Circular route from Paris to Madrid and Perlic

Two options for setting off:
- by car: park at the Mail de l’Hippodrome shopping centre north of Lons, which has a large car park,
- by city bus: see the ‘Practical Information’ section.

(S/E) The path starts at the corner of the brasserie on the north-west corner of the shopping centre. Head due south along the footpath for 2 km until you reach Rue de Lacaoü, arriving at a boules court.

(1) Walk alongside it and follow Rue du Lacaoü for 200 m, then head down the Allée piétonne du Lacaoü. After 300 m, you’ll reach a Fork in the road.

(2) Take the left-hand branch, which continues on level ground. 200 m further on, turn right onto the footbridge crossing the north-south expressway (Boulevard de l’Europe). At the end of the footbridge, take the gravel path on the right which runs above the expressway (from here, head north). Follow this track alongside the expressway for 1.7 km. You will reach the Lons media centre.

(3) Go round it on the right to find yourself above a roundabout. Take a path on the left, heading towards the footbridge which allows you to cross the East-West expressway (Avenue de Santona) safely. Cross this footbridge and then the bridge over the Laoü.

(4) Follow the Laoü to the right for 150 m, then carry on straight ahead where the stream joins from the right. You’ll arrive at the Acqualons swimming pool.

(5) Walk alongside the pool and its car park until you reach the corner where the car park meets the Mail de Coubertin, 200 m further on. Cross the avenue and take the gravel path, diagonally to the right, which cuts through a small wood to a tarmac road (Déous Grabas). Follow this road for 200 m until you reach Avenue Herckmann-Chatrian. Turn right onto the avenue towards the traffic lights.

(6) Cross at the traffic lights. Head down towards the housing estate below. Follow the main road, recognisable by the white line (Rue Cézanne); it zigzags slightly (a left-hand bend, then a right-hand bend, then a left-hand bend). Cross the bridge over the Ruisseau l’Ousse des Bois.
After the bridge, take the footpath that runs alongside the street until you reach a pedestrian crossing that crosses Boulevard des Frères Farman near a children’s playground.

(7) Cross the boulevard and continue for 80 metres westwards towards the junction at the south-east corner of the Perlic 2 nursery school.
Cross Boulevard Blériot and continue almost directly opposite, heading south-west for 70 metres, then take the path to the right which runs alongside the Ousse des Bois.
After 400 metres, you’ll reach a small weir feeding a small canal (the Lescoure). Cross the Ousse des Bois via the footbridge and continue along the Lescoure for 430 metres until you reach a T-junction (Chemin de Las Pachères). Turn right. Another T-junction after 430 metres (Chemin de Las Bourdettes), on the corner of Exotic Parc.

(8) Turn right, cross the Ousse des Bois and carry on straight ahead along the path that runs through the fields. Continue along the Voie d’Arles, part of the Chemin de Saint-Jacques (GR®653). Running alongside the houses (Quartier du Perlic), turn left whilst continuing to follow the GR®.
After 300 metres, you’ll reach the Cami Salié; follow it to the right for 250 metres until you reach the^second street on the left (Rue des Bois). Turn left and follow the street for 300 metres. A pedestrian walkway begins on the right (Promenade Apollo).

(9) Follow it to the right until the end. Cross Allée Andromède and continue for a few metres until you reach the North-South expressway (Boulevard de l’Europe) at the corner of the L’Ossau health centre.

(10) Continue along the tarmac road (Allée Jappelou), opposite the other side of the expressway. Please note: there is no pedestrian crossing, so please take care. It is best to walk back about 50 metres to the left and cross in two stages, stopping on the central reservation. After crossing, take Allée Jappelou. 170 metres further on, turn left onto the footpath next to the ‘Les Foyers’ care home. Reach Chemin du Tael at the corner of the Lons Calibration Centre; here you’ll rejoin the Paris–Madrid route.

(11) Turn left to walk alongside the Calibration Centre heading north. At the corner of the centre, by the benches, cross to the other side of the tree-lined avenue to join the footpath. Turn right onto this path and head due south until you reach Cami Salié.

(12) ‘Paris-Madrid’ bus stop, line T2 – the starting point of the circular loop if you’ve taken a city bus. Continue due south along the tarmac path, which is open to pedestrians and cyclists, until you reach the shopping centre where the usual starting point for this loop is located (S/E).

Mainly along footpaths and cycle paths. Take care when crossing side roads. Do not rely too heavily on the signposting for the walking routes in the towns you pass through.

(12) If arriving by city bus (served by the T2 bus, ‘Paris-Madrid’ stop): start the circular route here. Once you reach the Mail de l’Hippodrome, cross straight ahead heading due south to the north-west corner of the shopping centre (brasserie).

(2) By taking the right-hand branch that leads downhill, you can quickly reach “Jardin de Tony”, a small educational farm.
For more information

(7) Possible shortcut: turn your back on the boulevard and head straight east along the tree-lined path bordering the Ousse des Bois. After 500 metres, you’ll arrive near the expressway. Do not take the footbridge on the right, but turn left to walk alongside the dual carriageway. At the roundabout, cross the dual carriageway heading east to rejoin the Mail de l’hippodrome and the starting point; the circular route is then 7.2 km long.
If you’ve arrived by bus, you’ll need to rejoin the tarmac footpath you started on at the next roundabout; the circular route is then approximately 8.3 km.

(8) Exotic Parc, a wildlife park specialising in insects, reptiles and birds. It is situated next to Lac des Carolins, with a children’s play area and picnic tables.