“La Clef des Champs” bike loop!

A poetic name for a bike ride through fields, vineyards and canals. This itinerary alternates shared routes and greenways, and introduces you to Terre d'Argence, a region rich in bucolic landscapes and Provençal heritage.

It is a beautiful getaway surrounded by nature, ideal for the whole family.

From the historic center to the plain of Beaucaire 

Departing from the Tourism and Heritage House, go down Victor Hugo Street and turn right onto Danton Street, which leads you to the port of Beaucaire, where you can enjoy the view, a pretty postcard to immortalize. You will follow the canal on the Quai Général-de-Gaulle. At the end of the platform, you will have to get off the bike to cross the bridge. Then, take the direction of Fourques.

After a traffic light and having passed under the railway, you can admire the Covered Cross. Go to its right to find the plain of Beaucaire and the orchard of Terre d'Argence by taking the Beauvoir path.

Vineyards, orchards and rice fields line this pretty route, where you can come across numerous Provençal farmhouses, recognizable by their dovecote, a symbol of wealth.

Take the opportunity to take a break, admire the facades and fill your baskets with jams from the Domaine du Petit Mylord, or even discover the life of a Provençal farmhouse such as in 1900 at the Vieux Mas, which will delight children in animation quest.

Continue the discovery of Terre d'Argence by taking the Route de la Plaine. If you feel like it, take a detour to the Domaine de Tavernel, a pretty organic wine estate. The architecture of this farmhouse is worth a visit, as are its organic wines.

After this discovery, pleasant for the eyes and the taste buds, get back in the saddle on the Chemin de la Cabanette, which will take you through a mosaic of fields. Then turn left on Chemin de Saujan, then right on Route du Mas Maillan. Cross the Philippe Lamour Canal, an irrigation canal that brings water from the Rhône to the south of the Gard department and to the east of Hérault.

From the Philippe Lamour Canal to the Port of Bellegarde

The walk continues to the right on Chemin Saint-Paul, then to the right again by taking Chemin des Partisans, before turning left on Chemin des Ormeaux. Don't forget to look up to see the birds of our plains: gray herons, egrets, and many others.
Turn right on Chemin des Lampourdans, a passage that will surely strengthen your arms as well as your legs! You will tell us! In any case, it is as bucolic as can be!
You then arrive at the only point of vigilance on the itinerary: the crossing of the D6113. It is best to get off the bike to better understand the arrival of vehicles, and do not forget to look “left, right, and left again”.

Then get back on the saddle and turn right on the old Chemin de Bellegarde, a path shared with local farmers, running along the fields and often bordered by reed hedges. Cross the Philippe Lamour Canal again: water is omnipresent in Terre d'Argence.
Avenue du Félibrige takes you back to Bellegarde, passing by “Un Mas en Provence”, a producer and distiller of aromatic plants. A rejuvenating break is offered to you: lavender, lemon balm, immortelle and many other plants will reveal their secrets and virtues for body and mind. You will leave the flower fields reinvigorated!

From the Port of Bellegarde to Beaucaire 

En route to the port of Bellegarde, turn left onto Avenue de Tabarly and continue to the port. Cross the bridge and turn directly left on Quai Paul Riquet. La Halte Nautique, with its incredible wine list, awaits you for a lunch at the water's edge.

The Via Rhôna/Eurovelo 17 is just in front of the restaurant, allowing you to reach Beaucaire while enjoying the Rhône to Sète canal, its birds and its greenery. Along the way, you will come across the Nourriguier lock, which allows boats to go down or up the canal.

You can go from one bank to the other thanks to the Charanconne bridge, a great opportunity to overlook the canal and watch the boats pass by.

Beaucaire is only a few pedal strokes away. Continue on the Quai de la Paix and turn left on Avenue de la Plaine. At the roundabout, the first right allows you to walk along the port of Beaucaire on the Quai de la Paix and enjoy a new perspective. After the bridge, turn left just before the statue of the bull Le Clairon, the largest cockatiel tree of its time. Then turn right on the Quai Général de Gaulle, then left along the Banquette (embankment protecting the city from the onslaught of the Rhône), on rue Frédéric Mistral, and finally on rue Danton to find the Maison du Tourisme et du Patrimoine.

There is nothing better than ending this charming stroll on the oldest square in Beaucaire, the Place de la République, where you can rest in the shade of the hundred-year-old plane trees, regain your strength, eat or have a drink on the terrace at the Épicerie or at Instant Bonheur.

Number of kilometers: 35 km
Duration: 3 hours (without break)