The Chemin de Sancet

Park in the car park near the Tourist Office, Maison du Tourisme et du Thermalisme.

(S/E) Opposite this, turn right, cross the casino car park, then take the road that leads uphill to the left to join Boulevard Paul Daudé (D824).

(1) Cross this boulevard, head for the steps opposite, follow the path and continue to the crossroads at the hamlet of Jouanlane.

(2) Take the path on the left and carry on straight ahead to join Route du Sancet.

(3) Turn right onto it and carry on straight ahead until you reach Avenue du Lac.

(4) At the Stop sign, turn right onto Avenue du Lac, which runs alongside the lake; pass the campsite and continue until you reach the woodland on your right.

(5) Turn right into the woodland and carry on to the hamlet of Jouanlanne and the junction you passed on the way there.

(2) Turn left to return to the car park via the reverse route of the outward journey (S/E).

Take a light snack and something to drink with you, as well as a good pair of walking shoes.
You can refresh yourself at the Tourist Office, where a drinking fountain is available.
The route is accessible on foot or by bike. There is a tyre-inflation station on the side of the bus shelter, directly opposite the Maison du Tourisme et du Thermalisme.
The route is fully signposted in yellow.

Barbotan-les-Thermes is a spa town whose waters and mud are renowned for treating rheumatic and phlebological conditions, osteoarticular pain and arthritis. The use of Barbotan’s thermal waters and mud for therapeutic purposes was already known before the Christian era. During the^16th century, illustrious figures came here to treat their ailments: Marshal Blaise de Monluc, Montaigne and Henri de Navarre. It is one of the few spas where venous and rheumatic conditions can be treated simultaneously. Barbotan is one of the three remaining spa resorts in the Gers, alongside Castera-Verduzan and Lectoure. Barbotan accounts for 90 per cent of spa visitors.
The springs, perhaps due to their low flow rate, were the subject of particular interest in the Gascony region of the Gers. Since the Renaissance, doctors, scientists and investors have expanded the facilities and accommodation options. The^19th century was the golden age of spa tourism, with around fifteen springs in use. In Barbotan, as in the other spa centres in the Gers, every effort was made to compete with the spas of the Pyrenees: the adoption of a neoclassical architectural style (pediment, peristyle, etc.) to emphasise the antiquity of the springs, the opening of a casino, the creation of fishing areas at Lake Uby, the development of parks ideal for strolling, and the provision of a wide range of treatments.