The best MTB trails around Montady

From the Ensérune plateau, the landscape opens widely onto the Montady plain and its Green Sun. This site was not chosen by chance: the oppidum occupied a dominant strategic position, both for monitoring traffic routes and for enjoying exceptional visibility to the distant reliefs. In clear weather, one understands here why this promontory has been occupied since Antiquity: it offers natural control over the entire surrounding basin.

The Saint Roch footbridge, inaugurated in 2016 in Sérignan, is the first structure to cross the Orb river since the construction of the old metal bridge at the very beginning of the 20th century. It was also the only access road to the village and the beaches. But the width of the roadway and the sidewalks made circulation dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians. The footbridge, 80 m long and 3.50 m wide, is reserved for them, as well as for people with reduced mobility. Crossing the Orb via the Saint Roch footbridge, lingering to watch the currents rush downstream, enjoying the view of Sérignan and the collegiate church, the wild banks of the Orb, is another way to enter Sérignan.

The Saint Roch footbridge, inaugurated in 2016 in Sérignan, is the first structure to cross the Orb river since the construction of the old metal bridge at the very beginning of the 20th century. It was, moreover, the only access road to the village and the beaches. But the width of the roadway and the sidewalks made circulation dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians. The footbridge, 80 m long and 3.50 m wide, is on the contrary reserved for them, as well as for people with reduced mobility. Crossing the Orb via the Saint Roch footbridge, lingering to watch the currents rush downstream, enjoying the view of Sérignan and the collegiate church, the wild banks of the Orb, constitutes another way of entering Sérignan.

The Montady pond is a former pond, drained during the Middle Ages, located in the western part of the French department of Hérault, between Béziers and Narbonne. Thanks to drainage canals, the water is channeled towards a central collector, which explains the star-shaped layout of the fields and vineyards. This canal system dates back to the 13th century. Sixty drainage ditches converge at the circular ditch, called the Redondel, in the center of the former pond. The water is then carried away by a counter-sloping ditch towards the Capestang pond and through a tunnel under the Ensérune hill and the Malpas tunnel. The tunnel is located at a depth of 29.5 meters below the Malpas pass and 16 meters below the Canal du Midi tunnel. The pond is visible from the Montady tower, a remnant of the former 12th-century castle, and from the top of the hill, the Ensérune oppidum. Heavy rainfall, like that at the end of October 2019, can cause it to reappear. (Wikipedia)

An ideal footbridge for crossing the Orb by bike or on foot. Much more pleasant than the busy road bridge.

With its tree-lined squares, fountains, and narrow streets, Capestang is a lively village with a typical Mediterranean atmosphere. The village is located just twenty kilometers from the sea. Who would suspect, passing through, that its fate was long linked to the harvesting of sea salt? Indeed, the pond that gave it its name, "Lou Cap de l'estang" (meaning "the head of the pond"), brought wealth to the town around the 14th century. Largely dried up today, it is reborn with the rains and floods, creating a protected wetland landscape classified as a Natura 2000 site, where various species of birds and flamingos come to nest. Thanks to its salt marshes, its fertile land, and its geographical location at the crossroads of trade routes, Capestang experienced its golden age in the Middle Ages. From this rich historical past remain unique monuments that make Capestang such a singular city, where life is good.

First possibility to cross the Orb from its mouth (the small ferry at Valras-Plage is only in operation during the summer season).

Here you can get right onto the river. Canoes 🛶 and SUPs are available for rent.