The best cycling routes around Montblanc

Vias-Plage stretches along five kilometers of fine sandy beaches. On the seafront, a pedestrian promenade, built behind the dunes, allows you to gain a little height over the Mediterranean. The large lettering « #LoveViasMéditerranée », installed on the headland facing the sea, has become an emblematic photo spot of the resort. Also enjoy the many bars, restaurants, and small shops that liven up the promenade.

In the heart of the historic center, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church, built of basalt stone, stands out with its Gothic architecture and its large rose window that dominates the facade.

⚓ 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 ✌🏼

🚵🏼‍♂️ VTT-FFC Béziers – Tour No. 7 Today we tackled Tour No. 7 "De Cers à Bourbaki". According to the VTT sign, 17 km and around 130 meters of altitude – officially classified as an easy, blue tour. So much for the theory. 😂 We had downloaded the GPS data directly from the VTT website. Unfortunately, the route doesn't seem to be maintained anymore. Quite at the beginning, we were supposed to turn left – but there was no path far and wide, instead, what felt like 100 tons of grapes. 🍇😂 So we continued and found a rideable path about 200 meters later. Later, the next question mark: GPS says left, the official VTT sign No. 7 says straight ahead. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️ Pulled the map larger and behold: Both somehow lead to the destination. Well then… 😂💪🏼 Lanscape-wise, the tour has a lot to offer: vineyards, wide gravel paths, narrow single trails, and really beautiful sections through the Mediterranean forests. 🌲🚵🏼‍♂️ In some places, it gets quite rocky and washed out – just right if you don't just want to ride on bike paths with your MTB. And then No. 7 actually led us back through a part of our now familiar "wild boar test track". 🐗😂 Five days after our last visit, it was surprisingly mostly rideable again. However, there is still plenty of room for improvement in trail maintenance. Fallen trees, deep washed-out gullies, and partially completely overgrown sections are currently part of it. At one point, we had to dismount and push for about 20 meters because there was simply no reasonable way through anymore. The best part: Right next to it was an asphalt road that led to the same starting point. 😂🤦🏼‍♂️ On the way, you also pass Béziers Aventure with its climbing park in the middle of the pine forest. Conclusion: A varied and quite fun MTB tour, but you shouldn't blindly rely on the downloaded GPS data at the moment. The signage and the actual route don't match everywhere. A bit of orientation, a sense of adventure, and improvisation if necessary are definitely part of Tour No. 7. 😎🚵🏼‍♂️ Greetings Marcus ✌🏼

The Canal du Midi was built between 1667 and 1681 and stretches for around 240 kilometers from Toulouse to the Étang de Thau. Since 1996, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage site. Over 340 years of history – and yet, it is sometimes the very simple moments by the water that remain the most memorable. 👌🏼 Greetings Marcus ✌🏼

🌅 Evening mood on the Canal du Midi When the sun slowly sets and its light reflects on the water of the Canal du Midi, the canal shows itself from a completely different side. Between the dark rows of trees, the calm water, and the low-lying sun, precisely that typical southern French atmosphere is created, for which you don't really need a grand viewpoint. 🇫🇷☀️ Greetings Marcus

Tours: There are currently two options: * 🍷 Visite Découverte – approx. 1 hour: 13th-century castle → wine cellar → barrel cellar → followed by a guided tasting of 3 wines. For two adults, this costs €15 together and you even get a bottle of wine as a gift. * 🍇🏰 Visite Immersive – approx. 2 hours: This would be my choice. 😎 This tour goes into more detail through the historic estate, to the 12th-century castle and chapel, through the vineyards, then through the wine cellars and barrel cellars, and finally, of course, to the guided wine tasting. For both of you together, €22, also including a bottle of wine.

A few interesting numbers and facts: * 🍇 over 455 hectares of cultivated area – the current French website mentions this size and 27 grape varieties. This definitely makes the operation one of the large wineries in the area. * 🌋 The vineyards are spread across three different terroirs: volcanic soils, gravelly-clay soils, and the so-called plain. This also explains why they can grow so many different grape varieties. * 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family business since 1905. Today, the whole thing runs under Preignes / Robert Vic. * 🏰 The estate itself is much older: the Domaine includes a 13th-century castle, which is protected as a French Monument Historique. It even includes a 12th-century Romanesque chapel. * 🍷 A fairly broad range is produced. On the website, you can find Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre, Alicante, and various cuvées, among others. Some of the better wines are aged for 8–10 months in barrique barrels. * 🌱 They are HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) certified, among other things, and are run as Vigneron Indépendant.