Les etangs de la Malhaute, Thezan-les-Beziers. A walk along the river Orb in the Languedoc .

Les etangs de la Malhaute, Thezan-les-Beziers. (Blue walk is 4km very easy 1H15)Our walk 6km using part of the blue walk and continuing along the river to join the walk at its turn around point. 2H.  

A lovely gentle walk starting at Canteranes, in the little parking area.Lots of butterflies, birds sound like a tropical forest there and lovely wild flowers. On the walk you pass an old cross, the domaine of Aspiran de Ravanes, of visigoth origin and very old chapel. Lovely views up to the Caroux, Avant Monts and the villages on the hills around. 

The blue walk goes in the opposite direction but this is what we did. At the walk sign turn around and walk down into the trees towards the little marshy lakes, they were made from old gavel quarries and are frequented by lots of happy fishermen. 

The birdsong is wonderful here and it's cool under the trees. The little path winds through the ponds, to the river. Turn left at the river away from the walk (4 on the map) and follow the river around until you come to a barrage. 

At the barrage turn right onto a small track that then turns left onto a little road and bares left onto another small track a little further. Turn right onto a track beside vineyards and this turn reaches a junction were you take the little road in the middle. 

Walk up here until you reach the second right turn onto a small track leading to the domaine of Aspiran. Continue past the houses and bare left at the second house. The chapel is in the trees here.Turn right onto the track, there is an old cross here. 

Walk about 2km down the track which turns into a little road after a while. It's all wheat fields and vineyards here, horses too. Then right to the cars.  

Vignes et patrimoine Saint-Genies-de-Fontedit. A walk through the vineyards in the Languedoc.

Vignes et patrimoine Saint-Genies-de-Fontedit. 14km/ 4H40 (we did 6.5km/ 2H.30 with a little picnic stop).Blue markers and well-marked out. A cycle route too.  

Park in the village behind the school and walk into the centre turning right and at the first right turn There is a cross here in the middle of the road (rue des Salleles). 

Walk down this little road past the houses and another cross where the road turns into a track at a right turn (water reservoir). The track although a little climb has lovely views up here of the village and the beautiful snow covered Pyrenees in the distance. 

Turn left onto another track with pretty flowers beside the track and almond trees too. You will soon see a marker for another left turn, with a little stone house to the right of you before you reach the road (D16). 

Turn right onto the road and walk about very short distance up the road before turning left onto a small track. The fields of wheat here were full of red poppies and looked wonderful against the blue sky. We picnicked beside the vines under the tree and enjoyed the lovely views, birds and the odd bee while life drifted by. But the sun was getting hotter so on we went.  

The track continues between more vines before turning left and quickly right. Now done another track to a left turn and a right just before a house onto a path.There are views of the ruined windmill up here.  At the bottom take a left around a corner, beside a field of vines. 

You are in a little valley here and the views of the hills (Avant Monts and those to the west are really pretty). The track is stony here and descends to come close to a bridge. Bare left and join the D154E3. After a while you will see markers for the route turning to the right where you can visit the chapelle saint Fulcran but it was too hot and my foot had had quite enough for one day. 

So we decided that we would keep the rest of this lovely walk for another day. I think the rest of the route will be around 7.30Km and goes around the fields in the lower part of the village. 

We stayed on the road into the centre with lovely views of the churches little green roof, shinning in the hot afternoon sunshine and headed for the coolness of the little streets. Lots of pretty streets on the route and the village appeared to have a good shop and at least one pizza restaurant. 

Oppidum d'Enserune, the old pond Montady, a beautiful walk in the Languedoc.

Oppidum d'Enserune, the old pond Montady. 8.5km (We did about 10km, but we did a bit more in the middle of the walk and went up to the view point on the ridge after the main walk). 3H yellow markers, easy. The walk is easy to follow and it's well marked. Park at the car park at Malpas. There is a lovely cafe there with lots of outdoor seating and plenty of parking. 

Turn right out of the car park and walk to the bridge. Turn right here and walk down the little road keeping the canal to your right. Soon you will see a little road to your left. Take this and you cross a unused railway track.

This small road goes under the hill with lovely views over the fields of vines, wheat and barley.This whole road and its fields were just like Monet pictures, ablaze with poppies in swaying barley fields.

After a few km you will come to a left turn under the old railway bridge and continue up the slope to reach a group of pretty buildings at Soustre.

The track bares right through the buildings and then left up the hill. Now the track bares right around a lovely olive grove, continue along this ridge to the end. Here the views are just breathtakingly beautiful, all the way up to the Caroux and the Espinouse with little villages sat upon hills and church towers atop them. 

The path with yellow markers goes left now up through vineyards, but we continued around the ridge past a greenhouse to enjoy our picnic under beautiful almond trees and a carpet of wild flowers. The scenery on this side is to the south and goes all the way down to the coast and the Pyrenees with its snow-capped mountains.

The path bares to the right and goes down a little track with lovely barley fields and cactus. Finally the track bares right and goes between the buildings of some beautiful golden coloured buildings next to the canal du midi.

Cross the lovely bridge and turn left to walk along the tow path. Sadly the promised shade of plane trees beside the water was not to be found as they appeared to have been recently felled. The walk along this part of the canal is therefore quite exposed but its level and quite soon you come to the entrance of le Malpas tunnel. 

If you want to go through the tunnel you need to cross to the other side and go down the steep steps to the little path that runs within the tunnel, after this go up the slope and turn left to return to the car park. (If you prefer to return to the car park continue a little further and you will come to it). You can now either enjoy refreshments at the welcome cultural centre or go up the hill to the panorama viewing area were you will find a small museum at the top. 

There is a hill fort here with traces of an Iberian-Greek settlement and a crematorium dating from the 4C and 3C BC. The museum contains artefacts of daily life from the ancient city and those used for cremation and offerings. The settlement began in the 6C BC where mud huts were found clustered around the hill fort. 

The Romans arrived in 118 BC and installed a sewage system, laid paving stones and plastered and painted walls. The hill fort was abondoned in the 1C AD when people settled the plains. Enjoy this most lovely walk with its peaceful and stupendous views.

Les Pigeonniers, Murviel-les-Beziers a very pretty ramble in the Languedoc.

Les Pigeonniers, Murviel-les-Beziers. 9.5km, 2H.30 yellow markers, Easy. A most lovely country ramble through vineyards, olive groves, forest of pine and oak and fields of wheat and rolling barley. The beautiful loop uses little dirt roads and stone sided tracks.

The views are are simple and beautiful, carpets of flowers and fields edged with red poppies, orchids, cistus and blue borage. The back drop is that of the Caroux and Espinouse peeking over near the mountains that back Causses-et-Veyran. Popping up at every corner is a little pigeon lofts dating back to the Middle Ages. 

The pretty village of Murviel-les-Beziers sits peaceful under Pech Belet, with its lovely church at its centre.  And then there are the poppies themselves at the moment. Worth a visit in themselves.

It's difficult to remember all the twists and turns of this walk there were so many, so I'm not going to go into too much detail. The walk is so well covered by yellow markers that it is in fact quite unnecessary.

Park just behind the little camping site on the D36 as you enter the village from the west. There you will find a sign for the walk and the first yellow marker instructing you to turn left and walk up a small tarmacked track. You will see the first of the tall pigeon lofts on a hill in front of you. The track bares to the right and crosses a stream. Here you are walking through beautiful vineyards, at the end of this track you will pass the first pigeon loft (Vernes) where you turn left and walk to the top of the hill.

 Turn right passing the second loft that you had viewed earlier. The walk twists along little tracks, always with good signs until you reach a large pink house with Out buildings at the top of a rise (Le Ministre). The path goes straight past the barn and then turns left before taking a right turn. (Be careful here as it's the upper, middle track that you take). 

Keep on the route with beautiful views of the Caroux now. The track bares right a couple of times before reaching another tarmacked track. Turn right onto this and follow it for sometime.Keep straight on until you come to a ruin.

 Now take a little path through low bushes to join a small track. Turn left onto this and then turns right before crossing the river on small steeping stones. At a sharp left turn the route double back along a track to meet another sharp right at the end of it. 

This path goes up hill with beautiful views at the top. You now head towards the village once again and pass a lovely olive orchard on your right.

 Lovely views of the village here. The track turns right once again and then sharp left at some tatty buildings. A few more small twists and you are back at the car parking area. Enjoy.