The best gravel rides around Saint-Pons-De-Mauchiens

A beautiful east-west crossing of the causse d'Aumelas, between Vendémian and the Saint-Martin-du-Cardonnet chapel.

On Rue de Laval, in Vendémian, a small cast-iron fountain offers a welcome water point on the route. Its rounded back is adorned with relief decoration: a bearded mascaron amidst foliage, an animal head from which the water flows, and then a bouquet of reeds and flowers. The semi-circular basin, protected by a grate, is bordered by a leaf frieze. Water is obtained by turning the black knob placed at the top.

The terrain here takes on a reddish hue, but these rocks are not the ruffes of Salagou! These are continental sedimentary formations laid down in the Paleocene, about 65 to 61 million years ago. Deposited by ancient watercourses, the materials formed conglomerates, sandstones (the red gravel observed here), and marly limestones. Their reddish coloration is linked to the presence of iron oxides. The contrast with the ruffes (local name for the red rocks of Salagou) is as chronological as it is geological: formed in the Permian, about 271 million years ago, the ruffes are nearly 200 million years older. They result from the accumulation of fine sediments, notably clay and silt, in continental basins on periodically flooded plains. These deposits, subjected to alternating periods of flooding and drying, gradually consolidated into red pelites, the color of which is also linked to iron oxides.

This small village has assets to showcase. Do not hesitate to linger to visit its church, its old collegiate chapel converted into a media library, its well or its presbytery.

This remarkable structure composed of mobile aqueducts allows boats navigating the Canal du Midi to cross the small river Libron. Created in 1855 by Urbain Maguès, an engineer also responsible for the bridge-canal of Béziers.

Superb route. But can one always pass between the Château d'Aumelas and the Rouvière plain???

🌉 Pont des Trois Yeux – the bridge with the three eyes This unusual old stone bridge stands directly on the Canal du Midi. Its actual name is Pont Saint-Joseph, but it is best known as the “Pont des Trois Yeux” – Bridge of the Three Eyes. 🇫🇷 The name is immediately explained upon closer inspection: the bridge has three arches. The large central arch allowed boats to pass, while the two smaller openings served the water or the towing path at the time. The history of towing is particularly interesting: Before motorboats navigated the canal, the barges were primarily pulled by horses from the bank. 🐴 At many bridges, the tow rope had to be detached and reattached on the other side – such structures today still beautifully illustrate how shipping on the Canal du Midi worked in the past. Another special feature are the overflows on both sides of the bridge, through which excess water could be drained. Not a huge sight, but exactly one of those small historical structures that make a bike tour along the Canal du Midi so interesting. 🚲👌🏼 Greetings Marcus ✌🏼

The coastline between Sète and Marseillan-Plage, called the Lido, is a sandy strip of about 12 kilometers separating the Mediterranean Sea from the Thau lagoon. La Voie Verte du Lido: A 12 km long secure track reserved for cyclists and pedestrians, built on a former section of road moved to combat erosion.