Between Lézert and Serènes

A mountain bike route to explore the Bas Ségala area, criss-crossed by the picturesque streams of the Lézert and the Serènes. This route connects the villages of La Bastide-l’Évêque, Saint-Salvadou and Vabre-Tizac. Alternative routes allow the route to be split into two sections for walking tours.

Details

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  • Mountain biking
    Activity: Mountain biking
  • ↔
    Distance: 24.12 mi
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 4 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,661 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,657 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,008 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,253 ft
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
  • ⚐ City: La Bastide-l'Évêque (12200)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 44.305611° / E 2.13765°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 2240E, 2339SB, 2340SB

  • ◶
    Type of surface:
  •  
     
     
     33% Road  34% Byway  33% Path
  • ⇧
    Bike carrying: Not specified
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the route

Starting point at Solville (car park), La Baraque Lortal near the D911.

This route is signposted in blue as “between Lézert and Serènes”

(S/E) From the car park, walk along the D911 to the right and, at the next junction, turn left with care to reach Le Cammas. Continue along a footpath until you reach a road.

(1) Turn left and head towards Lonnac, leaving a road on your left.

(2) Take the hairpin bend to the right towards Teulières. Follow the road to the left, which passes the Moulin de Mourtayrol. Carry on until you reach a Fork in the road.

(3) Take the path on the right which leads close to the cemetery onto the road to Capredonde. Turn right and carry on to the next junction.

(4) At the entrance to the hamlet of Capredonde, take the road on the left, pass a Fork in the road and take the road opposite. Join the next path on the left.

(5) Follow this path, go through the woods, cross a road and reach the junction with another path on the right.

(6) Take this path, which leads close to the hamlet of Paurès and joins the road. Follow it to the left, then you’ll soon come to a four-way junction.

(7) Turn right and continue along the road to the square in La Bastide-l’Evêque.

(8) Keep going straight ahead, pass between the church and the town hall, and carry on to the junction with the D269.

(9) Cross over to the D269, heading towards Les Martinets du Lézert, and immediately turn right onto a path that runs alongside two fields and leads to a road.

(10) Turn right towards Réquista and you’ll come to a junction.

(11) Carry on straight ahead, passing the château and a pond, before reaching the square in Cabanes.

(12) Keep left towards Le Rieu.

(13) At the fork in the road, carry on straight ahead, then turn left onto a track until you reach a road running alongside the Lézert valley.

(14) Turn left onto this road until you reach the entrance to the Martinets du Lézert site.

(15) Turn right, cross the copper smelting site and pass close to the Moulin du Roc to return to the road.

(16) Follow the road to the right until you reach the junction signposted La Rieu, Cabanes, Le Cayla.

(17) Carry on straight ahead in this direction, joining the path that runs alongside the main façade of Réquista Castle and the junction you have already passed.

(11) Turn right onto the road and take the same route as on the way there to reach the square in Labastide-l’Évêque.

(8) Turn into the lane on the right, ignore a road on the left, pass through the hamlet of Porgue and carry on until you reach a junction.

(18) Carry on to the left (D69) until you reach the next junction.

(19) Turn left towards Teulières, ride past the Moulin de Cassanis and carry on to the Route de Combret.

(20) Turn right onto this road and you’ll reach the hamlet.

(21) At the junction, head slightly to the right towards Cazèles.

(22) Before the hamlet, take the path on the left to reach a crossroads.

(23) Cross carefully and head straight on towards Plaussergues. Pass through the hamlet and continue past it to the second crossroads.

(24) Turn right towards Mas del Sol, until you reach a right-hand bend with a path opposite.

(25) Carry on left along this track, which passes close to the hamlet of Marsaguettes, until you reach a fork in the road.

(26) Carry on to the left until you reach the hamlet of Lagarrigue.

(27) In the hamlet, turn left onto a track leading to the Mas de Mouly. Walk through the village.

(28) Take the path on the right which joins the road to Garrigol.

(29) Continue along the road to the left, towards Marmont.

(30) Turn right, then left, to join the Saint-Salvadou road (D71). Follow it to the left at every junction until you reach the hamlet of Baudas.

(31) Turn left, uphill, and follow the path to Le Puech.

(32) Turn right, then left onto the track leading to the D71.

(33) Carry on to the left towards Saint-Salvadou until you reach a Fork in the road at the entrance to the village.

(34) Carry on straight ahead, passing the cemetery, the church and the last few houses. To go round the old village centre, turn right after the church, then take the second alleyway on the right and head towards the village hall. Go up the second street on the right until you reach the crossroads by the town hall. Turn left towards the cemetery to join the D648.

(34) At the exit, turn right onto the D648 towards Rieupeyroux. Carry on straight ahead until you reach a four-way junction.

(35) Turn right onto Chemin de La Vitarelle, heading towards La Plaine de Bor. Cross the departmental road and another road, pass the Fontaine des Fées and join the Route de Pierrechange towards Vabre.

(36) At the junction, turn right towards Le Puech de la Cédène and carry on until you reach the multi-way junction with a small cross on your right.

(37) Carry on for about ten metres straight ahead, then turn left and cross the hamlet of Le Puech to join the Vabre road.

(38) Turn right towards Vabre. At the junction with the Route de Tizac, carry on straight ahead along the street to reach the church square. Go round the church on the left. After the church, continue to the left, passing the Les Platanes residential complex, and take the path on the right to reach the Route du Bois du Bruel.

(39) At the end of the path, turn right until you reach a crossroads.

(40) Turn left, cross the Petite Serène river and follow a path leading to the hamlet of Laubiès.

(41) At the end of the hamlet, turn left to reach Bleyssol.

(42) Walk through the hamlet of Bleyssol until you reach a four-way junction.

(43) Cross the road and carry on towards Rieuprésens.

(44) Carry on to the left towards Rieuprésens, enter the hamlet by first turning right then left, and carry on to the junction with the departmental road.

(45) Carry on almost straight ahead along the path that leads to Le Bouscatel. At the road, first turn left then right and follow the path until you reach Le Bouscatel. Walk through the hamlet until you reach a four-way junction.

(46) At the Le Bouscatel/La Coste junction, turn right to join the departmental road.

(47) Turn left and follow this road with care until you reach the car park in the hamlet of Solville (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,896 ft - Solville car park – Baraque Lortal
  2. 1 : mi 0.8 - alt. 1,857 ft - Fork in the road after Le Cammas
  3. 2 : mi 1.23 - alt. 1,759 ft - Lonnac
  4. 3 : mi 1.87 - alt. 1,706 ft - Crossroads after the Moulin de Mourtayrol
  5. 4 : mi 2.34 - alt. 1,880 ft - Capredonde
  6. 5 : mi 2.73 - alt. 1,962 ft - Crossroads with a path
  7. 6 : mi 3.62 - alt. 1,785 ft - Path to Paurès
  8. 7 : mi 4.01 - alt. 1,542 ft - Fork in the road, Route de Teulières/La Bastide l’Evêque - La Bastide-l'Évêque
  9. 8 : mi 4.35 - alt. 1,506 ft - La Bastide-l'Évêque
  10. 9 : mi 4.49 - alt. 1,506 ft - D269
  11. 10 : mi 4.6 - alt. 1,503 ft - Chemin de Réquista
  12. 11 : mi 4.74 - alt. 1,512 ft - Réquista Castle
  13. 12 : mi 5.07 - alt. 1,588 ft - Place de Cabanes
  14. 13 : mi 5.48 - alt. 1,506 ft - Le Rieu
  15. 14 : mi 6.1 - alt. 1,286 ft - D269, the swifts
  16. 15 : mi 6.24 - alt. 1,296 ft - The - Les Martinets du Lézert
  17. 16 : mi 6.44 - alt. 1,329 ft - D69
  18. 17 : mi 6.66 - alt. 1,378 ft - Le Rieu crossroads, Cabanes
  19. 18 : mi 7.93 - alt. 1,434 ft - Le Porgue
  20. 19 : mi 8.14 - alt. 1,493 ft - Route de Teulières
  21. 20 : mi 9.04 - alt. 1,473 ft - Route de Combret
  22. 21 : mi 9.9 - alt. 1,726 ft - Combret
  23. 22 : mi 10.31 - alt. 1,762 ft - Cazèles
  24. 23 : mi 10.59 - alt. 1,775 ft - D911
  25. 24 : mi 11.32 - alt. 1,745 ft - Crossroads
  26. 25 : mi 11.7 - alt. 1,713 ft - Virage, path towards Marsaguettes
  27. 26 : mi 11.93 - alt. 1,654 ft - Turn-off towards Lagarrigue
  28. 27 : mi 12.28 - alt. 1,532 ft - Lagarrigue
  29. 28 : mi 12.62 - alt. 1,539 ft - The Mas de Mouly
  30. 29 : mi 13.19 - alt. 1,614 ft - Le Garrigol
  31. 30 : mi 13.57 - alt. 1,568 ft - Marmont
  32. 31 : mi 14.24 - alt. 1,594 ft - Le Baudas
  33. 32 : mi 14.82 - alt. 1,709 ft - Le Puech
  34. 33 : mi 15.23 - alt. 1,512 ft - D71
  35. 34 : mi 15.43 - alt. 1,503 ft - Saint-Salvadou – D648 - église de Saint-Salvadou
  36. 35 : mi 16.63 - alt. 1,742 ft - Crossroads, Chemin de La Vitarelle
  37. 36 : mi 17.96 - alt. 1,942 ft - Route de Pierrechange - Fontaine des Fées (Saint-Salvadou)
  38. 37 : mi 19.18 - alt. 1,831 ft - The Puech de la Cédène
  39. 38 : mi 19.6 - alt. 1,696 ft - Route de Vabre - Vabre-Tizac
  40. 39 : mi 19.9 - alt. 1,614 ft - Route du Bois du Bruel
  41. 40 : mi 20.02 - alt. 1,558 ft - Crossroads and path towards Laubiès
  42. 41 : mi 20.47 - alt. 1,854 ft - On the outskirts of Laubiès
  43. 42 : mi 20.6 - alt. 1,837 ft - Bleyssol - Croix de Bleyssoles
  44. 43 : mi 21.03 - alt. 1,706 ft - D619
  45. 44 : mi 21.57 - alt. 1,870 ft - D905a towards Rieuprésens
  46. 45 : mi 21.93 - alt. 1,860 ft - D905a, exit at Rieuprésens
  47. 46 : mi 22.86 - alt. 1,919 ft - La Coste/Le Bouscatel junction
  48. 47 : mi 23.3 - alt. 1,926 ft - D905a towards Solville
  49. S/E : mi 24.12 - alt. 1,893 ft - Solville car park – Baraque Lortal

Worth a visit

Along the route:
La Bastide l’Evêque, a fortified town founded in the13th century, and its14th-century church.
The ‘Oreilles en Balade’ audio trail in La Bastide l’Evêque, Saint-Salvadou and Vabre-Tizac.
Panoramic views of the villages of La Bastide l’Evêque, Cabanes and Réquista Castle.
Les Martinets du Lézert, copper forges.
The16th-century Château de Réquista (private).
The Aveyron and Lézert valleys.
Saint-Salvadou and its neo-Gothic church.
Fontaine des Fées and Neolithic remains.
Vabre-Tizac and its ancient fortified village with a13th-century arched gateway.
The Bleyssol Cross (15th century, listed as a Historic Monument).

Nearby:
The Cayla Bridge in the Gorges de l’Aveyron at La Bastide-l’Évêque.
Bois du Bruel, a fun nature trail: the trail is dotted with little games and puzzles about biodiversity and the history of the woodland. This site is one of the Aveyron’s sensitive natural areas.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.