Cournonsec, an old village on its hill
Cournonsec has 3,616 inhabitants in the extreme west of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, whose municipality is a full member. The ancient village, built on a small hill, keeps narrow alleys, a castle with its clock and bell, a judge's house and a Protestant temple : a nucleus that has retained its medieval look despite recent urbanization around it.
Hannibal, a local legend about the origin of the name
The legend tells that the name of the village would come from Hannibal's passage through the plain, when it crossed towards the Alps. Looking for a camp site, his scouts reportedly found a hill and a stream; The general then replied with a word which the elders of the village have since translated as "why not". More serious etymology is more closely related to Cournonsec to the word occitan "cornon", the point or horn of a relief, and to the suffix "dry", which recalls the position of the village on an arid hill, without water or land.
La Vène takes its source in the commune
The river la Vène was born in Cournonsec before crossing Montbazin and Gigean for 12 kilometers, to throw in the pond of Thau, opposite Sète. Around its course, the plain of Fabrègues-Poussan is classified Natura 2000 under the Birds Directive : it is home to one of the last Languedocian populations of the pink-breasted shrike, as well as the Europe Roller and Black-breasted shrike.
Cournonsec and Cournonterral, two villages that touch each other
The periurbanisation brought Cournonsec closer to his neighbour Cournonterral to the point of forming a quasi-conurbation. The two villages therefore visit each other in one exit, without returning to the road between them for a long time. In the old village, a washhouse, capitelles and clapas, these huts and dry stone walls typical of the garrigue, complete the visit on foot, next to the old Protestant cemetery.
Join Cournonsec from housing
By car, the road to Cournonsec is 11.6 kilometres, travelled in about 13 minutes in fluid traffic, by the D5 which also serves Pignan and Cournonterral. A project had a planned time to extend line 2 of the tramway, the one serving the accommodation, to the canton of Pignan and Cournonsec; He has since been abandoned. The car therefore remains the most direct means, and the municipality also keeps bus lines 34 and 38 of the TaM network, useful for a car-free journey from the centre of the agglomeration.
To whom this stay is addressed
- A quiet heritage exit The old village of Cournonsec is visited on foot, between washhouse and capitelles, in addition to a more urban stay in Saint-Jean-de-Védas.
- A natural observation : the plain of Fabrègues-Poussan interests bird lovers, a few minutes from the accommodation.
- A passage to the pond of Thau : the route of the Venus leads to Montbazin, Gigean and the pond of Thau, for a day that extends towards the coast.
Studio or duplex for a stay near Cournonsec
The studio enough for a two-way getaway between old village and countryside, with its work space to organize the rest of the stay. The duplex, with its three beds and washing machine, is suitable for a family that extends the stay to Montbazin or Gigean. Both units are located at the same address in the centre of Saint-Jean-de-Védas, with quick access to A709 and A9.
For the continuation of the road to the Thau pond, the page dedicated to Montbazin details the route.
