Castans: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Castans has five hiking loops where you can discover landscapes, traditional cultural heritage, fauna and flora. The Boucle des ruisseaux is 8 km long, runs at an altitude of 520 to 800 metres and has a stated duration of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Renting a holiday apartment in Castans can be part of your personal travel planning.

Hiking

The Cayak car park above the cemetery in the hamlet of Laviale is the starting point for Castans’ hiking loops. The hiking trails in Castans are accessible to all non-motorised hikers.

The Boucle des ruisseaux crosses five streams, passes through shady woodland sections and by stone bridges, a listed hamlet and a small chapel, and is considered an easy hike.

The Boucle du Quiersboutou is 10 km long, runs at an altitude of 450 to 837 metres and has a stated duration of 3 hours and 30 minutes. At Quiersboutou, a stone shelter offers panoramic views of the hamlets of Castans and the Minervois.

The Boucle des deux vallées is 24.5 km long, takes 7 hours and 40 minutes and runs at an altitude of 510 to 1008 metres. Viewpoints are located on the Crêtes de San-Marti and at the Roc de Peyremaux.

The Boucle des Panoramas leads to the Pic de Nore, the highest point of the Montagne Noire; in clear weather, it offers views of the sea and the entire Pyrenean range.

Landscape

The Clamoux rises in Castans and is fed by seven streams. These streams run through landscapes of chestnut, oak, beech and coniferous forests, as well as fern heathlands, heather and summit grassland.

The Boucle de Cabrespine alternates along a varied, very hilly route between shady upland vegetation and Mediterranean flora.

Culture

The Church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption in the hamlet of Laviale has seven bells and was restored in 1860.

The grounds of the Moulin de Bru contain two former grain mills that were once operated in cascade using the same water. At Moulin de Bru, the first mill was decommissioned in 1924; the second was converted into a 30 kW hydroelectric power station and has been connected to the electricity grid since June 2012.

In the hamlet of Lafargue, the old bridge crosses the Clamoux between granite blocks. The Chapelle Notre Dame de la Pitié, located between Laviale and Lafargue, is dedicated to Saint Roch; it was built from 1656 onwards and restored in 1858.

A monolithic bridge stands near Cloutels, beneath which the stream of the same name flows.

Local Character

The Croix du lavoir in the hamlet of La Viale was listed as a historic monument by decree of 13 April 1948. A chestnut fair has been held in Castans since 1996.

Further destinations: Malviès, Gruissan, Tourouzelle, Serviès-En-Val, Ginestas, Alzonne, Ginoles, Sainte-Camelle

For the higher-level travel overview: Aude.