The best MTB trails around Mazion

Attention ⚠️ to beginners!

The Château de Thau is very old and known since the 12th century. It belongs to the defense line of the Côte Girondine. Set slightly back from the shore, it dominates the ebb and flow without showing itself, like a carpet behind thick groves. Here and there, the name of Thau comes and goes at the bend of a manuscript but it is at the beginning of the 1400s that historians find traces of the successive owners - the Math family, from 1400 to 1480, - the Sudre family 1540 , the Hague, then the President of the Parliament of Bordeaux, Louis de Grimard owned everything between 1680 and 1700… In 1700 we know the state of the place: “vast lower rooms, all well furnished and the walls decorated with vast series of tapestries”. Today, the Albert Schweitzer family owns and administers the estate which is the flagship of Gauriac. Facing the Médoc, a few steps from the Gironde estuary, 41 hectares of vineyards are planted with 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 60% Merlot, on silty-limestone soil and extend over the Bourgeais region. The excellent geographical location allows the vineyard to benefit from favorable maturity criteria.

The small port of Plassac is typical of the esteys of the Gironde estuary. It is in the heart of the ancient village with a Gallo-Roman villa. A Terra Aventura route, combining hiking and discovery, allows you to get to know Plassac better. During your visit, you can also admire mosaics displayed in the alleys of the village: they were created by the inhabitants and by the Babylon Mosaic workshop-boutique. A stepped earthen dike made it possible to shape the current configuration of the port, making it possible to create 44 places reserved for pleasure craft. A rocky groyne protects the entrance to the port. 22 gangways provide access to the boats and boaters can benefit from a water tap, electrical outlets and a light point. https://www.bbte.fr/equipements-de-loisirs/port-de-plassac/

Worth seeing fortress, unfortunately the weather was not nice for further explorations.

Since we wanted to continue with the ferry, but still had 60 minutes until the next crossing, we looked at this pretty citadel. There is also a café that invites you to linger.

small top trail along the cornices of the Gironde with several quarries and an old German bunker

Citadel built under Vauban to protect the port of Blaye. https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zitadelle_Blaye

In his 56 years of service, Vauban, who was already an Ingénieur de France, designed 33 new forts, delivered over 400 projects for 160 sites and modernized countless existing forts. He is the actual creator of the enceinte de fer, the iron belt, and the pré carré, with which France under Louis XIV secured its external borders. The fortified town of Neuf-Brisach/Neu-Breisach is considered to be his main work Fortifications by Vauban is the name of the World Heritage site that summarizes the important fortifications of the brilliant French master builder. In 2008, UNESCO decided to include twelve particularly exemplary and well-preserved sites in the World Heritage List: * Arras Citadel * Citadel, ramparts and Fort Griffon in Besançon * Citadel of Blaye, Fort Paté on an island in the Gironde and the * Citadel of Cussac-Fort-Médoc * Briançon fortification system (walls, four forts, signal tower and bridge) * Tour dorée (golden tower) in Camaret-sur-Mer * Fortified Upper Town of Longwy * Fortified city of Mont-Dauphin * Mont-Louis, composed of citadel and fortified city * Fortified town of Neuf-Brisach * Saint-Martin-de-Ré fortress with ramparts, port and citadel * Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue: Towers and fortifications in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and on the neighboring island of Tatihou * Fort Liberia, city walls and the fortified cave Cova Bastera in Villefranche-de-Conflent” (Source: Wikipedia)