The best traffic-free bike rides around Gabarnac

Lively small market town, with an arcaded market square

Majestic in its size and appearance, the Loubens mill is one of the most remarkable in the Entre-deux-Mers region. Its installation seems to date back to the 11th century. A square, medieval tower, built on an island, bears similarities to the Bagas mill located 2 km downstream. It includes three sets of millstones still in place. However, it is not a fortified building; it is a weir mill. To the north construction, a bridge with a double row of arches was added in the 18th century, containing two more pairs of millstones and a fulling mill (a machine used not for grinding grain, but for fulling textiles. These mills were often called "beating mills"). This southern part of the mill earned it the name "little Chenonceau". The mill has been classified as a Historic Monument since 2000.

Beautiful view of the ivy-covered mill.

Budos Castle is the work of Raymond Guilhem de Budos, nephew of Pope Clement V. Largely supported by his uncle, he rebuilt the old family castle in 1306, adopting the architectural features of the neighboring Château de Villandraut, as evidenced by the following document from King Edward I, written from Wynten on March 9, 1306, to the Seneschal of Gascony[4]: "The Knight of Budos, nephew of Clement V, Sovereign Pontiff, has begged us to allow him to crenellate his house in Budos, to surround it with walls, towers, moats, and finally to fortify it. Out of respect for the Sovereign Pontiff, and because a fortress of this nature will protect not only our possessions in this part of Guienne, but also the subjects of the Pope's nephew, we grant the aforementioned Raymond permission to fortify his castle and we grant it to him, his heirs, and successors in perpetuity, and we undertake not to disturb him in any way in this possession." In 1422-23, the King of England took possession of the castle and placed Pons, Lord of Castillon, in charge. Around 1433, Henry VI granted the lands and the castle to the Duke of Gloucester. In 1446-47, Budos was given to Gaston IV of Foix-Béarn, Count of Foix, following the death of the Earl of Gloucester. After the conquest of Guyenne, the Budos family, which had supported the cause of France, regained possession of its lordships in Guyenne. Purchased from the Budos family by Raymond de La Roque in 1571, Budos Castle suffered a severe assault in 1652 during the Fronde Wars. Lasserre ransacked, pillaged, and burned its archives. The Budos lordship remained in the La Roque family until the Revolution, which nearly destroyed it. It was sold as national property and used as a quarry to build dikes on the Ciron. In 1841, the Gironde Historical Monuments Commission was informed of this by Léo Drouyn. In 1860, it became the property of Léon de Brivazac, son of Delphine Catherine de La Roque de Budos (born at the castle in 1789). Five descendants (including Savary de Beauregard) entrusted it to the Adichats association, which brings together young people to enhance and preserve what can be preserved. The castle was registered as a historic monument in 1988

Sauveterre-de-Guyenne is a bastide. A bastide is a type of French medieval town, founded in the 13th and 14th centuries, primarily in southwestern France. A bastide is characterized by a rectangular street pattern that divides the town into eight blocks around a central market square. The Treaty of Paris (1229) prohibited the building of walls around new towns. Many bastides were provided with some form of fortification, such as gates, after their founding to provide some protection during turbulent times. Most bastides had only local significance and did not develop into large towns. As a result, many bastides, such as that of Sauveterre-de-Guyenne, have been preserved in their original state.

A very nice view of the canal

Quiet cycle path along the canal

Using the power of moving water to drive a mill wheel is an ancient invention that dates back to pre-Christian times. Thanks to such a construction, human or animal muscle power could be easily replaced by a watercourse - natural or artificially created - in order to grind grain into corn, for example. There are essentially two different ways of driving watermills: Either the water simply hits the blades of the water wheel from below to set it in motion; or the water is guided above the wheel and falls onto the blades; this type of construction is more efficient due to natural gravity.