Circular loop in Fonsorbes

Park in the nursery car park on the other side of the road after turning right at the roundabout by the main entrance to the Domaine de Banayre.

(S/E) With your back to the nursery, turn right, cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and continue to the roundabout. Take the^first street on the left, pass through the entrance archway to the residential estate, cross at the pedestrian crossing and you’ll reach the roundabout on Route de Fontenilles.

Turn right until you reach the pedestrian crossing and cross the road. Head back towards the roundabout and take the first narrow track on the right. Continue straight on along the path which follows the Ruisseau du Vidaillon and which later becomes a tarmac track. Continue to Rue de Campardou.

(1) First turn right then left, walk alongside the playground and past the schools. Cross Chemin Marial and emerge onto Rue du Riouvouet. Carry on straight ahead, then turn left as the road curves and you’ll reach a junction. Turn right onto Chemin de la Naouzo de la Ferraterro. Continue to the junction with the D65A (Route de Magnes), cross carefully and follow Chemin Belayre straight ahead.

(2) When the tarmac road ends, take the path straight ahead that runs behind the Fonsorbes secondary school sports ground. Continue alongside the small copse and cross the Chemin de Cantelauze. Take Rue Pierre Mendès France straight ahead until it bends to the right.

(3) Before the bridge, turn left onto the footpath leading towards the stream, but without crossing it. Follow the stream, keeping to the left bank, until you reach the D58 (Route de Fontenilles), where the stream passes under the road. Cross the D58A and turn left towards the secondary school. The path no longer follows the stream, but we’ll rejoin it a little later. Take the^first right, Chemin de Thière, and follow it until the end of the houses, without going as far as the riding club.

(4) At the concrete post marked 24, take the path through the woodland on the right. Walk down to the Vidaillon, cross it via the small bridge, then turn left to reach the hamlet of Les Bastards, where you’ll rejoin a tarmac road.

(5) Turn right onto Chemin des Bastards and follow it until you reach the D82 (Rue des Landes).
At the junction, turn right, facing the Téoula golf course, and follow the D82 to the roundabout towards Fontenilles. Cross the roundabout carefully and head straight ahead, staying on the pavement on the right-hand side of the road. Walk past the shops, including Lidl, and continue past the car dealerships until you reach the Renault garage on the corner.

(6) Turn left onto Avenue de l’Europe and continue to the end without reaching the Route de Tarbes. Just before this, follow the path on the right which runs alongside the road, before the ditch, until you reach the road on the left leading onto the Route de Tarbes.

(7) Cross carefully and take Chemin Jean Blanc. At the bottom of the slope, the path bends and runs alongside the military airdrop zone. Follow the path, which becomes a dirt track and crosses a park with a fitness trail.

(8) On leaving the park, cross Chemin des Carrelasses and follow Rue des Jardins opposite the path you have just been on. The street ends at Avenue de la Gare, which you should cross with care and then follow the footpath opposite, which runs alongside the tennis courts further on.

(9) After the tennis courts, turn right onto the footpath which leads to Impasse des Lauriers, then onto the Bellevue footpath, which climbs up to the D82 and the water tower. Cross the D82 with care and continue to the next roundabout.

(10) Take the^first left, passing the Salle du Trépadé, behind the Intermarché and past the shops at the Château shopping centre. Just before the roundabout on the D632 (Route de Tarbes), use the pedestrian crossing to cross the departmental road and take the street opposite, Square de l’Ariège. Carry on straight ahead until you reach Rue des Jonquilles; follow it to the right, then to the left, and continue along Allée des Hauts de Hournes, which, after a bend, becomes Rue Besiberri.

(11) Take the footpath on the left, just after the bend, until you reach Chemin Canto Laouzetto. Turn left and continue to the next V-shaped junction, where you should follow the road to the left onto Avenue des Pins, which runs around the Banayre estate. Turn left onto Avenue des Pins and continue until you reach Avenue des Romarins.

(12) Between house no. 3B and the transformer station, turn right onto the dirt track leading into the estate’s central green space. Cross the Ruisseau du Vidaillon and you’ll arrive opposite the^first lake. Turn right and follow the path along the stream to the^second lake. Walk round it on the left-hand side to enjoy the peninsula in the middle. At the end of the lake, switch to the other bank and continue following the Vidaillon.

(13) Before the^third lake, change banks again and walk alongside the lake, ignoring the path branching off to the left a few metres further on. Continue until you reach a tarmac road, turn left and arrive at the car park (S/E).

There are no drinking fountains along the route.

As this route is circular, local residents can start from a point close to their home.

The^second lake in the Banayre estate has a path running around it, but the^third does not.

There are several fitness trails along the route and play areas for children near the community gardens.

As you pass the military zone, you might be lucky enough to see paratroopers in action.

The Chemin des Carrelasses leads to the community gardens, where you can see all sorts of vegetables being grown in plots allocated by the town hall.