The best MTB trails around Mèze

The greenway runs here on a narrow strip of land between the étang de la Moulière to the north and the Crique de l’Angle to the south. The latter is a natural cove located at the eastern end of the étang de Thau, where the fresh waters of the Vène meet the brackish waters of the lagoon. This wetland, classified as Natura 2000, is home to many water birds in particular.

At the Plan de Lacan, at the crossroads of several Gardiole trails, these cisterns intended for forest fire defense have been transformed into true works of street art as part of the Cit’Art project, led by the Department of Hérault. Since 2017, twelve cisterns in the massif have thus served as canvases for the creations of several artists from the Line Up collective.

From La Catonnière, the view plunges over the étang de Thau and its immense checkerboard of shellfish tables. These regular alignments are the breeding facilities where the lagoon's oysters and mussels are produced. Bouzigues holds a special place in this history: in 1925, Antoine Louis Tudesq and other Bouzigues oyster farmers developed the "Pyramid" technique, which contributed to the development of shellfish farming in the étang. The panorama thus allows us to read the landscape differently: behind this vast expanse of water lies a true production space, shaped for over a century by the work of the "sea peasants".

The greenway runs here on a narrow strip of land between the Étang de la Moulière and the Crique de l’Angle. To the south, the view opens up beyond the Crique de l’Angle over the Étang de Thau, then over Sète, dominated by the silhouette of Mont Saint-Clair (183 m).

This sector offers a climb on a limestone ground characteristic of the massif. The view opens up magnificently over the Thau lagoon and its shellfish farming tables. On a clear day, you can also enjoy a panorama of the Combe de Saint-Félix and the ruins of the ancient Benedictine abbey of Saint-Félix-de-Montceau.

Montagnac is distinguished by the presence of numerous remarkable buildings from the golden age of wine in the late 19th century: functional houses known as "vigneronnes", manor houses, urban estates, and wine-growing districts. Furthermore, its status as a city of royal fairs from the 12th century to the Revolution allowed it to endow its historic center with magnificent private mansions such as the Hôtel de Paul de Brignac, the king's representative, which houses a magnificent French painted ceiling.

⚓ 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 ✌🏼

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.