The Saint Girons-Foix Green Route (Ariège)
ST GIRONS , Ariège – Itinéraire
The Saint Girons – La Bastide de Sérou – Foix Green Route follows the old railway line between Foix and Saint Girons, which is now a traffic-free route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. It runs for 42 km through the heart of the Plantaurel Massif in the Pyrenean foothills. The route shows you all the diversity and beauty of the countryside in this part of the Pyrénées Ariégeoises Regional Nature Park and also connects two very different parts of Ariège that are easily accessible from Toulouse by public transport.
This green route traverses an extensively wooded part of Ariège that has a rural, almost mountainous, feel, but the cycling is easy. And it’s wonderfully cool in the summer.
Along the way there are lots of impressive man-made structures originally built for the railway, such as tunnels, Vernajoul Viaduct and gatehouses. You’ll cycle through tranquil villages and admire beautiful listed monuments and gardens (Combelongue Abbey, the Château de Foix), and you can make detours to explore the local history and go shopping for farm produce.
This green route is also the venue for a well-known annual half-marathon called the ‘Cours-y-verte‘ (Labastide de Sérou – Vernajoul).
