Grabels, at the gates of Montpellier
Grabels has 9,092 inhabitants northwest of Montpellier, in its direct urban unit. The name of the village appeared as early as 1120, in the marriage contract between Guillemette, daughter of the lord of Montpellier, and Bernard IV, Count of Maguelone. In the 18th century, the bishop of Montpellier auctioned the seigneury of Grabels to finance the restoration of his château de Lavérune; This seigneury finally disappeared in 1789.
A siege of 1621 and a painter at the Mas de la Valsière
In 1621 and 1622, at the end of the wars of religion, Grabels was besieged and taken by revolted Protestant troops : the church, the presbytery and part of the ramparts were destroyed, and the church would not be rebuilt until 1666. Three centuries later, the painter Pierre Soulages occupied the Mas de la Valsière for two years, from June 1942 to June 1944, where he met the writer Joseph Delteil, a native of the commune. Fabrice Bellard, a computer scientist who created DivX video format, was also born in Grabels.
The same valley of the Mosson as Saint-Jean-de-Védas
Grabels and Saint-Jean-de-Védas share a particularity : the "Mosson de Grabels valley in Saint-Jean-de-Védas" is inventoried as a natural area of ecological, faunistic and floral interest, in five communes of the department. The creek of the Fosse and the creek of Pézoillet, which crosses Grabels, join the same river that borders the dwelling. It is a natural wire between the two municipalities, more than just a line on the map.
The old village and Via Tolosana
The peasant market runs the centre of Grabels, between the Clock Tower and the Castle. The town is also a stage of Via Tolosana, a historic path towards Santiago de Compostela marked as a great hiking trail GR 653, which comes from Montpellier and continues to Montarnaud. Several parks, including the Bird Garden and the Bau de Rochas, complete the promenade outside the old centre, with the source of Avy and the Cross of Guillery as other landmarks of local heritage.
Join Grabels from the accommodation
Grabels is 12.1 kilometres from the accommodation, a 19-minute drive in fluid circulation. The municipality has no trams : the journey is by car, crossing the west of the town, on the same roads as those along the Mosson valley. A medical home, Censomed, completes the services of proximity to the center, for stays that are accompanied by a health appointment.
For whom this base makes sense
- A hiking trip : Via Tolosana connects Grabels to Montpellier on one side and Montarnaud on the other, for a stage on foot or in several exits.
- A producer market : the farmers' market of Grabels completes the shops in the centre of Saint-Jean-de-Védas.
- A natural immersion The Mosson Valley is discovered both from Grabels and from the housing, on the same ecological corridor, without having to change vehicles.
Studio or duplex for a stay near Grabels
The studio suitable for a couple of hikers, with its double bed and workspace to prepare the next step. The duplex, with its two bedrooms and washing machine, is better suited to a group that runs several days of walking. Both units are at the same address, in the centre of Saint-Jean-de-Védas, about 7 minutes walk from the tram.
To extend westward, the page dedicated to Lavérune presents the neighbouring village, on the other side of the same valley, only a few minutes drive from the accommodation.
