The best MTB trails around Pézenas

About 2.5 km east of Castelnau-de-Guers, in the heart of the pines, this small chapel preserves the memory of a place much older than itself. The site is attested as early as 1106 under the name Ecclesiam S. Nicholay de Talpussiac. Archaeological surveys carried out in 1992 also revealed nearby the remains of a rural settlement from late antiquity, testifying to an ancient occupation of the area. The current chapel, with an oblong plan, is much more recent: it was consecrated in 1819 and is now disused. It is located on the edge of the fishmonger's path (cami peissonier), an ancient route connecting the Étang de Thau area to Pézenas.

Singletrack to do on foot or by MTB, we go from ochre to white. Caution, it can get a bit slippery in very dry weather.

Caux is a superb place for cycling. The village is surrounded by small country roads ideal for quiet riding, with very little traffic. For mountain biking and gravel, there are also numerous dirt paths. All this in a superb landscape of vineyards and causse.

Caux is recognizable from afar by its church, whose bell tower can be seen. The vineyards surrounding the town make the landscape even more sublime.

Pézenas is not just about Molière, even though the playwright stayed there several times between 1650 and 1656 under the protection of the prince de Conti. The city was for a long time one of the most influential in Languedoc: the States of Languedoc met there regularly, and Louis XIII, Richelieu, or the prince de Conti stayed there. While strolling through the narrow streets, keep your eyes open: many doors still retain their original knockers and ironwork, testaments to the skill of Pézenas artisans. A tradition that is perpetuated today by the Musée de la Porte et de la Ferronnerie, unique in France. Finally, one last curiosity: the famous Maison de Molière should not be misleading. Despite its name, there is nothing to confirm that the playwright lived there. Local tradition rather holds that he liked to settle in the barber Gély's shop, where he observed the inhabitants and their foibles, a source of inspiration that is said to have fueled several of his future characters.

Built in the 12th century, the Saint-Gervais church accompanies the birth of the fortified village of Caux. From its promontory, it still dominates the medieval circular village, whose alleys are organized in circles around it. An often overlooked detail: the seigneurial castle once stood right next to the church. Destroyed in the 17th century, only a few remains integrated into neighboring houses still exist today.

Perched on a promontory overlooking the Hérault valley, the Saint-Antoine hermitage seems out of time. Mentioned as early as the 17th century, this secluded place once welcomed hermits seeking isolation and spiritual life in the heart of the garrigue. Today in ruins, the chapel and its remains still tell of this austere life focused on contemplation and the surrounding landscapes.

A remarkable geological site, worthy of the fairy legend! The rock that constitutes it is a sandstone (detrital rock) with a carbonate cement and not a limestone. Differential erosion has shaped this landscape into natural basins.