Description
This walk offers a magnificent view of the Massif de Tabe.
The lake of Montbel: its creation swallowed up two former farms, including the Rey farm, now destroyed, and which forms a small island in the middle of the lake. It straddles the three communes of Léran, Montbel and Chalabre. The irrigation project, which began in 1977, was completed at the end of 1984. The project was made easier by the topography of the commune, which is a veritable natural basin fed by an 800-metre-long gallery (a penstock) connected to the Hers Vif river. With a surface area of 570 hectares, it has a capacity of 60 million m3.
Montbel church: Saint-Vincent church, in Montbel, opposite the town hall, was built in 1211. After falling into ruin and being rebuilt in 1846, it was restored several times, in 1971, 1994 and 1995.
The hamlet of Baylards: has been the site of a number of unusual finds in recent years, including polished stones.
Viewpoint: At the entrance to the dam, climb the stairs to the top of the observatory, from where you will have a magnificent view of the Tabe massif (see trail 2 for description) and the lake.
- Guidebook with maps/step-by-step1- At the nautical base of La Régate, cross the dam on the left, then enter the woods on the right. Walk along the edge of the lake (yellow markers) up to the dam.
2- At the dam, cross the dike then turn right (fence). Follow the track along the edge of the lake through a pine forest to an aquaculture farm (not open to visitors).
3- From there, take the asphalted track back to the village of Montbel, passing by the farm called 'Ferme du Fort'.
4- At the Montbel beach car park (located under the telephone hut), stay as close as possible to the lake to reach and cross the small Montbel dike. Turn left onto the track leading to the small dike at Luga. At this point, the yellow markers disappear to make way for the white and red markers of the GR7b, which you should follow to the right, crossing the dike, then the island of Luga, and finally continuing along the Fajane dike to reach the hamlet of Les Baylards.
5- At Les Baylards, turn right for 300 metres and, at the small Tuilerie dike where the penstock from the River Hers reaches you, you'll find a refreshment stall.
6- Behind the refreshment stall, take the track that runs off to the right along the edge of the lake. This track leads to the Léran dam, which you cross to the right to join the road leading up to the La Régate water sports centre.
Plain text period
All year round daily.Services
Car park
Pets welcome
Restaurant
Environment
- In the country
- Lakeside or by stretch of water
- Waterside
- 30 - 40 min from a train station by car
- Less than 10 minutes from a bus stop on foot