The best road cycling routes around Montpellier

From the greenway, your gaze plunges onto the Thau pond and its immense checkerboard of shellfish farming tables. These regular alignments are the farming facilities where the lagoon's oysters and mussels are produced. Bouzigues holds a special place in this story: in 1925, Antoine Louis Tudesq and other Bouzigues oyster farmers developed the "Pyramid" technique, which contributed to the development of shellfish farming in the pond.

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 Natura 2000, hosts numerous water birds in particular.

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".

🏰 Redoute du Castellas – old watchtower by the Lido Directly by the Lido between Sète and Marseillan-Plage, standing somewhat lost among dunes and pine trees, is the Redoute du Castellas. The small stone defensive tower was used for monitoring and defending the coast – the approach of possible attackers was to be detected early from here. The tower has three levels. The lower area presumably housed a storage room, with the actual defensive areas featuring embrasures above. The upper floors were accessible via ladders, which could be removed in an emergency. The exact dating is interesting: various sources attribute the tower to the 16th or 18th century. What is certain, however, is that the Redoute has been protected as a Monument Historique since November 6, 1939. Today, the massive little tower between the beach, dunes, and cycle path seems a little unusual – at the same time, it serves as a reminder that this seemingly peaceful stretch of coast was also once militarily monitored. 🇫🇷 Anyone cycling along the Lido will practically pass right by it. 🚲👌🏼 Greetings Marcus ✌🏼

The Pumptrack in Sète is a modern, free and open-access skatepark, located by the sea on the Promenade du Lido (opposite beach 23).

Three-story tower. The lowest level probably housed the provisions store. The upper level was accessible by means of a ladder and is lit by two loopholes on each side. It is covered by a barrel vault pierced in the center by a lunette. The ladder that served to reach the first floor could, once removed, be used to get to the upper platform, the second level of defense with a machicolated turret on each face, loopholes in each re-entrant angle and one facing forward. The towers on the coast may have replaced older watch posts.

The coastline between Sète and Marseillan-Plage, called the Lido, is a sandy strip of about 12 kilometers separating the Mediterranean Sea from the Thau lagoon. La Voie Verte du Lido: A 12 km long secure track reserved for cyclists and pedestrians, built on a former section of road moved to combat erosion.

The coastline between Sète and Marseillan-Plage, called the Lido, is a sandy spit of about 12 kilometers separating the Mediterranean Sea from the étang de Thau. La Voie Verte du Lido: A secure 12 km track reserved for bicycles and pedestrians, built on a former section of road moved to combat erosion.