Sightseeing along the way
Moissac right bank
From the start point of the walk you can see the Pont Napoléon, a beautiful structure spanning the Tarn (built between 1812 and 1829), and the old Moulin de Moissac. This venerable building seems to have defied time and history since it was built in 1474. These days it is a very smart *** hotel and spa.
You continue into a vast square stretching out before you: the Esplanade de l'Uvarium.
Taken from the Latin uva (grape), the term uvarium is used to describe a place designed to provide grape juice cures. Built in 1933 on the banks of the Tarn, the Kiosque de l’Uvarium spa was extremely famous in its day. Patients flocked here to enjoy the established beneficial properties of the Chasselas grape*. Inside the Uvarium, one can still today admire the frescoes painted by a local artist, M. Domergue-Laguarde, who was born in Valence d’Agen. They are an absolute Art Deco gem.
*The Chasselas grape is known for its diuretic properties which facilitate digestion and the elimination of toxins. Rich in vitamins A, B and C and mineral salts, the Chasselas grape is an excellent antioxidant which helps reduce levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol. It is also thought to help prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Today, Moissac has joined forces with local producers to bring the Chasselas grape back into the limelight, both as a drinking cure and for use in beauty treatments.
Every autumn, on the third weekend in September, the Esplanade is the setting for the Fête des Fruits, which alternates with the Fête du Chasselas.
The banks of the Tarn
As you leave the town centre behind, nature takes over once again. In the river here are two islands, the Île de Beaucaire and Île du Bidounet. Here you come to Moissac camp site, a lovely place to stay if you want to see more of Moissac.
You follow the Tarn upstream, and here the river is tranquil and broad just before its confluence with the Garonne, making it excellent for water sports of all kinds. There is a water sports base here offering water skiing, rowing, kayaking, pedal boats and electric boats for hire (boating licence not required).
A river port has also been opened on the river. It is connected to the Canal de Garonne via a lock, from where it is possible to cruise upstream to Toulouse and downstream to Langon in Aquitaine. There are long-term plans to make the river navigable as far as Montauban once again.
Lastly, this stretch of the river is very popular with anglers. Pike, zander, catfish and roach are all regular catches. There is also a fishing spot for disabled anglers here.
You then come to Cacor Canal Bridge, an impressive structure built in around 1845 to enable barges plying the Canal de Garonne to pass over the Tarn. Its sheer size (356 metres long by 8.35 metres wide), elegant design and harmonious use of Quercy stone and ‘brique toulousaine’ make it one of the region’s major architectural structures and a key part of France’s navigable waterways heritage. Take the time to stop and watch the lengthy process of pleasure boats negotiating the lock just downstream from the bridge.
The dovecotes
Along the way you will see two beautiful dovecotes, a source of great pride to the people of Tarn et Garonne. Some are of the so-called ‘mule-hoof’ design, while others take the form of a tower or are built on pillars, but all vie to outdo the others’ elegance, and even if they are no longer used for their original purpose (the collection of colombine, organic fertiliser obtained from pigeon droppings), they are beautiful buildings. Many of them have been restored to preserve their beauty, or even turned into chambres d’hôtes.
The orchards
Now out in the countryside proper, as you wend your way along the path you will understand why Moissac takes pride in the epithet ‘Fruit Capital’. Your walk takes you past orchards of cherry, peach, pear, apple and kiwi trees, a sight not to be missed in the spring, when they are in blossom, and in the autumn, when the leaves change colour.
The canal, greenway and marina
After your escapade in the country, you return to the town centre and walk alongside the Canal de Garonne, which in summer is particularly busy with pleasure boats. You can find out about the river tourism facilities at the Capitainerie (harbour master’s office).
Lastly, the Port makes an excellent departure point for another mode of transport: a bike ride along the Canal de Garonne Greenway, a surfaced cycle route that runs all the way from Bordeaux to Toulouse along the canal tow path.
Practical information
Start and end point Pont Napoléon - Esplanade de l'Uvarium (Moissac) Length 12.5 km
Duration 3 hrs
Total ascent 10 metres
Waymarking Yellow
Level Intermediate
Best time to go All year round, and especially spring and autumn
Note Accessible by train (TER) from Toulouse
Getting there
Moissac is 71 km from Toulouse via the A62, or the N20 and N113.
Information
Moissac Tourist Office
Tel.: +33 (0)5 63 04 01 85- http://tourisme.moissac.fr
This rural walk through orchards and vineyards starts in Moissac, a peaceful town in the lowlands of Tarn et Garonne whose cloister has made it famous far and wide.
Moissac lies in countryside with a reputation for things epicurean, dominated by orchards and the vineyards that produce the famous Chasselas AOP dessert grape. This small town, an important staging post on St James's Way to Santiago de Compostela, is also one of France’s most important centres of Romanesque art.
A town on the banks of the Tarn
Moissac grew up between sunny, vine-clad hillsides, on the shady banks of the River Tarn. The river, spanned by a bridge opened by Napoleon III, is a popular spot for water sports and the riverbanks are a lovely place for a stroll.Behind the wonderful pace of life in Moissac lies a prodigious history: that of a town at a crossroads of major walking and water routes.The Canal de Garonne, the extension of the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux, also runs through the town. Open to leisure cruising, the canal crosses the Tarn on the famous canal bridge that you can admire early in the walk.
An important centre of Romanesque Art
Moissac has also been a major staging post on St James's Way to Santiago de Compostela since the Middle Ages, and its reputation remains just as significant today, one that stems from the Abbaye Saint Pierre, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The region’s fruit capital
On leaving the town you pass through the orchards and vineyards that flourish in this fertile, sunny countryside.
When they are in season,make sure you take the time to taste a bunch of Chasselas AOP dessert grapes. This exquisitely delicate white grape has been part of Moissac’s history since the early 18th century. In France, it was the first fresh fruit to be awarded an Appellation d'Origine Protégée (AOP), in 1971. These translucent grapes are packed with a deliciously fresh-tasting juice.
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