Mont-de-Marsan is famous for its flamenco festival and its Madeleine festivities.

The site of its old port, at the confluence of the Midou and the Douze – which together form the Midouze – features charming ‘cales’, narrow streets in the old town that once served as gently sloping ramps for launching boats.

Its many green spaces, such as Jean-Rameau Park, are home to fine specimens of palm trees and magnolias, a testament to the mild climate.

The official Scandibérique route takes you to Tartas, on the banks of the Midouze, via an easy, wooded stretch through the Landes region.

The association offers an alternative route for exploring Saint-Sever.

A former port on the Midouze, Tartas is a village in the Landes region boasting many old houses. The most notable is the house known as Jeanne d’Albret’s, named after the mother of Henry IV.
Visitors can enjoy all kinds of hiking in the surrounding woodland or canoeing along the river.
As well as the local culinary specialities (foie gras, duck breast, Landes pastis, etc.), during local festivals you can enjoy traditional entertainment such as dancing on stilts or Landes-style bull-running, with a scarf around your neck and a smile on your face!

The most popular spa resort in France, Dax has been renowned since Roman times for its water, which flows at 62°C, and above all for its mud-based spa treatments!

You can wander through its narrow pedestrianised streets, or through the parks and along the banks of the Adour in search of a bit of cool air. Dax is also very lively (and tipsy!) when the 15 August festivities roll around!

The Scandibérique route leaves Dax via Saint-Paul-lès-Dax before reaching the Adour valley, heading towards the village of Saubusse.

CycloTranseurope offers a southern route.

From Saint-Jean-de-Marsacq, the route winds along the banks of the Adour, lined with flood-prone wet meadows known as ‘barthes’ and designated as a Natura 2000 site. These are home to remarkable species such as the otter and the European pond turtle, a small freshwater turtle.

Urt, a former fishing village with a distinctly Basque atmosphere, featuring a pelota court and a white church, was Roland Barthes’ adopted home.

In Guîtres, there is a link to the Isle Valley Cycle Route – Mussidan,  Périgueux,  Trélissac. A complete change of scenery is guaranteed when you board a late 19th-century train, steam or diesel locomotive, travelling at the same speed as a bicycle, 14 km/h.

From Saint-Denis-de-Pile, the vineyard landscapes become more extensive. The route leads to the village of Lalande-de-Pomerol with its prestigious appellation, to Libourne, a former port town situated at the confluence of the Isle and the Dordogne, and then to the famous vineyards of Saint-Emilion.

The very popular medieval town of Saint-Emilion is best explored on foot due to its narrow, steep streets (tertres) and stair-like streets (escalettes).

This stage, with its wine-growing atmosphere, leads to the banks of the Dordogne, which you cross at Branne, then gently climbs  the hillsides to the Roger Lapédie greenway, built on a former railway line, passes close to the remarkable ruins of the Abbey of La Sauve-Majeur and then reaches the Créon cycle station.

Don’t miss the “Ouvre la voix” cycling and music festival in early September: a bike ride along the greenway, musical entertainment and concerts.

The Entre-deux-mers region, bordered to the north by the Dordogne and to the south by the Garonne, is renowned for its wine-growing heritage and its medieval bastides, characterised by their square town squares surrounded by arcades.

From the bastide of Créon to Latresne, the greenway winds its way through the shady Pimpine valley, where the bistro of the same name in Lignan-de-Bordeaux invites you to stop for a pleasant break. It then runs alongside the Garonne, lined with beautiful mansions and fishing huts, which it crosses via the oldest bridge in Bordeaux, the Pont de Pierre.

It’s a real pleasure to explore Bordeaux by bike: the wide quayside promenades, the playful and enchanting Miroir d’Eau, the Cité du Vin, the narrow streets of the Saint-Pierre district, and the many buildings listed as historic monuments.

The route leads to Bègles,  a town undergoing rapid urban change. It runs alongside the Eau Bourde valley as far as Gradignan, where the Priory of Cayac once again welcomes pilgrims on the Way of St James, then winds its way through the heart of the renowned Pessac-Léognan vineyards.

Confolens, situated at the confluence of the Vienne and Goire rivers, is an ancient medieval town, as evidenced by the Pont-Vieux and its half-timbered houses, and comes alive every summer with its dance and music festival.

In Manot, don’t miss the carved capitals on the portal of Saint-Martial Church.

Since the late 19th century, thanks to a large clay deposit, a brickworks has been established in Roumazières-Loubert. This brick-making town is home to distinctive architectural features: ridge cocks, bricklayers’ huts, gables…
On the edge of the Charente Limousine region, the route winds its way through forests and meadows amidst lush, unspoilt countryside. You pass through just one village, Genouillac, and numerous hamlets. It is therefore advisable to bring your own provisions.

To explore this stage is to open a history book: the imposing Lorraine cross at the Resistance Memorial in Chasseneuil-sur-Bonnieure, the Château de la Rochefoucauld—which has been remodelled over the centuries, from a simple keep to Italian-style galleries— the restored Forge mill, which produces flour, and the Pierre mill, capable of sawing through enormous blocks of limestone, then on to Vilhonneur and the prehistoric caves of Le Placard, engraved with enigmatic symbols.

The Coulée de l’Oc greenway, built on the former Angoulême–Nontron railway line, runs from Chazelles to the village of La Brouterie.

In Chazelles, La Flow Vélo – V92 is merging with Eurovéo 3. The craft brewery ‘La Rainette’, housed in a former mill, makes for a lovely stop on the banks of the Bandiat.

The route passes close to the natural site of the Touvre springs and their remarkable resurgences.

The Scandibérique route is hilly, with a few steep climbs.
Well signposted, it winds its way towards the lakes of the Haute-Charente, a guaranteed change of scenery.
As far as Eymouthiers, it follows quiet country roads. It joins the “Coulée de l’Oc” greenway and makes a diversion north ofAngoulême via the Saint-Yrieix lake.