The best traffic-free bike rides around Graissessac

Located in the Hauts Cantons of the Hérault, at the confluence of the Gravezon, Nize, and Dourdou rivers, Lunas is a charming village that combines history and a gentle way of life. Dominated by the Redondel rock, a former fortified site, it reveals pretty streets, a 17th-century castle, and the Saint-Pancrace church, whose origins date back to the 12th century. Don't miss the Notre-Dame-de-Nize chapel and its famous Fontaine des Yeux (Eyes Fountain), nestled in a peaceful natural setting.

The castle overlooks Pézènes-les-Mines from the upper part of the village. This castle is private, but its facades, roofs, and enclosure have been protected as historical monuments since 1981. Its history is ancient, but the ensemble we see today is the result of several construction and transformation campaigns. The Romanesque chapel, integrated into the castle, dates back to the 12th century. Its apse was later raised in the 14th century to take on a defensive function. The castle itself underwent significant alterations in the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Two gates were notably built into the enclosure in the 17th century. The defensive elements are still very legible: two gates with arrow slits controlled access to the courtyard and were once protected by a drawbridge. Two towers flank the ensemble, while the enclosure follows the natural irregularities of the terrain. The chapel also retains a rather remarkable detail: its door and some of its bays are decorated with basalt inlays, giving the building a discreet but original polychromy. Pézènes-les-Mines was not always the small village one might imagine today. Pézènes was the capital of a marquisate that grouped the communities of Pézènes, Montesquieu, and Valmascle. The castle was therefore at the heart of a larger seigneurial territory. Little-known information: A plan from 1800 shows that behind the castle stretched a long terrace of about 270 meters, arranged as a garden, promenade, and belvedere overlooking the Peyne valley.

In the heart of Lamalou-les-Bains, the Saints-Pierre-et-Paul church bears witness to the village's transformation into a major spa resort. Built at the beginning of the 20th century, it accompanies the rise of a town that welcomed numerous spa-goers eager to benefit from the renowned waters of the Orb valley. Before its construction, parish life was organized around the old sanctuaries of Saint-Pierre-de-Rhèdes and then Notre-Dame de Villecelle.

The gaze is naturally drawn to this small rock that masks Valuzières. This formation testifies to an ancient geological history: the limestones formed in a Paleozoic sea before being deformed by tectonic movements and then gradually sculpted by erosion. This relief, more resistant than the neighboring terrains, has remained in outcrop.

A very pleasant climb from Lamalou-les-Bains! The beginning is (very) steep (7-8% average over quite a few kilometers), but it becomes more rolling after that.

Descent on a dirt road. Also a good spot for a picnic 👌

A charming village nestled at the confluence of the Gravezon, the Nize and the Dourdou! The history of Lunas dates back to the Roman road that linked the lower Languedoc to Rouergue. Surely succeeding a Gallo-Roman oppidium, the Lunarenses castrum is mentioned as early as 806 in a charter of the Gélone abbey (that of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert). The town is dominated by the Redondel rock, an ancient fortified castle belonging to the baron of Faugères, Viscount of Béziers. Razed in 1627, it was rebuilt on the banks of the Gravezon in 1641 by Henry de Narbonne. A true summary of the history of Languedoc, and a very pleasant cultural, refreshing and gastronomic stopover… A small detour to enjoy the leisure center of Prades, and a break on the site of the Saint-Georges chapel are essential in Lunas

A village quite representative of Languedoc