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THE WALKS

WALK 1

Béziers

Start/Finish	Béziers
Distance	Main Walk 25km (15.5 miles); Variant 13km (8.1 miles)
Time	Main Walk 6.5hr; Variant 3.5hr
Altitude	near sea level to 130m
Maps	IGN 1:25,000 2545ET (Béziers); Béziers city centre is in map fold 5A

One walk – with a shorter variant – is suggested in this section. It is essentially a long, out-and-back route along the tree-lined towpath of the Canal du Midi, starting from Béziers railway station and leading to a famous pre-Roman hilltop archaeological site, the Oppidum d’Ensérune. En route, the charming canal-side village of Colombiers is passed. The surrounding landscape is Mediterranean lowland, mostly covered in vineyards. There is a 100m climb at the far end, but otherwise the route is level.

CATHAR HISTORY: JULY 1209

By the early part of the 13th century, the Cathar ‘heresy’ had many followers in Languedoc. Successive popes called upon Catholic nobles and kings to suppress the Cathar church and its followers – by force if necessary. As a reward, the ‘crusaders’ were offered the land and possessions of the Cathars and their supporters.

In 1208 the papal envoy Pierre de Castelnau was murdered near Saint-Gilles, south of Avignon. He had been pursuing a mission of persecution against the Cathars, and supporters of the latter were held responsible for his death. Pope Innocent III once again called for a military crusade against the Cathars. The French king responded by allowing several of his barons to form a huge army, which marched south down the Rhône valley towards Languedoc.

In July 1209 the French army arrived at the walls of Béziers. For the most part, the Catholic and Cathar inhabitants were united in their determination to repulse the invaders. The town walls were sound and the defenders well equipped, so initially it seemed as if the siege could last a long time. But a group of Béziers citizens opened an entrance to the town so as to launch a surprise attack on part of the French camp, and in their retreat did not have time to close the entrance securely. The French army took immediate advantage of this breach, and poured into the town with overwhelming force.

As the massacre and pillage got underway the pope’s legate, Arnaud Amaury, was asked by French soldiers how they could distinguish Catholics from Cathars. Amaury’s reputed reply was utterly cold-blooded, and established at the outset the crusade’s brutal character. ‘Kill them all,’ he said, ‘God will know his own.’

Thousands of people were slaughtered in Béziers on 22 July 1209. Even the cathedral was set alight so that those who sought sanctuary there – including many women and children – could not escape.

The first and only ‘crusade’ to be launched in a Christian land had begun with one of the most horrific events in French history.

Béziers: the cathedral of St-Nazaire, severely damaged by Crusaders during the massacre of 1209, as seen from near the 13th-century Pont Vieux (old bridge)

Practical Information

Access to starting points

Béziers is served by several rail and bus services. It can be reached directly by rail from Paris. It is also close to the A9 motorway running parallel to the Mediterranean coastline.

Béziers town bus no 13 goes from the centre to the Ecluses de Fonseranes. It runs almost hourly on Sundays but is less frequent on other days of the week. There is a car park at the foot of the locks.

Navigation

There is no waymarking on this walk, but it is not necessary; navigation is ultra-easy.

Route Description

(Numbers in the text refer to the sketch map.) With the entrance to Béziers railway station behind you (1), and the entrance to a public park in front, turn right and follow the Boulevard de Verdun down to a road junction. Turn right and go under a wide railway bridge.

Variant

The main walk can easily be shortened by starting at a point on the edge of Béziers, by some fabulous canal locks – the Ecluses de Fonseranes (3) – and turning round at Colombiers (4).

Go past a roundabout and keep heading in the same direction. After a short distance, turn right and you will be walking with the Canal du Midi on your left. Pass alongside the Port Neuf. At its far end is a canal lock, which you pass to the right. After the short climb to the other side of the lock, you are on the canal towpath.

Follow the canal as it bears left and crosses the River Orb by means of a spectacular canal bridge (2). Continue alongside the canal for another kilometre or so. There are fine views to the right towards Béziers cathedral, standing high above the river. Approach the Ecluses de Fonseranes (3). At the foot of this striking series of canal locks, cross a footbridge, and turn left up a road which runs close to and parallel to the locks, with the locks on your left.

The towpath continues into open country beyond the head of the locks. Follow this wide path, on the northern bank of the canal, all the way to the village of Colombiers (about 6km from the locks). Tall plane trees overhang the canal for most of its length.

You finally approach Colombiers (4). On the other side of the canal is a minor road leading towards the village, linking Colombiers and Béziers in a more or less dead straight line (shown on the 1:25,000 map as following the line of a Roman road, the Voie Domitienne). Also on the other side of the canal is a small port for pleasure boats. A little further on you come to an old stone road bridge over the canal. This is carrying the D162 road, which approaches Colombiers from the north. To enter the village, turn left, cross the bridge and you are in Colombiers.

From where the canal meets the D162 road, continue westwards along the north bank towpath of the canal. After about 1.5km, take a slip road on the right where the canal enters a cutting. You soon reach a road junction (5) just over a point where the canal, below, enters a short tunnel. Turn right up the winding road that leads to the Oppidum d’Ensérune. Near the end of this road a flight of steps takes you up a steep bank to the plateau where the archaeological site is located. The entrance to the main part (6) is a short distance away, on your left. There is a wonderful panorama from the Ensérune hillfort, the most remarkable feature being the Etang de Montady, to the north.

After touring the site, descend by the access road that you came up. At the foot of that road, you can either follow the towpath along the north bank of the canal, retracing your footsteps, or you can cross over and follow the canal on its south bank into Colombiers (4). Just after you cross the canal, there is a tourist information office on the right.

Return to Béziers from Colombiers by your outward route, along the north bank of the Canal du Midi.

Variant

Start at the Ecluses de Fonseranes (3). Follow the route of the walk described above, alongside the Canal du Midi, as far as Colombiers (4). Cross the bridge where the D162 road enters Colombiers and stroll around the village. Then return to the Ecluses de Fonseranes along the towpath.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Béziers: The heart of this large town is located on the site of a pre-Roman settlement. Its most prominent feature today is the cathedral, near which there is a fine viewpoint. The old town nearby is pleasant to wander around. In central Béziers there are also museums and, near the railway station, a charming landscaped park.

The Canal du Midi: Now classed as a World Heritage Site, this famous waterway was built in the 17th century by Pierre-Paul Riquet. He sank all his money into the project and died bankrupt just before the canal was completed. Riquet was born in Béziers; an imposing statue now stands in the central boulevard. Running from Toulouse to Sète, via Carcassonne and Béziers, the 240km canal established a link for commercial craft between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and is fed by water from springs rising in hills to the north. It is now used solely by leisure boats – but on a large scale. The towpath is also very popular with walkers and cyclists.

Looking towards the Etang de Montady from the pre-Roman Ensérune hillfort

The Ecluses (locks) de Fonseranes: Located on the western outskirts of Béziers, this is one of the most striking engineering works along the whole length of the Canal du Midi. It consists of a series of locks which enable boats to rise (or fall) by more than 20m in a distance of about 300m.

Colombiers: An attractive Mediterranean village lying alongside the Canal du Midi. It has a small port, with shops and bars alongside. Near the port is a tourist information office in a grand stone building.

The Oppidum (hillfort) d’Ensérune: Lying close to a principal Roman road (the Via Domitia, or Voie Domitienne), these extensive remains have been described as one of the most outstanding archaeological sites in the south of France. This fortified site was first occupied in the 6th century bc. It continued in use for over a century after the Romans arrived and was abandoned in the 1st century ad. It has yielded an enormous number of artefacts and remains, many of which are displayed in a museum on the site. The delightful grounds have been planted with pine and cypress trees and several Mediterranean plants.

L’Etang de Montady: A large, roughly circular expanse of flat land divided into fields whose boundaries follow drainage ditches radiating out from the centre like the spokes of a bicycle wheel. Etang means ‘pool’ or ‘lake’, and a large body of water did lie to the north of Ensérune until the 13th century; its stagnant water was the cause of epidemics and it was drained in 1247. Its multi-coloured field pattern makes a very picturesque sight.

Visiting times

At least half a day is needed to do justice to Béziers cathedral and town centre. Allow at least 1hr to look around the Ensérune archaeological site and museum.

Further information

 Béziers tourist office: Palais des Congrès, 29 avenue St Saëns, 34500 Béziers; tel: (00 33) (0)4 67 76 84 00; tourisme@ville-beziers.fr; www.ville-beziers.fr.

 Colombiers tourist office: Maison du Tourisme, Hôtel de Ville, 34440 Colombiers; tel: (00 33) (0)4 67 37 00 90; maisontourisme.colombiers@wanadoo.fr; www.colombiers.com.

 Tourist office on the Canal du Midi below Ensérune hillfort: Maison du Malpas, Route de l’Oppidum, 34440 Colombiers; tel: (00 33) (0)4 67 32 88 77; maisondumalpas@wanadoo.fr; www.lemalpas.com.

 Ensérune hillfort (site and museum): Centre des monuments nationaux, Site et musée d’Ensérune, 34400 Nissan-lez-Ensérune: tel: (00 33) (0)4 67 37 01 23; www.monum.fr.

 Canal du Midi: www.midicanal.fr.