Long-Distance Hiking Trails

Feugarolles is a strategic village between the canal, the Garonne, the Baïse, and the Auvignon. Its stone canal bridge over the Baïse, built between 1839 and 1853, its former Paravis priory, one of the most important monastic establishments in Aquitaine under the Ancien Régime, founded in 1130 after the visit of Robert d'Arbrissel, founder of the Order of Fontevrault, its 12th-century church in Limon, its 18th-century castles, Trenquelléon with its façade flanked by two pavilions overlooking its inner courtyard, and Salles with its vineyards located in the heart of the Buzet appellation, owned by a family descended from Charles de Batz, known as d'Artagnan, bear witness to the rich history of Feugarolles.

Bordering the Baïse River, the bastide town of Vianne is a magnificent testament to Albret's medieval past. Founded in 1284 by Jourdain de l'Isle, Lord of Montgaillard, and Edward I, King of England, Vianne is one of the few bastide towns to have preserved all of its fortifications. Strolling through the right-angled streets, you will discover the gate towers and corner towers, as well as its river port. The bastide town is renowned for its blown glasswork. Come and discover this craft at the glass museum and the Dino Glass art glassworks.

Lavardac, a castrum mentioned in 1259, became a French bastide founded in the 13th century by Alphonse de Poitiers. It was a real hub for river trade thanks to its favorable location at the confluence of the Gélise and Baïse rivers. Today, Lavardac invites you to stroll along the Baïse and daydream in the shade of the bandstand.

The Moulin des Tours de Barbaste site and its Romanesque bridge is one of Aquitaine's most beautiful wonders, inviting visitors on a journey back to the Middle Ages to discover its defensive systems and legends linked to Henri de Navarre, the future Henri IV, who loved the place so much that he was nicknamed Meunier des Tours de Barbaste (Miller of the Towers of Barbaste). In the 19th century, the mill was converted into a flour mill with large commercial warehouses around the site.

The road to Vézelay stops off at Mézin, a charming village founded in the 11th century, which remains unchanged since medieval times, with its magnificent arcaded square at the foot of Saint Jean-Baptiste Church, a clever blend of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Inside, a stone statue representing a traditional pilgrim decked out in all his finery has become the emblem of the Association des Amis de Saint-Jacques de Lot-et-Garonne (Friends of Saint James of Lot-et-Garonne Association). Mézin is also the capital of cork and cork stoppers, now represented by its museum, which allows visitors to discover this activity that has sustained the village and its surroundings for decades.

Your last stop in Albret takes you to Villeneuve-de-Mézin, a small village whose church was built in the 12th century. It features magnificent murals and a fortified upper room, the original tower, which is part of a defensive structure protecting the village.