Wikipedia. Tourist Office. www.asaintfelix.com.

Gruissan is located just off the highway A9 (to Spain) at the level of city of Narbonne, by the coast of the Mediterranean. With its highest point of 214 metres, the Massif de la Clape (French) might not be for the hard-core rider. These trails were inaugurated in April 2011.

All trails start at Parking du Moulin in the centre of village of Gruissan.

All trails overlap in the beginning/end.

Trail number 1 goes in anti-clockwise direction, on its own north of Etang de Gruissan. In the west it overlaps with trail number 6 and then a short section with trail number 5 (both in opposite directions), but also in the same direction with trail number 2. In the south it overlaps in the same direction with trails number 6 and 2. After this it breaks off for a lengthy section on its own, across the salt marsh Salin de l'île St-Martin, before it returns back to the starting point.

Trail number 2 starts with a short double-back section, and then goes for a loop in the south. Trailing south of Etang de Gruissan it overlaps in the same direction with trail number 5. In the west it shifts to overlap instead with trails number 1 and 6 in multiple places and varying directions and distances. In the east, where trail number 1 crosses Salin de l'île St-Martin, trail number 2 instead loops west of it, back into Gruissan.

Trail number 3 starts with a lenghty double-back section into the north, overlapping this distance with trail number 4. Once it makes a loop, it criss-crosses and overlaps in multiple places and varying directions and distances with trail number 4 and later also with trails number 5 and 6.

Trail number 4 starts with a lengthy double-back section into the north, overlapping this distance with trail number 3. Splitting up, it travels in northeastern direction, interconnecting, crossing and overlapping with trail number 6 in several places, and also in a few places with trail number 5. The second half of its distance it travels along the coastline, all by itself.

Trail number 5 loops south of Etang de Gruissan, overlapping with trail number 2. In the west, as it heads north, it overlaps a short section with trail number 1 (in opposite directions), takes on a loop on its own, then overlaps a huge chunk with trail number 6 (in the same direction). Travelling in northeastern direction, further up it also crosses and overlaps with trail number 3. After a loop on its own through Pech Rouge it overlaps short sections with trail number 4 in a couple of places, after which it seems to trail back to the starting point on a tarmacced BIKEPATH! Abomination!

Trail number 6 starts out south. Shortly after Canal du Grazel it trails on its own for a lengthy distance, then overlaps (in the same direction) with trails number 1 and 2, before it turns west for another lengthy section on its own, in the furthest west, past Etang de Campignol. Turning north it interconnects with trail number 2, then overlaps (in opposite directions) with trails number 1 and 2 for quite a section. North of Etang de Gruissan it overlaps a lot with trail number 5 (in the same direction). Once it breaks off, it trails on its own into Garrigue du Figuères in the northwest, crossing trail number 3 at one point. Returning east it overlaps again with trail number 5. For the remaining distance back into Gruissan it loops on its own but crosses trail number 4 on several occasions.

Map and signage

Trails are overlapping and criss-crossing each other in a rather confusing network of trails.

FFC overview.

Small-scale overview map can be downloaded for free from the www.ville-gruissan.fr as well as from gruissan-mediterranee.com.

Gps files of trails number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

Signage is international: Two wheels with an arrow on top indicating the direction. The number of the trail is in colour. Trails are rated green (very easy), blue (easy), red (difficult) and black (very difficult).

Notes

I am yet to visit this area. Although height-meter-wise not a hard core area, I could personally use this place as a relax-your-legs-from-driving-your-car stopover on my way to more demanding trails. The fact that overviews as well as gps files have been so willingly shared on the Internet makes me want to visit even more!

Theoretical favourites: Trail number 6, for sure! Also a trail combination of the following: Trail number 3, switch to trail number 5 after they stop overlapping in the north. Follow trail number 5 until just before the tarmacced bike lane, where you hook up for an extra loop using trail number 4 all the way back into Gruissan.