The best traffic-free bike rides around Avène

Located in the Hauts Cantons of the Hérault, at the confluence of the Gravezon, Nize, and Dourdou rivers, Lunas is a charming village that combines history and a gentle way of life. Dominated by the Redondel rock, a former fortified site, it reveals pretty streets, a 17th-century castle, and the Saint-Pancrace church, whose origins date back to the 12th century. Don't miss the Notre-Dame-de-Nize chapel and its famous Fontaine des Yeux (Eyes Fountain), nestled in a peaceful natural setting.

The castle overlooks Pézènes-les-Mines from the upper part of the village. This castle is private, but its facades, roofs, and enclosure have been protected as historical monuments since 1981. Its history is ancient, but the ensemble we see today is the result of several construction and transformation campaigns. The Romanesque chapel, integrated into the castle, dates back to the 12th century. Its apse was later raised in the 14th century to take on a defensive function. The castle itself underwent significant alterations in the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Two gates were notably built into the enclosure in the 17th century. The defensive elements are still very legible: two gates with arrow slits controlled access to the courtyard and were once protected by a drawbridge. Two towers flank the ensemble, while the enclosure follows the natural irregularities of the terrain. The chapel also retains a rather remarkable detail: its door and some of its bays are decorated with basalt inlays, giving the building a discreet but original polychromy. Pézènes-les-Mines was not always the small village one might imagine today. Pézènes was the capital of a marquisate that grouped the communities of Pézènes, Montesquieu, and Valmascle. The castle was therefore at the heart of a larger seigneurial territory. Little-known information: A plan from 1800 shows that behind the castle stretched a long terrace of about 270 meters, arranged as a garden, promenade, and belvedere overlooking the Peyne valley.

The gaze is naturally drawn to this small rock that masks Valuzières. This formation testifies to an ancient geological history: the limestones formed in a Paleozoic sea before being deformed by tectonic movements and then gradually sculpted by erosion. This relief, more resistant than the neighboring terrains, has remained in outcrop.

The Saint-Martin quarry reveals another facet of the landscape around Brusque. Behind the reliefs and valleys that one crosses by bike lies a resource exploited by humans: limestone, extracted here in the form of aggregates used for public works and land development.

After Lauras, the D23 gradually gains height. Then, in the third bend, the view opens up to the Combalou which emerges, like a limestone tooth placed above the meadows of the causse. Massive, cut, almost sculptural, it dominates Roquefort-sur-Soulzon and marks the entrance to its mineral universe.

From the D8E13 bridge, the viewpoint offers a beautiful postcard of Avène and the Orb.

Behind its perfectly preserved ramparts lies an astonishing Templar heritage. Founded in the 12th century, the commandery of Saint-Eulalie-de-Cernon was a strategic center of the Order of the Temple on the Larzac. A remarkably preserved village!

This tiny and peaceful village, with a worldwide reputation for the benefits of its water, is a perfect location for hikers and gravel enthusiasts. You have many options of loops from there. Enjoy!