The best MTB trails around Larressingle

This beautiful Romanesque hermitage from the 11th and 12th centuries was part of a former monastery that no longer exists today. The Benedictine nuns who lived there were killed during the Norman invasions in the second half of the 9th century. Sister Sainte-Germaine, who left an imprint of her martyrdom on a rock that later became a place of pilgrimage, also belonged to the community. The church was enlarged in the 18th century (the entrance portal dates from 1730) and still features a Romanesque portal with medieval capitals and an apse with Romanesque capitals. Website

La Romieu originated from an old priory founded by two monks returning from Rome. Cardinal Arnaud d'Aux, chamberlain of the papal court, acquired it in 1312 and founded this fortified collegiate church in the Gothic style. It is remarkable for its cloister and its towers, one of which is octagonal, housing the sacristy, the former chapter house (community meeting room), the archive room, and a belvedere or lookout tower.

Mézin is an ancient medieval town in the heart of Albret, known for its heritage, its arcades, and its history linked to the cork industry. You will discover the remains of the ramparts, beautiful stone houses, and the Armand-Fallières square, the true heart of the village.

Condom, a former episcopal city crossed by the Baïse River, is renowned for its Saint-Pierre Cathedral and its Armagnac-related past. In front of the cathedral stands the famous statue of the Four Musketeers (D'Artagnan and his companions), a tribute to Alexandre Dumas' novel and the famous captain's Gascon roots.

Superb Cistercian building founded in 1151, very well preserved.

Don't miss La Romieu to greet Angeline and the cats. I didn't see any, at least not alive ones. I didn't stop there either. To get there, I took the 6 km road; you can also get there via the GR (Greater French National Trail). Its Saint-Pierre collegiate church, a 14th-century Gothic masterpiece listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is imposing. Now for the legend... Around 1342, a terrible famine struck La Romieu. The starving inhabitants went so far as to eat all the cats in the village, thinking they were preserving their meager resources. But a little girl named Angeline, an orphan taken in by a local couple, adored cats. She hid two in the cellar, secretly feeding them, and then they bred. A little later, with all the cats gone, the village was invaded by thousands of rats, destroying the meager grain reserves and causing an even worse disaster. It was then that Angeline freed her cats. They multiplied again, drove out the rats, and saved the village. Angeline was honored by the villagers, and according to legend, her face took on the appearance of a cat, with feline features—a magical transformation to thank her love and loyalty to cats. Today, in tribute to this story, numerous cat statues adorn the streets, facades, and rooftops of the village.

Accessible and fairly hilly route. For a first timer, it's quite good for warming up.

Like any self-respecting spa town, Castéra-Verduzan has baths and a casino. It is also a pretty town with a beach, a lake and a campsite. In short, a pleasant place to take a more or less long break.