century. Located on the banks of the Gave river, it is part of a remarkable heritage site, marked by its remains and its history linked to the paths of Santiago de Compostela.