Above all, stretch well, the ascent of the mound is worth it. This walk echoes the heritage trail of Meilhan-sur-Garonne, available at the town hall and the media library, which will tell you the rich medieval history of the village. But to do this, you will have to pass under the canal viaduct through a tunnel before continuing on to the terrible stairs of the breach. From top to bottom and bottom to top, warm calves, warm!
Step 1: At the foot of the hill
Come on, another 176 kilometers to reach Toulouse via the greenway. And only 18 more to Castets-en-Dorthe where the canal joins the Garonne. In the meantime, a stopover is essential here, in Meilhan-sur-Garonne. Can't you see the village? Normal, it's up there, above you, behind the cloud. But to get up there, you'll first have to get down! Direction the banks of the Garonne, following the canal.
Step 2: The Meilhan Canal is dynamite
What an adventure the construction of the Canal de Garonne! Realize that here in Meilhan-sur-Garonne, the cliff had to be dynamited to make room for it. And that's not all: do you see this tunnel in front of you which passes under the viaduct? It allows excess water from the Tord, a small stream that descends from the hillside, to pass through. In the event of storms, it turns into a torrent and the engineers had to provide this space so that it would not wash away the bedrock of the canal. The downside is that when Garonne is angry, she quickly takes the path in the opposite direction, as evidenced by the flood marks that you will discover at the end of the tunnel. See you on the other side?
Step 3: The English breach
Meilhan-Sur-Garonne was once famous for its large fortress which controlled navigation on the Garonne. It was an essential and impregnable strategic point for access to Agenais until 1345, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War. It was then that the English, in the person of the Earl of Derby, decided to come and deflate the pride of these sacred Froggies. “Impregnable? said the Duke of Derby. Hold my beer*! ".
This is how the Brèche des Anglais was created, a narrow and winding path across the cliff which allowed our favorite roast beef to take over the city. And let's pay tribute to them, because before being kicked out of France, they left us this passage which will make the most seasoned athletes sweat. Enough talking! Let's save our breath for the stairs of death. Are you ready? **
*Hold my beer – **Are you ready
Step 4: The mound
“Anne, my sister Anne, don’t you see anything coming? I can see 40 km around the green fields and the Garonne shining.” Welcome to the mound of Meilhan-sur-Garonne and its ecstatic panorama. Do you understand better why this location attracted so much desire in the past? From here appear the communes of Jusix, Couthures, Beaupuy and even Marmande. Now imagine this same landscape under 10 meters of water. This is the spectacle that Garonne offered us in 2021. And it is here in Meilhan-sur-Garonne that a siren was installed to warn the population of rising water levels. You can see it on the left, near the path that goes down to the nautical stop. Now head to Saint-Cybard church.
Step 5: The departed church
The Saint-Cybard church, named after an Angoumois hermit, is the third church in Meilhan-sur-Garonne. The first was located near the mound and served as a fortification in the village's defense system. When the ramparts were destroyed during the Wars of Religion, a new building dedicated this time to Saint-Michel was built on the site of the current church. Poorly constructed and above all poorly maintained, the building was destroyed in the XNUMXth century to make way for a new church. Again dedicated to Saint-Cybard, it is in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style. What is special about this church? Instead of being oriented with an apse pointing towards the east, it is the entrance portal which opens onto the Orient. Topographical reasons and the fact that most of the village is to the east explain this disorientation of the building.
Step 6: The town hall
There was once a castle here which occupied the site of an old fortification defending the south side of the village. Bought by the municipality to install a town hall school, the whole thing did not resist the attack of nasty little creatures commonly called termites. The new construction is located at Place Neuf-Brisach, commemorating the twinning of Meilhan-sur-Garonne with this town in Alsace, famous for its Vauban fortress, many of whose inhabitants found refuge in our village during the Exodus of 1940.
Step 7: The haunted tomb
Jean-Baptiste Raymond de Lacrosse, admiral of the Napoleonic armies, ordered at the end of his life the construction of a tomb in the limestone rock of his native village. It was there that he was buried upon his death, on September 10, 1829. But according to Meilhanese legend, the admiral's servant would have been instructed by the latter, on his deathbed, to make terrifying noises in the tomb to frighten his former neighbors. The mystery of the haunted tomb would have lasted only a few nights, until the police put an end to these post-mortem antics.
Step 8: The parade ground, 'At the table citizens!'
It is here that the local farmers' markets of Meilhan-sur-Garonne are held every Wednesday in July and August, a true institution of our territory. Dozens of producers with the 47 Chamber of Agriculture label offer you the best of our territory on your plate. Music and delicacies are on the menu in a friendly and warm atmosphere.
Step 9: The missing fortress
No need to search... All that remains of the old fortress is a few watercolors and an old keystone, now reused in a private dovecote. Today it takes a lot of imagination to imagine these tall towers which once dominated the Garonne valley, instilling respect mixed with fear in all those who navigated under these walls. Still… What a beautiful view!
To return to the nautical stop, simply take Chemin de Margellene on your left. See you soon !
