The Lampy Neuf Reservoir as seen from Ramondens

(Access). From the village of Lacombe, head towards La Galaube (D53). Enter the “81” department after crossing the Alzeau. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead onto the Route d’Arfons. 1 km further on, turn left onto the forest track leading to the Château de Ramondens (Arfons). Park under the trees.

(S/E) Take the small track running parallel to the access road to the CCAS, and pass to the east of the château and the holiday camp facilities. Ignore a path on the right and head south-east. You’ll reach a crossroads at Trabès del Touart (elevation 756).

(1) Turn right, ignoring the steep path to the heath. Turn left at the Fork in the road (elevation 741) and join the D 408, heading down towards the Alzeau valley.

(2) Follow the road to Saissac to the right, then immediately to the left, and arrive at the hamlet of Les Cabanelles. Cross the Rigole de la Montagne.

(3) Take the ^PR® “Entre Château et Rigole” (1 yellow stripe), in the opposite direction, along the right-hand service path running alongside the artificial canal. Follow its twists and turns through the Bois d’Abadie, designed by PP Riquet to stay on the contour line above the Ruisseau de las Nobios.

Warning:
During our recce (20/7), the right-of-way was blocked by a gate preventing cyclists from using it due to works to bury the… fibre! Yes, indeed. This didn’t bother us as the cables lying by the side of the path didn’t hinder our progress, even though we had to go round the construction machinery positioned on the right of way. But it was a Saturday and they weren’t working! Check before setting off.

(4) Continue left on the^PR®, leaving the right-of-way behind. Head down towards the stream, then turn off to the west. Cross the Vernassonne, and pass a junction. Follow the markings (yellow line) and a section of another^PR® route, “Autour de la Rouge” (red line), for a short while. You’ll reach a track. Take it to the right for a few metres, then keep to the right to head back up to the banks of the Rigole.

(5) At the information sign (picnic table), turn right and walk 200 m before you come to a culvert spanning the Rigole in front of a ruin.

No further signposting

Please note: For this section (from wp to wp7), use your smartphone and the pre-loaded track to avoid getting lost

(6) Cross the Rigole and go round the ruin on the right. Off the path, head towards the edge of the woodland, then turn right onto a grassy track that curves widely (anti-clockwise) before a straight section. You’ll reach a junction.

(7) Turn right onto a more clearly marked path. You’ll come out onto a stony track used for forestry operations. Follow it to the right until you reach a small road.

(8) After a few metres on the road, turn left onto a forest track (barrier). Pass the ruins of an imposing old sheepfold, the Cammas, then arrive at the edge of the Lampy reservoir.

(9) Look out for the^GR® 7, which runs alongside the lake. Turn left towards the embankment. Cross the dam to reach the edge of the reservoir, where picnic tables provide a chance to rest for a while, or even have a swim depending on the season (but be careful of the water temperature in this artificial reservoir!)

(10) After your break, head back onto the embankment and ignore the junction.

(9) Keep going straight ahead on the^GR®7, which runs alongside the lake, cross a stream at a ford, then veer off to the right to join the Lampiot. Turn left at the hamlet and cross the stream of the same name, either by fording it or via the stone-paved bridge on the left. Cross a tributary of the Lampiot, then rejoin the^GR®7 in open country, heading up the hillside. You’ll reach a road at Champ de Darré.

Leave the^GR®

(11) Leave the GR® by turning right onto a small, rough track. After a bend and a straight stretch, you’ll reach a clearing (elevation 722).

(12) Take the path diagonally to the left; it is straight and sheltered, heading south-east. After a narrowing, descend the small rocky passage to reach the end of a track.

(13) Head straight ahead and cross the Ruisseau de Bergnassonne near a water intake. Then follow the track back up to Ramondens, passing close to reservoirs and service entrances. Return to the forest lane leading to the centre and the start of the route, near Ramondens Castle (Arfons). (S/E)

Les Cabanelles: car park and picnic tables.
Lampy Reservoir: picnic tables, restaurant (in season), supervised swimming area.

Ramondens Castle
At the foot of the Montagne Noire and nestled amidst dark forests lies Ramondens Castle. In the 19th century, there was a spring near the castle. It was called the Sagne Canine, and it was said to have the power to make women who drank its water fertile.
The château has a rectangular plan on three levels, with a series of dormer windows on a Mansard-style hipped roof, flanked by a square keep with machicolations and battlements, and corbelled watchtowers at the corners of the façade. RAMONDENS was, in its day, inhabited by the famous Pierre Paul Riquet.
Today, it is brought to life by the shouts and games of children, thanks to EDF, which has established a CCAS holiday camp centre there.

The Lampy Neuf Reservoir
Construction of this reservoir began in 1777. It was built to meet the increased demand for water resulting from the opening of the new connecting canal linking the Canal du Midi to the Canal de la Robine in Narbonne. This new dam, built upstream of the first at an altitude of 643 metres, was completed in 1782. It is fed by the Lampy and Lampiot streams and discharges into the Rigole de la Montagne at the former site of the Lampy Vieux.
It is over 130 m long and more than 16 m at its highest point. It has a storage capacity of 2.6 million m³ of water and covers an area of 23 ha.
Overlooking the main beach at Lampy Neuf is the Leignes embankment. It is approximately 75 m long and closes off the valley of the same name, preventing water from the dam from flowing into it when the dam is full.

The Rigole de la Montagne
Without this small canal, which starts at the Prise d’Alzeau, the Canal du Midi would not exist. A truly enchanting spot, you can walk or cycle alongside it beneath ancient trees all the way to Lac des Cammazes, where Vauban improved upon Riquet’s work with his ‘famous breach’ (also worth seeing) to connect to the St-Ferréol reservoir – the world’s most significant 17th-century engineering feat – via the Laudot stream.