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At La House, coming from Gradignan via the RN10, turn right at the roundabout towards Canéjan Centre. At the next crossroads, leave Gradignan on your right and turn left. At the next roundabout, leave Cestas on your left, turn right towards Canéjan Bourg and park in the dirt car park on the left-hand side of the road as soon as you cross the bridge over the Eau Bourde. On the west side, there is a large park for walking and picnicking. To the east, on the other side of the road, there are numerous buildings and sports fields.
(S/E) Cross the road towards the bridge and take the path that starts on the left bank of the river, just before the bridge. Continue along this path with the river on your right. You can also follow the river more closely on a winding, more rugged path.
On your left, you will first see tennis courts, football pitches, and a BMX route, and soon you will cross a masonry canal.
(1) A little further on, you will come to a dirt track that leads to the Petit Arcachon housing estate on the left. Cross it to find yourself along a clearing that follows a high-voltage power line. Continue south-east, still on the left bank of the river, until you cross the high-voltage power line where the river bends to the left.
Immediately afterwards, you will come to a footbridge, which you leave on your right, to continue along the river on its left bank, very close to the water. Further on, you will find another footbridge, which you leave on your right to take the track on the left, then turn right to find yourself in a pretty clearing planted with beautiful trees of various species. In front of you, on the left, you will see the Château du Moulin d'Ornon and, on the right, a forest of large bamboo trees that hide the mill from view. Further on, pass between the château and the mill to reach a road.
(2) Turn right to cross the river and immediately after the bridge, turn left onto the path running alongside the bamboo on the left and topped by a street on the right. You are now on the right bank.
(3) After walking alongside a housing estate on our right, just after the end of a cul-de-sac, we cross a footbridge and find ourselves on the left bank. We then turn right to walk alongside the river and quickly arrive at the Tanet mill, which we leave on our right as we continue along the left bank.
(4) Ignore the footbridge on the right, which you will cross on the way back, and continue with the river on your right. You will come to a footbridge, which you leave on your right to continue along a beautiful, comfortable path for peaceful walks that takes you a little away from the river. At the end of this path, you will arrive at the Cayac mill. Go around it on the left and then cross the bridge on the right, passing close to the statue of the Pilgrim of Compostela and entering between the buildings of the Cayac priory.
The priory includes an exhibition hall and many interesting things to see, so you can spend a long time there or even enjoy a picnic in the pleasant surroundings. Then head south towards Cours du Général de Gaulle.
(5) A few metres before Rue de Chartrèze, turn right and follow a parallel path for a while, which moves away from the houses to rejoin the river, which you cross before returning to the track on the left.
(4) Turn left to cross the footbridge seen on the way out and walk along the right bank to go up the river to the Tanet mill, towards which you head by turning right to cross a small branch of the river.
(6) At the mill, turn left to go up the river and soon pass between it and a pond. You will come back to the footbridge you crossed on the way there.
(3) Leave the footbridge and continue along the right bank, walking alongside the housing estate on your left, until you reach the road after the bamboo-lined bank. Turn right to cross the river.
(2) Take the path on the left, which takes you past the Ornon mill (on your right), cross a footbridge over a lock, and follow the river on the right bank. You will arrive at a large pond.
(7) Turn left to go around it before reaching a housing estate on your left. Continue straight ahead, then turn left onto the path that runs along the right bank of the river. Pass under a high-voltage power line and near a sewage treatment plant, and continue to follow the river, which curves to the right, then further to the left.
You will soon come to a lane that branches off to the left at a 45° angle towards the housing estate, and a path that heads south, running alongside a fence and a small canal on the right and houses on the left, away from the river. Take this direction. After walking alongside the houses for quite a while, you will come to a crossroads with a tarmac driveway on the left, car parks, and buildings used as a nursery or leisure centre opposite.
(8) Turn right onto a dirt track closed by a barrier, which runs alongside these buildings on the edge of a wood. Continue until you reach the road coming from La House, then turn right and continue for about 50 metres.
(9) Just before the entrance to the Laroque estate, which you can see on the right in the middle of the fields, there is a path on the left that leads into the woods. Take this path to reach and cross the Cestas road. Opposite, there is a path under the maritime pine forest that leads to the firebreak and the high-voltage power line. Turn right to immediately find a path under the pines, which you follow straight ahead to reach the river at the Rouillac mill. Follow it along the right-hand side.
(10) Turn right immediately onto the left bank, passing to the right of a pumping station, and follow this path towards the Canéjan road. You will return to the car park at the side of the road after crossing the landscaped park (S/E).
A very pleasant hike, which can be extended if desired.
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