The best traffic-free bike rides around Servian

The Étang de Thau is the largest lagoon in Occitania and a species-rich inland sea, separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow sandbank. The waters are the center of South French oyster farming, whose hanging mussel beds shape the landscape. As a nautical hub, the lagoon also connects the famous Canal du Midi with the Canal du Rhône à Sète. Along the shore, charming towns line up, such as the fishing town of Sète, the vermouth town of Marseillan, and the oyster towns of Bouzigues and Mèze, which can be perfectly explored via the 53-kilometer-long cycling route around the basin.

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 superb strip of compact earth, by the water, makes for very fast and rolling gravel terrain for trail running, and is very pleasant for walking. Stop by the water to observe the little birds hiding in the shore bushes.

The Grande Maïre educational trail allows you to enjoy this vast wetland. You will see flamingos and other wading birds, which come to take advantage of the richness of the soil to feed.

⚓ Écluse du Bagnas – one of the last locks on the Canal du Midi The Écluse du Bagnas is located near Agde at the eastern end of the Canal du Midi. It was built around 1676 and is therefore one of the historic locks from the canal's early days. 📍 Canal kilometer: approx. 235.3 km from Toulouse ⚙️ Type: single lock with one chamber 🌊 Altitude: only about 2 meters above sea level 🚤 Distance to Les Onglous / Étang de Thau: only just under 5 km Historically, the lock chambers here were about 30 meters long and 6 meters wide at the gates. The eastern section of the Canal du Midi was later modernized for larger ships; today, the usable lock dimensions in this area are around 40.6 × 5.85 meters. Its location is particularly interesting: the Bagnas lock is situated in the middle of a wetland and separates different water areas here. Behind it, you are practically on the final straight of the Canal du Midi – via Les Onglous, the canal flows into the Étang de Thau, and from there, there is the connection towards Sète and the Mediterranean Sea. 🌊🇫🇷 After more than 235 kilometers of canal route, you have almost reached the Mediterranean Sea here – a small but historically interesting structure at the end of the Canal du Midi. 🚲👌🏼 Greetings Marcus ✌🏼

This is a trail like many hundreds of kilometers around here 😉 Greetings Marcus

Built around 1676, the Bagnas lock is a simple lock on the Canal du Midi, located between Agde and the Étang de Thau. It is one of the last structures on the canal before its outlet at Les Onglous, where the canal joins the lagoon. In the immediate vicinity of Bagnas, a vast coastal wetland, the lock is also associated with a spillway intended to drain excess water.

Les Quais de Basalte: Developed in the 17th century in the heart of the historic center of Agde, these volcanic stone quays bear witness to the commune's rich maritime trading past.