Iconic by bike: the Citadel of Blaye

From the bottom of Porte Dauphine (pedestrian entrance to the citadel of Blaye), take the white gravel path to the left that runs along the old railway line and join the cycle path. Behind the cinema, you will find the paved track, you will leave the citadel on your left and you will pass under the Paris bridge. Follow the cycle path to the D937.

Cross the D 937 and at the next crossing, leave the track and take the road to the left. At the next crossroads, turn right towards Château Pérenne, then left towards St-Genès-de-Blaye. Then go through the Château le Prieuré. At the next 4 crossings, turn right, go up the hill and pass La Palanque.

After the Château Haut-Canteloup, turn left and head for the steeple of Fours, one of the most endearing villages in the region, particularly because of its Romanesque church. After visiting the village, head back in the same direction. At the stop sign at the cross, take the opposite direction towards Lacave, you will then cross a landscape made up of plots of vines, small woods and hedges.

At the next crossroads, go straight, then right, at the next intersection and finally left, towards the village of Eyrans. At the give way, turn left and left again, after the town hall in the direction of Saint-Androny. Three hundred meters later, turn right towards Barbeau, then immediately left. This tiny road runs along a ridge from which you overlook the undulating hillsides of northern Blayais. At the intersection, turn left and further on at the stop sign on the right, the gaze then goes far away, towards the estuary and the Médoc.

At the stop sign, turn left onto the D135 E1, being careful, as this road can be busy at certain times. Cross Anglade and its old school, and continue to Jonquet, then turn right twice in succession, then follow a small path that descends towards the Vergne marsh.

Retrace your steps, turn right and left to find the D135 E1 and continue to the right. Pass the Château Corps de Loup. On the descent, in the spring, you can stop by the side of the road to observe below, in the small private wood, the merry-go-round of the gray herons which come to feed their chicks, perched in the nests 15 or 20 meters above the ground.

At the stop sign on the D255, be very careful on this busy road, turn left, hugging the edge of the road as closely as possible and 300m further on, turn right, into the white path which crosses the marsh, along the canal des Fifteen Feet. Here is the Petit Marais de Blaye.

At the end of the path, cross the bridge and the lock which allows the overflow of runoff water to be evacuated towards the estuary, via a network of ditches and canals which lead to the Canal de Saint -George. Turn left and go back down through the fields where you can hear the cry of the larks. Plus it's the reedbeds that line the path where you can spot the reed warbler that you recognize thanks to its jerky song. Continue to the next crossroads, then turn right, to finally emerge on the edge of the estuary, at the port of Belle-Etoile. The estuary is then revealed, with its immense sheet of water and the long islands that occupy the central part. Go back to the previous crossing, turn right and finally straight ahead in the direction of Morue.

At the crossroads with the D 137, turn right to take a look at the estuary again. Take the same path, turn right over the bridge, and continue to the D 255 then cross in the direction of Saint-Genès-de-Blaye. After the Château de la Salle, turn right, pass the hamlet of Valade, take successively right, left, then right, to emerge further into the village of Saint-Martin-Lacaussade, where you will discover the magnificent ornate gate of Château La Brousse.

At the stop sign turn right, then at the next crossing turn left towards Blaye. Carefully cross the D 937, and join the cycle path opposite to return to Blaye.