Between hills and the Canal du Midi in Montesquieu-Lauragais

A village of character with a remarkable heritage. Town hall, canal bridge at La Négra lock, Château Roquette, main street and imposing church bell tower. View of the Pyrenees, weather permitting.

Details

71666288
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.34 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 610 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 640 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 860 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 541 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in front of the town hall.

(S/E) From the car park in front of the town hall, go down the D11, Rue Côte de la Négra towards the D16. Cross it carefully and continue opposite, on the Route de Villenouvelle, along the Rousanel stream. When you reach the bend, you will see the upstream entrance to the canal bridge hidden in the grass on the right. Continue along this path.

(1) Please note: crossing the lock footbridge is prohibited. Cross the Canal du Midi to make a small circular loop around the waterway buildings, discover the lock and the downstream exit of the canal bridge.

(2) Retrace your steps, without crossing the bridge, and take the Voie Verte (greenway) along the canal bank to the Pont d'en Serny bridge, about 2 km away.

(3) Cross it, go up towards Montesquieu via Impasse des Pradals, cross the D16 with caution and go up Rue d'en Serny to Sol Madame.

(4) Turn right onto Chemin de Ronde, pass under the park bridge and arrive at the crossroads.

(5) Turn right onto Chemin d'en Barou (or d'Ayguevives), go downhill and pass in front of the old well to go back up to the crossroads, leading to the Camarade farm on the right.

(6) Turn right, walk along the right-hand side of the farm (so as not to disturb the residents), continue along the dirt track downhill opposite and arrive at the bottom of the dip in the ground after about 180 metres.

(7) Take a farm track on the left that descends towards Château Roquette. Pass in front of the château (private property) and reach the T-junction.

(8) Turn left onto Chemin de Roquette, at the next crossroads continue straight on Chemin de Coussacou. Follow this road along the ridge for 2 km, arriving at the water tower at a multiple crossroads.

(9) Go around it on the left, pass the crossroads, and take the wide dirt track opposite, between two houses, which slopes slightly upwards. For 350 m, it runs alongside the fence of the houses and then descends. Ignore the entrance to a field on the left and look for the start of a path hidden in the bushes, which curves to the left.

(10) Follow it for 250 metres. It becomes a little more marked, then disappears into the grass at the bottom of the embankment, leading to the Fontaine de Buguet fountain and a wide dirt track.

(11) Turn left to climb back up towards the village, pass Chemin de Ronde and arrive at Rue du Barry.

(12) At the first left turn, take the steeply ascending path on the right behind a low wall, which overlooks and bypasses the village.

(13) On the left, find a narrow passage between two houses that leads to Rue de l'Ancien Petit Fossé. Several staircases in this street lead up to the centre of the village and back to the town hall car park. In this description, we will choose a very narrow, old brick staircase located opposite number 7 on the street. Take Rue des Cathares and then Rue des Plumassières on the right, which runs alongside the local church, to return to the town hall car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 794 ft - Town hall car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.75 - alt. 554 ft - Canal du Midi
  3. 2 : mi 0.81 - alt. 554 ft - La Négra lock and canal bridge
  4. 3 : mi 1.96 - alt. 548 ft - Pont d'En Serny
  5. 4 : mi 2.57 - alt. 728 ft - Sol Madame - Chemin de Ronde (signs)
  6. 5 : mi 2.75 - alt. 755 ft - Chemin d'En Barou (or d'Ayguevives)
  7. 6 : mi 3.11 - alt. 791 ft - Towards the Camarade farm
  8. 7 : mi 3.38 - alt. 758 ft - Recessed terrain and farm track
  9. 8 : mi 3.96 - alt. 646 ft - Chemin de Roquette
  10. 9 : mi 5.66 - alt. 837 ft - Water tower
  11. 10 : mi 5.89 - alt. 764 ft - Start of the path
  12. 11 : mi 6.03 - alt. 663 ft - Fountain without water
  13. 12 : mi 6.14 - alt. 764 ft - Path behind a low wall
  14. 13 : mi 6.24 - alt. 761 ft - Narrow brick staircase
  15. S/E : mi 6.34 - alt. 794 ft - Town hall car park

Notes

This route alternates between dirt tracks and small tarmac roads. In summer, there is very little shade outside the canal banks.

There is a picnic area at the bottom of the car park, with tables.

Reviews and comments

3.6 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.6 / 5
Route interest
3.6 / 5
Olivier Bel Air
Olivier Bel Air

Actually, that would be a shame! And I’ll say it again, there’s no real danger in walking past this farm… so let’s keep the route as it is – we really enjoyed it!

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Shrando31410
Shrando31410

Thank you for your comments. The tricky bit is the approach to the Camarade farm, but as far as I know there’s no alternative, unless you cut the walk short and don’t go past Roquette Castle. Which is a shame. Have a good weekend.

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Olivier Bel Air
Olivier Bel Air

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We’d chosen this route to avoid the mud after a long spell of rain, and it was perfect! The path between 6 and Château Roquette is well-covered in grass and continues as a stony track all the way to point 8. The path, whose start is a bit hidden (point 10), is quite steep on the way down, and walking poles are recommended (or a helping hand!)... but the Buguet fountain is well worth a detour before tackling the steep climb that joins the rampart walk. Keep an eye out at point 12 so as not to miss the start of the path, which is lovely to walk along!
At the Camarade farm, don’t panic when the two or three rather imposing dogs come running towards you barking loudly! They didn’t seem aggressive and the owner came out quickly to call them back and apologised politely...
Thank you for this walk!

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mecnu
mecnu

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Not all paths exist; there is no path between 7 and 8, and this must be difficult for those who lack a sense of direction between 10 and 11.

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Randoc31
Randoc31

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lot of tarmac and the little path that remains is poorly maintained.
No signposting.
Despite everything, beautiful views of the Lauragais plains and heritage sites.

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kiki2711
kiki2711

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Mostly roads, admittedly small roads with very little traffic, but there is a lack of paths! A lovely stretch along the canal, unfortunately spoiled by the noise from the motorway nearby. Nice view between 6 and 7 of the Montesquieu bell tower (wind-sheltered embankment for picnics) then passage in front of the imposing buildings of the Château de Roquette.
A route to take when it has rained and you want to walk in the dry! Route taken using GPS.

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User 2429754

Overall rating : 1.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Far too much road and the little trail there is is practically impossible to follow due to the very disappointing lack of maintenance.

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