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Mirande / Trie-sur-Baïse Vallée de la Baïse by bike
Nature & small heritage
26,24 Km
1 h 43 min
I cycle often
26,24 km cycling route from Mirande to Trie-sur-Baïse
It’s lovely, wandering around the historic square plots of houses that make up the bastide town of Mirande. It’s also a delight, making the most of the arcades (here known as couverts) to shelter from sun and rain, and enjoying the main square, Place d’Astarac. After visiting the fine arts museum with its wide-ranging collections, time to get back on your bike to rejoin the Vallée de la Baïse à Vélo cycle route. Having crossed the state Forêt d’Armagnac, you pass through the centre of the little village of St-Michel. Here, look out for murs en damier, black and white chequered walls that are a unique local architectural feature, only to be found in some 60 parishes across the area. The building technique combines blocks of dried earth with blocks of pebbles, the precise alternating pattern creating the chequer-board effect. From St-Michel to Trie-sur-Baïse, the cycle route follows the bed of the Grande Baïse River, passing through fertile agricultural lands below wooded slopes, features of the well-known Lannemezan Plateau.
Elevation of the stage
65 m 136 m
Waytypes of the stage
By road: 26,24 km
Surface of the stage
Smooth: 26,24 km
The Route
This stage leads you exclusively along parish and county roads. Except for the way out of the town of Mirande and along the 2km-long stretch on the D939 road, where you need to take care, there are no major difficulties along this stage.
As the roads in the area are used by a lot of farm vehicles, stretches can be muddy or gritty in certain spots at certain times.
Practical information
- Office de tourisme Mirande Astarac, 05 62 66 68 10
- Office de Tourisme du Pays de Trie et du Magnoac, Mairie (or town hall) of Trie-sur-Baïse, 05 62 35 50 88
Don't miss
- Mirande: church of St Mary in southern French Gothic style; Place d’Astarac (the main square); timberframe houses and arcades (here known as couverts)
- Close by: Jazz in Marciac, an internationally renowned annual jazz festival (normally held late-July to early August)
- St-Michel: the local architecture featuring black and white chequered walls, or murs en damier
- Trie-sur-Baïse: Église des Carmes (a Carmelite church); Monastère des Carmes (a Carmelite monastery); Église Notre-Dame des Neiges (another fine church, the snows in its name referring to a medieval legend about its founding); covered market and central square; square tower, former ramparts and fortifications; fête du cochon (pig festival), cyclo-cross triais
Travellers’ reviews