Want to get away from it all, explore the great outdoors and discover new horizons? Camping La Pinède takes you to the Massif de la Clape, in the heart of the Narbonnaise en Méditerranée Regional Nature Park in theAude department. On the program: hiking, mountain biking, climbing and discovering nature between garrigues, pine forests and vineyards.
Contemplative hiking
Need to stretch your legs? The Massif de la Clape, a former Roman island, is recognized as the largest classified natural site in the Languedoc region (Natura 2000), covering over 15,000 hectares. It’s also a hiker’s paradise, with some 500 km of hiking trails . Surrounded by typically Mediterranean vegetation, the Park’s “Heritage Routes” take visitors on a tour of La Clape’s rich landscapes, nature and architecture: the villages of Fleury d’Aude, Vinassan, Armissan, le Gouffre de l’Oeil Douxthe Grotte de la Crouzade (a major prehistoric site), Pech Celeyran castle, Notre-Dame des Auzils chapel and its marine cemetery, to name but a few. In the traditional village of Gruissan, famous for its stilt cottages, there are several itineraries offering quiet walks along the shores of the lake, through vineyards, garrigue and pine forests.
Explore the mountain bike trails #of Gruissan and Aude
From Gruissan, in the south of the massif, numerous mountain bike/FFC circuits circuits criss-cross the Parc Naturel Régional de la Narbonnaise. At the end of the trail: the Aude coastline, the limestone sierras, the garrigue, the ponds and the Salins beach, St Martin Island or the vineyards of Figuères… There are more than 100 km of dedicated mountain bike itineraries, which can be done by the day or over several days, with a series of loops. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced mountain biker, there’s something for everyone. Looking for a challenge? The circuit known as “La montée des plateaux” is reputed to be the most difficult in Gruissan: 31 km with 610 m of ascent!
À LIRE AUSSI : “the best mountain bike trails in the Aude”. .
On your marks, get set, climb!
Climbing enthusiasts can indulge their passion on the the Clape massif . Between Gruissan and Narbonne-Plage, the limestone cliffs offer climbers a formidable playground, with the deep blue sea as a backdrop. With almost 350 routes accessible to the greatest number of climbers, an amplitude of around twenty meters, rocky overhangs sheltered from the wind and shaded walls, La Clape is a privileged site for “family” climbing, with a few challenging passages for experts. Other climbing sites to try out: la Couleuvre to the east, la Crouzade in the center, les Crêtes de Vires to the north, as well as la Chandelle, les 4 Miss and les Caunes.
Observing nature
The naturally curious won’t be disappointed either. Classified as a natural site in 1973, the La Clape forest massif (which means “heap of stones” in Occitan) is renowned for its rich biodiversity. In particular, it is home to the Centaurée de la Clape, an endangered and fragile heritage species found nowhere else in the world. In terms of fauna, over 60 species of birds can be seen here, including thelong-eared owl, the white stork and the spotted eagle, as well as numerous species of endangered bats such as the little rhinolophus, the echinch-eared bat and the rhinolophe euryale (grotte des Auzils). A detour to the Maison de la Clape in Vinassan, to find out more about biodiversity, the evolution of landscapes, the wealth of natural environments and human activity… (Free admission).