BOUCLE CYCLO N°28 - THE ROUTE DES MAS AND THE CANAL DE LUNEL

1

Start at the Pasino de la Grande Motte. Cross the Avenue de Montpellier at the traffic lights and take the pedestrian walkway on your right for 500m to the entrance of the cycle path.

2

Shortly after the bridge, there's an observatory offering views of the Canal du Rhône à Sète and the Etang de l'Or. Continue, and at the towpath, turn right. Follow the canal for 2.5 km. On your left, the cabanes du Roc are former fishermen's shelters, still inhabited today.

3

Pass under and over the D61 bridge to the traffic circle, where you turn right onto the D34E4. The next ten kilometers or so are spent on small roads, passing through market-garden areas. The tranquil atmosphere is reminiscent of the nearby Camargue. After this succession of small roads, you finally enter the village of Marsillargues and join the Avenue des Plane trees. Don't miss the magnificent Renaissance Château de Marsillargues and its Paul Pastre Museum. You then head up the Boulevard de la République, which is closed to car traffic, to join the greenway built on an old railroad line, amidst fruit trees and horses.

4

The greenway takes you into Lunel town center. Take the boulevard around the town center, but be careful as there are no cycle paths, or cross the center along the narrow streets to reach the Parc Jean Hugo. Behind the park, you'll see the arena, which has been completely renovated.

5

After 1 km along the N113 as you leave Lunel, fork left to reach Lunel-Viel via narrow streets. Before entering the village, you cross the Dardaillon-Est stream and immediately turn left to follow it on footpaths for around 2 km. This is a very pleasant section, surrounded by vineyards and fruit trees.

6

At Saint-Just, leave the banks of the stream and follow the road back towards Lunel on a track for 2 km. You arrive at the very beginning of the Lunel canal, which runs south to join the Rhône à Sète canal, and which you'll follow all the way... Over 10 km of pleasure, admiring the many birds and Camargue cows. The trail is easy to access, but can be tiring for the less experienced. The path runs alongside fishermen's and hunters' huts and their boats, a timeless atmosphere. You'll enjoy admirable views over the Etang de l'Or and the Pic Saint-Loup to the north.

7

At the end of the Lunel canal, take the greenway along the D61 before branching off onto the banks of the Rhône at Sète and retracing your steps in the center of La Grande Motte. This resort was imagined 50 years ago by architect-philosopher Jean Balladur as an ideal of mobility. Pedestrians and cyclists benefit from dedicated paths, often shaded, through gardens and pine forests and along the seafront. It's up to you to make the most of it!

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