The historic landscaped site of Castets

A historical and natural heritage site

Place of passage frequented for millennia at the crossroads between Marsan and Gers, from this privileged position, Bougue retains many traces of a rich historical past.

The Castets plateau is the remnant of a vast continental plain formed nearly 20 million years ago. Today it is a Listed Monument which contains many quarries rich in fossils of marine and terrestrial mammals.

As early as – 50,000 years ago, the passage of one of our ancestors is attested to by the discovery of a biface type stone tool.

Later, on the plateau arranged in a barred spur, we discover the traces of the first primitive village which dominates by more than 50 meters the confluence of the Midou and the Ludon.

The defensive system includes several mottes with fortifications used from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages, and the ruins of the fortified house of Agos located on the other bank of the Midou.

Four mottes, simple earthen levees generally overhung by a palisade, a tower, or even a fortified complex, have been identified on this site. Made of perishable materials, these elevations only left traces on the ground. Let yourself be guided by the panels and their illustrations to imagine this fortified place of life in the Middle Ages.

This landscape, once clear because controlled by man, has closed over the years with the development of forest vegetation. However, we can still distinguish the effects of the hand of man. Open your eyes and discover the many mounds, ditches, embankments and paths that line this place.

On the other hand, varied natural environments give the site a certain ecological interest, in addition to its historical richness. Remarkable species have been inventoried in the heart of the forest which has developed along the two rivers. Bats, European otters and other protected insects can thus be observed by those who know how to be discreet.

1 developed site, 3 routes to discover it

At the entrance to the Castets site, once you have passed the footbridge that spans the Ludon, a platform allows you to walk through a first castle motte. Then a picnic area near the fountain, observation points and thematic panels explaining the functioning of the Castets complex in feudal times or presenting the surrounding nature will accompany you throughout the discovery of this space. natural.

This historical landscape site of Castets is revealed via three circuits of different durations.

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Castle mounds of Castets

in Bougue

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Castral mounds of Castets

A historical and natural heritage site

1 developed site, 3 routes to discover it