En Mauran Circular Loop

Park in the centre of Aiguesvives near the castle and the town hall.
Signposting: Yellow

(S/E) Take the passage under the arcades between the castle and the orangery to reach the public park. Continue straight ahead. After 300 m, go down the stairs at the far end of the park on the left, then take the road on the right. Walk alongside the houses until you reach number 12.

(1) After the house, turn right and go up the barely visible path alongside a wire fence. Continue until you reach the top of the hill, then turn right. Carry on until you reach the road. Turn left, then immediately right. Continue until you reach a junction.

(2) Carry on straight ahead and follow the winding road downhill. Pass the first junction and continue to the next crossroads, Bosse d’En Mauran (panoramic view).

(3) Turn right and follow the road to the speed bump. Cross over to join the Chemin de Bedene, then take the Allée du Château on the left. Pass through the Ayguesvives gate and follow the road on the left-hand side to the pedestrian crossing. Cross over and continue in the same direction to a junction with a path.

(4) Continue straight ahead. Follow the Ruisseau de l’Amadou, then the Canal du Midi to a junction, signposted ‘Canal du Midi cycle path’.

(5) Turn right and take the footbridge to cross the Ticaille lock. Walk along the right-hand side of the lock keeper’s house to reach the towpath. Pass the Amadou aqueduct and the Port des Landes and continue to the Sanglier lock. Cross the canal.

(6) Follow the tarmac road and pass in front of a farm. Continue, enjoying the view of the bell tower of Montesquieu Lauragais as you turn around, and follow a second farmyard; opposite, you’ll see the Bosse d’En Mauran. Continue to a junction at the Borde Haute terminus.

(7) Turn right and take the grassy path. Follow it, then turn left. Walk past the school and follow the road which turns right to the roundabout. Follow signs for Baziège. Walk past an old castle and take the^second street on the left, Chemin de Toulouse, to reach the car park near the castle and the town hall (S/E).

Notes:

• steep but shaded climb after (1),
• steep descent after (2),
• water point and toilets at the motorway service area, 200 metres past the Sanglier lock via the towpath,
• take care at junctions with roads,
• recommended equipment: footwear suitable for walking in all seasons, water bottle and hat,
• possible connections with other circular loops.

Landscape:

• panoramic view of the Hers valley, the Montagne Noire and the Pyrenees from the Bosse d’En Mauran
• view of the bell tower of Montesquieu Lauragais

Heritage

• Château des Martin d'Ayguesvives: with its refined architecture, this château was built in the first half of the 18th century. Its location is linked to the history of Ayguesvives. Construction began in 1720 and was completed in 1740. Today, the building serves as the town hall. It is flanked by an orangery and outbuildings, which enclose a vast main courtyard. Behind the castle itself lies a large park with ancient trees. According to an account by a contemporary of the d’Ayguesvives family, the model young daughters of the Countess of Ségur are said to have regularly stayed at the castle.

• The Church of Saint-Saturnin in Ayguesvives: a Gothic building dating from the year 1500. Twenty metres long, it is built entirely of brick. It is highly representative of the style of Gothic churches in the Lauragais region built during the golden age of the pastel industry. The church of Ayguesvives houses one of the oldest bells in the district. It is undoubtedly the first bell acquired by the parish. It escaped the destruction that marked the Wars of Religion, which pitted Huguenots against Catholics in the region until the early 17th century. The bell tower ends in a triangular gable and two pinnacles. Its apse faces east, as is traditionally the case.

• Milestone: these milestones once marked the Roman road linking Toulouse to nearby Narbonne; around ten of them have been found. This one bears no mention of distance, unlike the one in the neighbouring village of Baziège, but features inscriptions, the oldest of which mentions the name of Emperor Constantine and the most recent those of Theodosius and his son Arcadius, indicating the probable period of its construction. These milestones, placed every thousand paces, marked the Via Aquitania linking Toulouse to Narbonne during the Gallo-Roman period. The peasants of Ayguesvives revered this stone, which was believed to cure young children of toothache.

• Ticaille Lock: listed as a historic monument since 1998. The canal du Midi runs through the commune, featuring several significant engineering structures. In 1978, this former double lock was upgraded to Freycinet gauge to allow the passage of 350-tonne barges; leaving the structure with just a single lock chamber, extended to 38.5 metres. A metal footbridge has also replaced the old timber bridge, which had itself been rebuilt in 1851. The lock keeper’s house resembles a railway station.

• Ticaille–De Gilade Aqueduct: this aqueduct, built by the canal’s director, rests on two brick arches, allowing the Amadou stream—whose course crosses the Canal du Midi—to flow through. Lacking a parapet, it could serve as an overflow channel in the event of excessive flooding of the stream. A small brick bridge spans the outlet basin, allowing the towpath to cross over it. The canal bridge was built by Vauban following the death of Pierre-Paul Riquet to prevent the canal from silting up due to the Amadou, a tributary of the Hers-Mort. It is one of many bridges of this type on the Canal du Midi. It spans the small Ru Amadou stream at Ayguesvives. Jefferson, former President of the United States, spent the night in an establishment near the aqueduct between 1687 and 1689.

• Port des Landes: several ports lined the Canal du Midi waterway in the 19th century. Between the two locks and close to the A-road, on the north side of the canal, this structure was built with a jetty enabling heavy barges to be loaded for the journey to Toulouse or Narbonne. A widening of the canal allowed the barges to turn round. The proximity of the Baziège grain cooperative, established in 1936, undoubtedly contributed to its development and its significant activity.

• Sanglier Lock: listed as a national monument since 1998. This lock is situated 1,300 metres upstream of the aqueduct. It is the first lock we encounter that has not yet been altered by the extension works and has remained virtually intact since its renovation in the 18th century. Each structure on the Canal has a name, usually derived from a watercourse, a village or a farm. More rarely, the name recalls an anecdote. This is the case here: accounts from the time of the Canal’s construction tell us that a wild boar of enormous size, which was caught in this spot by those working on the canal, gave the lock its name. The date 1752 appears on a lintel above the door of the Sanglier lock keeper’s house.