The rail bike, a journey between history and nature in the heart of Béziers

Abel Fiacre, the manager of the Vélorail company, is satisfied with the attendance at his activity. Gaelle Liot

Gisèle, Vincent and Tom (8 years old) come from the Paris region to enjoy the activity. Gaelle Liot

Le vélorail canal du Midi attire 10 000 personnes par an. Gaelle Liot

At dusk between the vineyards, olive trees, orchards and sunflower fields, the heat has dropped and a light wind blows on the fifty or so tourists who have come to try out the rail bike, in the heart of the dried-up pond of Montady, near Béziers, this Thursday, August 1st.

This bucolic ride, less than 400 m from the Canal du Midi, extends over 7 km of rails (1 h 15) dating from 1923 (brought up to standard) at the gates of Béziers. On the bikes, two cyclists, on either side, and, in the middle, two passengers. They ride along the rails on their pedal-powered vehicle, passing several major sites from the Middle Ages and the Gallo-Roman era, at the gates of Béziers. "“I was running when I discovered these rails,” recalls Abel Fiacre from Béziers, manager of the Vélorail du Canal du Midi company, based in Montady. “When I was little, I had already ridden a Vélorail and I come from a family of railway workers. All these elements gave me the desire to create this activity.“

After long administrative twists and turns and five years, the rail bike finally saw the light of day in 2021."We spent the entire winter of 2020-2021 clearing brush, cleaning ditches, unblocking structures, to get the rails that were over a hundred years old out of the ground. It was the jungle! For this work, we received around 55,000 &euro of European funds and the Region", for a total budget of 140,000 euros, he confides. In addition, theerails remain the property of the SNCF. The rail bikes should soon be equipped with silent wheels (thanks to the vulcanization technique). This is in order to best respect the environment and the neighborhood.

10,000 visitors per year

Open for eleven months of the year, the Vélorail generates half of its turnover in July, August and spring thanks to tourists from France and elsewhere (more than 10,000 visitors each year). Special events are organized for Halloween, Christmas and Easter and partnerships help boost local businesses (Soustres estate, Montady Tower, Ensérune archaeological museum, Roquebrun canoeing and kayaking, Colombiers Sunboat and the many campsites).

Among the tourists, Gisèle, Vincent and Tom (8 years old), originally from the Paris region, are on holiday at the Les Mûriers campsite in Vendres. “I learned about the rail bike through camping. We had never done it before. This outing exceeded our expectations, we love it! “ Brian and Adeline are coming from Nice: “We received an ad on Facebook. We had already done the rail bike in the forest in Ardèche. We find the prices very interesting especially for children.”On the Google search engine, the company is also rated 4.6 out of 5 on Google (600 reviews), they also have 5,000 followers on Facebook and 1,000 on Instagram. An activity that deserves to continue in the future.

A historical point halfway

&Halfway, Gabriel, a seasonal worker at the bike rail, gives a little historical point: ” This site is unique in France and there are only three in the world. In the Middle Ages it was a real pond, it was drained in 1247 following the population boom and the need for crops. The stagnant water was a vector of disease. Its particularity is its irrigation system with 60 channels, which form a sun, which you can contemplate from the top of the oppidum of Ensérune. In the distance, the Saint-Nazaire cathedral in Béziers dominates the horizon and the medieval tower of Montady watches over you.”

Lieu-dit Le Bosc 34 310 MONTADY By the RD11 between Montady and Capestang at the intersection of the Poilhes road.
Tel: 06 17 05 69 58. Full rate: 14 euro;, child rate: 8 €, free under 5 years old. Departures 9:00 a.m.: 3:00 p.m., 10:00 a.m.: 3:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m.: 3:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. midi.fr