Leave the Canal d’Orléans for a stop at the Etang de la Vallée. Just 2 km from the centre of Combreux and 1 km from the canal.
The leisure centre has a beach, so you can go for a swim there.
Refreshments and fast food available in summer. Campsite nearby.
< Combreux
Etang de la Vallée >
Link route recommended by CTE
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 rivers, which join to 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 route proposed by CycloTransEurope takes in Saint-Sever, a key stop on the Way of St James, and the Marsan region.
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< Mont-de-Marsan
Saint-Sever >
Alternative itinerary, recommended by CTE
Itinerary Tab :
CycloTransEurope also offers an alternative route (unmarked) via Saint-Sever, creating a loop through the hills of the Chalosse, an agricultural region crossed by a rustic greenway built on the right-of-way of a former railway line. This alternative allows cyclists staying in the Landes to take a loop via Dax and Mont-de-Marsan, discovering two very different types of landscape.
To get to Saint-Sever from Mont-de-Marsan station, take the D933S (Rue de Saint-Sever) until you reach Boulevard Brémontier on the right. Go under the railway line and then turn left onto Avenue C.-Brettes. Leave the town of Mont via the D390, which leads to Haut-Mauco. Take the D404 to the hamlet of Poutchon and follow the Route du Bas-Mauco to the left, then take the roads to Léseyres and Pératge. At Péré, cross the Adour to enter Saint-Sever on the left bank.
Alternative to the stage « Mont-de-Marsan – Saint-Sever »
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 5 km longer route with a smoother surface which, despite a few steep climbs, offers stunning views of the surrounding hills.
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< Vianne
Mézin >
Alternative itinerary, recommended by CTE
Alternative to the stage « Vianne – Fréchou -Mézin »
This stage offers some lovely opportunities for rest and exploration : a stroll along the banks of the Baïse in Lavardac, a fortified mill on the banks of the Gélise in Barbaste, an old dam bridge over the Osse in Fréchou and an insight into the history of the industry that developed around cork oak harvesting at the Cork and Cork Stopper Museum in Mézin.
From Cauderoue, there are two options : either a route through the Landes forest along well-shaded paths, or another route through the Gascony countryside along small roads.
In Barbaste, connection with the Baïse Valley Cycle Route, -V82.
This route, rural and on small shared roads after Poitiers, follows the V94 cycle route, which will eventually link La Rochelle to Le Blanc, in the Brenne region.
To really appreciate Chauvigny, park your bike and make your way up to the medieval town via the steep, narrow streets. The site is exceptional : the Château d’Harcourt (13th century), the ruins of the Château des Evêques, the superb view from the terrace of the Gouzon keep, and the Saint-Pierre collegiate church, a marvel of Romanesque art.
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< Poitiers
Chauvigny >
Alternative itinerary, recommended by CTE
In Valvidienne, a trip to the charming village of Morthemer is highly recommended : the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame, the castle, and the Dive pond.
In Civaux, the route passes by the nuclear power station, leads to the Planète Crocodile and then to the imposing Merovingian necropolis.
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< Chauvigny
Lussac-les-Châteaux >
Itinerary Eurovelo3, recommended by CTE
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!
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< Tartas
Dax >
Itinerary Eurovelo3, recommended by CTE
Alternative to the stage « Tartas – Dax »
Following this loop between Mont-de-Marsan and Dax, which forms an unofficial alternative route to the Scandibérique (EuroVelo 3), you’ll pass through the Chalosse hills.
A charming bastide overlooking this rural landscape, Monfort-en-Chalosse lies at the heart of a maize-growing region where the crop has been cultivated since the 17th century, long before its modern expansion.
You continue your walk towards Dax, whose renowned spa attracts many visitors seeking treatment, following the greenway to Hinx and then along the banks of the Adour. You can take a detour via Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, home to the house of the famous chaplain to King Louis XIII.
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.
good
easy
< Mont-de-Marsan
Tartas >
Itinerary Eurovelo3, recommended by CTE
Itinerary Tab :
Alternative to the stage « Mont-de-Marsan – Tartas »
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 rivers, which join to 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 route proposed by CycloTransEurope takes in Saint-Sever, a key stop on the Way of St James, and the Marsan region.
At Le Nizan Gare, there are two routes available:
You cycle along a lovely greenway through pine trees, surrounded by the scent of pine resin, heather and the Gironde countryside.
Be sure to visit the Roquetaillade site, 3 km from the course – there are a few hills, but it’s well worth the detour! The medieval castle and the newer castle, the chapel and the grounds.
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<
>
Itinerary Eurovelo3, recommended by CTE
Information Tab :
Mustsee Tab :
Saint-Léger de Balson : 12th–16th-century church, Saint-Clair fountain
Villandraut : the castle – a 14th-century fortified palace, and the 19th-century Church of St Martin.
Uzeste : the Collegiate Church of Uzeste (the tomb of Clement), old houses dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, the Amusicien l’Estaminet theatre (performance venue, home to the Cie Lubat, and host to jazz and improvised music festivals)
Mazères : the fortified castle of La Roquetaillade (the “old castle” from the 11th–13th centuries and the “new castle” from the 14th–19th centuries, the chapel, restored by Viollet-le-Duc, the farmstead and the vineyard)
Nearby :
Roaillan : St Louis Church, 15th–19th centuries
Mazères : the fortified castle of La Roquetaillade (the “old castle” (11th–13th centuries) and the “new castle” (14th–19th centuries), the chapel, restored by Viollet-le-Duc, the farmstead and the vineyard)
Markets : St-Symphorien on Wednesday mornings, Villandraut on Thursday mornings
Alternative to the stage « Saint-Symphorien – Langon »
The route is full of tourist attractions: paddle down the Ciron in Villandraut, admire the collegiate church in Uzeste or take a detour through the vineyards of Sauternes.
In Bazas, there is a link to the Tour de Gironde cycle route, which leads to the Canal de la Garonne and then on to La Réole. Click on “link lanes”.
In the Landes de Gascogne Regional Nature Park, the Hostens nature reserve offers swimming, water sports and nature walks to explore the rich ecology of its ponds, wet heathlands, peat bogs and oak forests… The pine forest, weakened by fires, borders this beautiful cycle path which runs towards Saint-Symphorien via Le Tuzan.
From Hostens, you can reach the Arcachon Bay by taking the cycle path towards Mios.
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< Hostens
Saint-Symphorien >
Itinerary Eurovelo3, recommended by CTE
Mustsee Tab :
Market: Hostens Sunday morning
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.
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< Bordeaux
La Brède >
Itinerary Eurovelo3, recommended by CTE
