The best MTB trails around Colombiers

⚓ Écluse d’Arièges – Lock on the Canal du Midi The Écluse d’Arièges is another of the historic locks on the Canal du Midi, located between Villeneuve-lès-Béziers and Portiragnes. 🚲🌿 Here too, the difference in the canal's water level is compensated so that boats can continue their journey. Particularly interesting is the typical lock chamber with its massive stone walls and the now blue-painted, mechanized lock gates. 🚤 Anyone cycling along the Canal du Midi will repeatedly pass such locks. This is precisely what makes the route so interesting: you don't just ride along the water, but constantly encounter historic structures that still serve their original purpose today. A beautiful stopover on the way through the landscape between Béziers and Vias – and if a boat is currently being locked through, a short break is worthwhile anyway. 😊👌🏼 Greetings Marcus ✌🏼

⚓ Écluse de Villeneuve – Lock on the Canal du Midi The lock at Villeneuve-lès-Béziers is one of the many historical points along the Canal du Midi and a nice stopover on a bike tour along the canal. 🚲🌿 Here you can observe well how the boats overcome the difference in altitude in the canal. Close the lock gate, change the water level, and the houseboats and leisure boats continue on the Canal du Midi. 🚤 It is precisely these old locks that, for me, are part of the special charm of the canal. You cycle relaxed along the water and repeatedly encounter structures that, to this day, ensure that the Canal du Midi, which was already built in the 17th century, is still navigable. A nice place to briefly get off your bike and watch the lock operations. 👌🏼 Greetings Marcus ✌🏼

The pond is home to the most important Mediterranean reed bed, as well as sansouires and salt marshes. It is a Natura 2000 site and protected by the Conservatoire du littoral, serving as a refuge for numerous migratory birds.

The pond is home to the largest reed bed in the Mediterranean, as well as salt marshes and salt meadows. It is a Natura 2000 site and protected by the Conservatoire du littoral, serving as a refuge for numerous migratory birds.

At the place called « Le Malpas » (bad passage in Occitan), the Canal du Midi crosses a hill separating the valleys of the Aude and the Orb. The importance of the relief led Pierre-Paul Riquet to dig a 160 m long tunnel for the canal to pass through. It is the oldest navigation tunnel in Europe. Carried out in 1679-1680, this construction site is one of the most emblematic of Riquet's undertaking.

In the heart of the Grand site d'Occitanie, Colombiers invites you for a peaceful stopover on the banks of the Canal du Midi, at its charming bucolic river port.

The Canal du Midi, formerly Canal Royal, is a 17th-century technical feat designed by Pierre-Paul Riquet to connect the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. Today, it is above all a place for relaxation and discovery, where heritage, nature, and conviviality blend together.

It is located in the commune of Villeneuve-lès-Béziers in the department of Hérault in the Occitanie region.