The dovecotes of Murviel-lès-Beziers

The route is dotted with several tower pigeon lofts, one of the special features of Murviel-lès-Béziers.

Technical sheet

n°2581

Creation:
15 Feb 2012

Last update:
13 Jan 2020

Last review:
29 Apr 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 9.38 km
Average duration: 3h 05
Difficulty: Easy
Return to departure point: Yes
Vertical gain: + 142 m
Vertical drop: - 138 m
Highest point: 133 m
Lowest point: 37 m

Country: France
Area: Massif central
District: Murviel-lès-Béziers (34490)
Start/End: N 43.439908° / E 3.134176°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2545OT, 2644OT
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Description of the walk

Start: Start at the camper-van parking, near the paintball centre, route de Réals.

Waymarkers: Yellow and/or blue markings

(S/E) Turn left onto a tarmac track. Ignoring the first and second tracks on your left, continue straight ahead. View of a castellated dovecote.

(1) Cross the ford of the Rieutort stream and arrive at the pigeonnier d'Yvernès. Follow the path to the crossroads and turn right onto the chemin de Veyran.

(2) After two bends, turn left through the vineyards, then right up the path to Le Ministre. Old wash-house on the left under an almond tree.

(3) Pass through the hamlet. At the fork in the roads take the one to the right and shortly afterwards, the path to the left.. Continue straight ahead.
Ignore the path to the left, which leads to the ruins of an old farmhouse with a dovecote. Turn right at an imposing stone wall marking the boundary of a vineyard.

(4) 200m further on, turn left along the path. Ignore the trail to the left, then to the right, and continue to the junction with a tarmac road.

(5) Turn right.

(6) After approx. 800 m, before the high-voltage line, turn left onto a downhill path.

(7) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead to ford the Rieutort again (stepping stones). Then climb the asphalt track for 450m to reach an intersection.

(8) Turn left to go around the Villenouvette hill. The path turns right and left several times to reach another intersection.

(9) Turn left to return to the starting point. (S/E)

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 40 m
1 : km 0.89 - alt. 39 m - Ford on the Rieutord
2 : km 1.87 - alt. 64 m
3 : km 2.74 - alt. 108 m
4 : km 3.39 - alt. 133 m
5 : km 4.35 - alt. 105 m - Intersection of tarmac road
6 : km 5.1 - alt. 92 m
7 : km 6.12 - alt. 62 m
8 : km 6.86 - alt. 71 m
9 : km 9.03 - alt. 57 m
S/E : km 9.38 - alt. 43 m

Practical information

Start: Start at the camper-van parking, near the paintball centre, route de Réals.

Waymarkers: Yellow and/or blue markings

Terrain: Caution in wet weather! Ford crossings.

In the nearby area

Church of Murviel les Béziers.
Priory of St Server, near Veyran.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5

Based on 49 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5

Clarity of route map
4.2 / 5

Route interest
4.1 / 5

DEMOULIN

Apr 29, 2025 at 06:31 EDT

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

I really enjoyed this first hike guided by Visio Rando

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Cath4134

Oct 21, 2024 at 09:05 EDT

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very pleasant walk. However, the description needs to be expanded on 2 points:
- Between points 6 and 7, some details are missing, in particular the fact that at one point you take a very small path to the right.
The change of direction is not announced.

- At point 9, the route back to the starting point is not described. We had to follow the busy secondary road to get back.

Subject to these 2 reservations, it was a very nice walk.

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minanos

Feb 06, 2024 at 04:06 EST

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A varied route with several points of interest. Not necessarily popular in winter.

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HADELINE

Mar 26, 2023 at 05:49 EDT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

This is a lovely walk with no difficulties and well signposted. The pigeon lofts are the "plus" of the walk. One has been really well restored. Be careful when it's hot, there's no shade. Well worth doing!

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guglielmina

Oct 29, 2022 at 09:21 EDT

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

pleasant, well-marked walk

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Chlebegue

Feb 07, 2022 at 02:47 EST

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Some of the signposts are quite difficult to find, especially if you choose to do the route in reverse. The diversions via the prieiré de Veyran is well worth it (the minister).
Despite the high-voltage lines, the landscape of the Monts d'Orb is superb. Dolmage quil yai qu'un sel pigeonnier restauré celui d'Yvernès; la aussi arrêt indispensable

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Noëlle Muller

Oct 25, 2021 at 13:26 EDT • Last modified: Oct 25, 2021 at 13:27 EDT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very nice walk, we saw the Yvernes mill. We went as far as the Hameau de Veyran to admire the priory and had a picnic.
To be repeated.

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nono342865

Apr 05, 2021 at 07:51 EDT

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

blue and yellow route sometimes you have to look hard because it's not always well indicated, especially in the hamlet of ministre

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dj34450

Oct 19, 2020 at 04:29 EDT

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

The landmarks on the ground are quite similar to each other: vines, walls, etc. Dovecotes are not always easy to find, as there are few people on the spot to provide information... We had to grope our way around more than once...!
As for the printed map, the stage numbers sometimes hide the route and can be annoying.
All in all, we had a very pleasant time.

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randonnée34

Sep 21, 2020 at 05:22 EDT

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : Yes

We didn't have a GPS and as the marks on the route are sometimes too few, we didn't find the washhouse at a place called le MINISTRE.de plus après le point8 nous avons perdu beaucoup de temps à trouver notre chemin par manque de marques BLEUES.un seul pigeonnier d'accès facile, pour les autres, il faut aller à travers champ.Pourquoi ne pas aller jusqu'à VEYRAN?

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Graviys

May 25, 2020 at 02:17 EDT

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Only part of this walk was done, but my 6 year old son loved the fords with his feet in the water.

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coquelicolette

Mar 16, 2020 at 05:02 EDT

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

we went as far as VEYRAN which is only 2 km from the circuit, by a path through the vines.
In Veyran there is a tap for drinking water and a picnic table, and there is a beautiful old priory - it's well worth the detour.

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NICOLEPI

Feb 14, 2020 at 11:14 EST

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
The route is indeed blue
Great walk, ideal for picking leeks and wild asparagus,
To do again with the family

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henri57

Jan 13, 2020 at 12:56 EST

Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion.

:the route is blue, not yellow

I've taken the liberty of making a list of all the comments about the markings

- Sunday 16 July 2017 From the start, say to follow the yellow markings.
- Monday 19 March 2018 the route is first blue then yellow.
- Sunday 06 May 2018 Except that the markings are in blue! So in reality there are blue and yellow markings!
- Monday 04 June 2018 I think the markings are sometimes yellow and sometimes blue.
- Saturday 25 May 2019 The route is yellow but sometimes covered by a blue route.

As far as the markings are concerned:

Neither Visorando nor the author are responsible for the waymarking. Marking is often included in the description when it exists in the field, but, otherwise, the description and the map are supposed to be sufficient for orientation.
Visorando does not mark out the proposed hikes.

However, we do:

If waymarking is important to you, Visorando provides, in addition to the description and the 1:25000 IGN map, a virtual waymarking tool: a GPS Application.

This tool, offered free of charge by Visorando, allows you to validate waypoints and thus remove any doubts about orientation.

A+

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martine 34

Jan 13, 2020 at 12:18 EST

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

:the route is blue not yellow

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