An outing in the shadeof the Castries aqueduct

An outing in the shade of the Castries aqueduct

Let’s go on a trip in the shade of the beautiful Castries aqueduct! This loop is ideal for a family walk or bike ride.

After parking at Domaine départemental de Fondespierre and a short walk, we reach a crossroads with a great view of Château de Castries and the lofty aqueduct.

René Gaspard de La Croix, Marquis de Castries, called upon Pierre-Paul Riquet, the bold engineer behind the Canal du Midi, to build the aqueduct. The famous landscape designer André Le Nôtre asked him to channel water to the Château de Castries grounds.

The aqueduct is 6822m long, built from local Castries stone and has just a 3m elevation. Its stars are the Grands Arcs, 20m high arches near the old town.

A family outing and great views

The Castries Aqueduct winds through the garrigue with fantastic walksin the hinterland.

This is the perfect place for a hike or bike ride to soak up the heritage.

That said, this hundred year old olive tree is a go-to among lounge lizards and its trunk is ideal for a siesta.

The route goes past the mysterious Capelette (little chapel) and over Pont des Tourilles bridge spanning the Cadoule to reach a Templar commandery’s ruins in Bannières. Next, the lovely medieval village of Castries is ours for the taking with its château whose grounds are open daily between 9am and 5.30pm.

The 3 hr journey takes us back to Mas de Fondespierre.