Villeneuve les Bezieres – Palavas les Flot

Day 12, Thursday, 5 July.  Villeneuve les Bezieres – Palavas les Flot.  72kms

Clem and Lesley had caught the train yesterday front Carcassone, choosing to have a few days in Avignon.

Once again Phill, Chris, Steve and Linda had an early get away – only because we wake up early.  No one else has even surfaced by the time we leave our campsites.

We had a storm overnight, thunder and lightning, quite a bit of rain and just as we set off a huge clap of thunder  let us know who was boss. 

We had been camped next to a young Austrian couple who were on a three month odyssey from their home town.  They had sold their unit, bought some bikes, then kitted themselves out to tent through Europe.  A very interesting couple.

The campgrounds are starting to get crowded and expensive as the European/British holidays have started.

We started riding on the canal path, which turned into a minor dirt road on which Chris got bogged.  Bogged on a bicycle = mud between the wheel and mudguard.  Once we extracted Chris, we pushed on to Agde where we all felt like a second breakfast.  Called into a bar and had the typical French breakfast of pain (bread), jam and coffee.

We then turned the corner and markets opened up in front us.  Chris and Linda had a quick browse, bought a few things, mindful of the fact that we have to carry everything on the bikes.

The canals in this area were very pretty and had lots of flowers around the ecluses (locks).

Then we rode towards Sete on the road which was noisy and fairly busy, even though it was described as a secondary road.  After some lunch we decide we should take a short cut along the Canal du Midi.  Unfortunately the overnight rain had created a lot of mud on the path, which led to all of us being “bogged”.  A very frustrating 20kms having to stop and unclog our mudguards frequently. This was quite frustrating as we would have arrived at Palavas Les Flot much earlier if we had stayed on the road. After much chasing around for a camp ground we finally found one at about 5pm.

We spent quite a bit of time washing the bikes and ourselves before we set up as we were splattered by the clayey mud along the canal.

We decided to dine at the restaurant in the park which was run by two ladies who did not speak English. After much discussion between them and ourselves we had all selected what we were going to eat. Next thing,  we were being  approached by a security guard (these guys are quite a common occurrence at the bigger van parks we have been staying in). We thought we were in deep trouble when he said to us ‘I am here to help are you having trouble ordering your dinner?’ We asked him did he speak English and he said yes, I am Spanish, and speak English!! Perfect, he confirmed that what we had chosen was what we were hoping to eat. Bonus. We were offered a complimentary coffee with our meal, which rounded off a lovely evening. We headed to bed and were disturbed in the middle of the night by a couple of noisy campers nearby, so at 3.30am Linda sang out shush!! And that was the last we heard of them!!  We then had a quiet sleep until the day dawned.   

Castlenaudry to – Villeneuve Les Bezieres

Day  10, Tuesday, 3 July.  Castlenaudry – Carcassone – 42kms

After another early start we rode along the roads rather than the canal, we arrived at our camping ground about 10.30.  We did some household duties and Chris was very proud of herself realizing that the dryer shouldn’t have wash powder put in it.  We came across a new system where the machine provided its own detergent.

The old town of Carcassone is a UNESCO listed world heritage site which has 2500 yrs of history.  The “new town”, which surrounds it is relatively recent, being built in the 18^th and 19^th century.  The old town is a walled city which was built on the top of a hill in about the 11^th century.  Its walls are 2m thick, however even this was not enough to protect the town.  Cannon balls which weighed about 110 kgs were able to penetrate these walls.

There is a huge need to look past the commercialism inside the walls of the old city. It is very tourist oriented, but taking a tour to have the history explained was worthwhile.

The afternoon was spent wandering around the old city, we then returned to the campsite to watch the end of the days riding in the Tour de France and watched Cadel Evans come in sixth for the day.

Day 11, Wednesday, 4 July.  Carcassone – Villeneuve Les Bezieres – 103kms

An up hill and down dale day.  Another early start to beat the heat.  We rode on the road for about 20kms, then decided to take the Canal path again.  That was a bit of a mistake as the path turned out to be single track mountain biking on the flat!

We (literally) ran into a group of Aussies coming the other way and their leader – a boy about ten – managed to run Chris into the bushes.  No damaged done, except that the kid was mortified at having caused the incident.  After about another hour of being jolted all over we decided the road was amuch better option, even though it was hot and busy.  Generally the drivers are very polite and give us a wide berth.  Sometimes the cars coming in the other direction are not so lucky, although they all seem to know what is going on.

After thinking that we only had 75 kms to do today we ended up doing 102kms.

There was some beautiful scenery along the way and a few of the smaller villages which we could see from the road looked delightful.

The campground is beside a canal and quite pleasant.  Summer holidays have commenced here, so the camping prices have risen accordingly.

Day 9, Monday 2 July. Toulouse – Castelnaudary. 82kms

Well we made it back to the campground last night with no dramas.

As the weather was still a bit gloomy we decided to dine in the campground “restaurant” last night.  We watched the opening of the European Cup? Soccer final, then decided to call it a night.

We packed up this morning with the sun shining brightly, and navigated our way through Toulouse city from top to bottom with all the locals.  It was like peak hour on Pitt Street.

Along the Canal we asked for directions for food from a group of French walkers comprising a mum, son and friend.  We decided to keep going as their directions would have had us doubling back on ourselves.  Further along the path we found a truck stop which we were able to get to through the fence.

The walkers caught up to us as we were eating and we had a long conversation with them.  We found the son’s name was Romaric, mum’s name was ?Liarisa? (sorry mum)  and their friend was Veronique.  Romaric  had spent three weeks in Ireland on an exchange visit, so had good English.We exchanged Facebook/blogsight info and went on our way.

We stayed on the Canal until about 15 kms from Castelnaudary, then when the path petered out to a track, we took to the road.  We then had the most spectacular view of the valley and distant mountains.

On arrival we went straight to the campground and pitched the tents, then headed into the Centre Ville. 

Castelnaudry is a pretty village where the Canal expands into a small lake.  There is a series of four locks on the Canal within about 100m of each other.  We hung about watching the canal house boats manoeuvring their way through the locks. The height difference between the lake and the Canal was about 10m, so it was interesting to see them navigate the differing levels of the Canal.

The Collegiate of St Michael is the local cathedral, which had a huge white marble altar.  The church was built in the 1200’s and has been restored over the years.  Benefactors have contributed to carpet over the years in various parts of the church, so that it can be used year round!

All in all, an interesting town.  Dined out at the “three star” tent restaurant, deciding not to sample the local dish – the cassoulet.

Day 8 – Sunday, 1 July. Toulouse

Woke to heavy rain which stopped for long enough for us to get out of the tents, have breakfast and hop on a free shuttle bus to the Metro station to catch the train into Toulouse central. Our Metro trip was different as the train had no driver – all automatic.  Amazing how an invisible person can control everything so well!

As you will see from the pics it was another ‘yellow jacket’ day. Temperature readings on the chemist shops showed it was only 16 degrees. We are hoping for a warmer day tomorrow.

After a session in McDonalds to sort out the blog, do our e-mails etc we headed to the Office de Tourisme to plan our day of sightseeing in Toulouse.

Amongst the sights we visited were the Theatre du Capitole, Couvent des Jacobins, Musee des Augustins, Cathederale St-Etienne and Basilique St-Sernin and Hotel d’Assezat Fondation Bemberg.  All the architecture in the buildings was stunning and the Hotel and Theatre had beautiful murals and paintings throughout.

We were surprised that there were no shops open on a Sunday in the centre of the city and absolutely no souvenir shops (which was a nice change – in comparison to, say Prague).

We thought we had the Metro sorted only to find ourselves on the right line heading in the wrong direction.  A quick recalculation after the first station saw us jumping off the train, back up the stairs, across the platform, down stairs and onto the correct train.  Just adds to the experience.

We are now waiting at the bus stop hoping we will be able to get ourselves back to the camp ground by using the bus timetable which we picked up at the campground.  If you hear from us again, you know we made it back!

St Emilion to Toulouse

St Emilion – La Reole – Valance de Argen – Toulouse.  62km, 112km, 84km.

Sorry that your correspondents have been on strike, but it has been very hot and we have had no access to the web.

 To La Reole - Early start.  Lovely riding conditions to start, a much cooler day.  The temperature gradually increased to about 38 degrees though.

Quite a hilly riding day, but beautiful views of the rolling vineyards. 

Arrived at La Reole about lunchtime, had a few beers at a nice tabac, then headed to the campground to set up.  The camping ground was adjacent to the mighty Garonne River, very wide and fast flowing.

Staying at the park too, was a family of mum and dad, three children about 6, 3 and 6mths.  They were travelling the Camino pilgrim trail.  They had two donkeys, their tent and a papoose to carry the baby in.  Mum was in Bordeaux when we arrived dealing with the baby who had broken his leg falling off a chair, they were pushing on.  The children all slept on sheepskins in the tent and the bub was put on a sheepskin on the back of the donkey for his sleeps during the day.  We gather the older children also rode the donkeys as well as walking.

Also met some American cyclists who are here for six months and gave us the low down on our next few days.

Did some daily shopping and discovered another big hill on the way. Managed to scale it and get the shopping done.

La Reole is another village that looks to be centuries old.  Very pretty.

Dined at our tent, then spent another hot night in the tent.

29 June – La Reole – Valance – 112kms

Another early start to the day, warm to start, but became cloudy, so was pleasant riding.

Easy riding along the Canal du Garonne.  Lots of market gardens and orchards along the way.  We stopped for morning tea at a boatyard on the canal.  We watched a group of 7-8 yr olds board a boat for a day’s excursion.  The teachers looked as though they were ready for a hectic day with a wry smile on their faces, directed at us.

Stopped for lunch at Damazan in the market square.  It is a beautiful old town with century old homes surrounding the square.

Rode on towards our campground with the countryside surrounding the Canal becoming flat with fields of sunflowers, corn and market garden. 

The Canal is a UNESCO Heritage listed site.  The engineering of the canal is fantastic considering it was commenced in the mid 1600’s. 

Arrived at Agen, another big city only to find out that the campground we though was only another 7km along the way, no longer existed. 

At Agen the Canal traverses the Garonne River.  It is a very odd sensation riding alongside the canal aquaduct which has the huge river flowing beneath it.

So we had a bit of lunch and rode on the next 30kms to Valance d’Agen where we camped next to an equestrian centre.  Luckily the horses went to sleep early in the evening!

Valance was yet again a very pretty village.

30 June – Valance – Toulouse – 83kms

Another early start to beat the heat.  Similar riding along the canal with the scenery continuing the same as yesterday.

Stopped for an early morning tea as we were all tired after yesterday’s ride.  Sustenance seems to lift the spirits and pastries are mandatory.

Riding along the canal you go through few towns, so we needed to turn off the track to go into the towns.  We called into Grisolles for lunch where we were met by Claude who welcomed us to his town and invited us to his “ranch”.  He had worked all over the world and had spent time in Australia where his brother still resides on the Gold Coast.  It was lovely to be made so welcome so far from home.  We spent a while having lunch in the village square and he returned with his camera to take shots of us.  As we first rode into town we were greeted with calls of “Aussie, Aussie” in a very French accent.  All in all a very friendly village.

Still had 30km to go to our campsite.  Did our daily shopping on the way.  We were met by Craig and Di Deane (another Canberra couple also cycle touring in France) when we arrived at the campground about mid afternoon.

Set up camp and enjoyed a few drinks and stories over dinner.  Tomorrow is a rest day to be spent in Toulouse.

Paris to St Emilion

Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport) - Bordeaux Airport - camping ground – 25kms

5am meeting in foyer of hotel to walk bikes etc to airport.  Booking in process was a bit complex and ended up costing us 75 euro for the bikes.  Arrived Bordeaux Airport 9.30 am, unpacked our bikes in a vacant space next to the main arrival gate at the airport.  Lots of bits and pieces everywhere, but everything went together, no dramas, received lots of inquisitive looks from the locals and a bit of special attention from the local janitor who provided us with our own bin to get rid of the excess packaging.

Rode via the city to the campground, on the other side of the Garonne River.  We called into the Bureau de Tourisme to establish our bearings. The campground was newish, but a bit sandy underfoot.  Then had dinner and a sample of the local delights at the campground.

Bordeaux – Bordeaux – 17kms

Surprisingly we woke to misty rain.  A reminder of last year’s trip!  The day did improve.

Rode into Bordeaux and had breakfast, then another visit to the Bureaux de Tourisme. Took a sightseeing tour around the city which included a wine tasting.  Bordeaux seems to be having a spruce up.  Lots of the buildings have been cleaned and are sparkling.  We missed out on their Festival de Vin which will be huge, but doesn’t start until next weekend.

Bordeaux – St. Emilion – 72kms

Woke to misty rain again.  Packed up the tents and headed off about 7.45.

By mid morning the sun had come out and the temperature increased enormously. We headed back into the city to start our days ride.

Route took us along the cycle path adjoining the Garonne, then we headed east towards Creone for morning tea.  Tourism office advised our chosen winery tour was booked out and gave us directions to an alternative.  This route took up through the hills and dales of the vineyards, beautiful scenery, but a few hills of note and great declines.  Although there were lots of vineyards around Bordeaux this area seems to be a more concentrated wine growing area.  The buildings associated with the vineyards are very grand. We couldn’t find the winery, so we had to do the hills and dales in reverse, which isn’t everyone’s idea of fun!

Pushed on to St Emilion.  Just when we though all was lost the MIGHTY GARMIN 800++!! led us to the next campground. (For those uninitiated the Garmin is our GPS navigation system which we use in times of crisis!)

Campground is very upmarket and we had a swim in the pool.  Heated to 29 degrees, so it didn’t really do the job of cooling us day, but was welcome all the same.

Dinner was at the three star tent restaurant, with a wide selection on the menu.  Choice of three different dishes, all a “one pot” meal!

We all headed to bed about 8.30 pm with the sun still high in the sky.  Some of us have resorted to using the eye shades handed out on the plane to help draw the shutters in the tents.

St Emilion – St Emilion – Wednesday, 27 June - 7 kms

Day dawned beautifully.  The ducks joined us for breakfast and we decided they had a mating session nearby, considering the kerfuffle in the bushes next to our tents!  Had a leisurely start, setting off about 8.45 am to ride into St Emilion. 

We rode into St Emilion through walled lanes which divide the appellations (various vineyards) on the way into the village.  The scenery through the vineyards was fantastic.  Lots of vines, wildflowers and we were delighted to encounter a nice “minty” smell as a worker was cleaning the roadside drain with a very large excavator with an opening bucket, disturbing the wild mint.

A bus tour of the vineyards took us past the Petrus vineyard.  Looking later in the shops we could have bought a bottle of Petrus for 2,000 euro for the current release.  The area is very wealthy and the chateaux appear to be well maintained.  We gained lots of information regarding the area generally.  The wine production was originally established in the 13-14th century.  In 13-14^th century the village had 5000 inhabitants – now there are 145 permanent residents.

After the wine tour, we found an outdoor urinal for the guys to use and a natural spring pump which you operated by spinning a solid wheel.  All very different and interesting.

Next was our subterranean tour of the “largest monolithic” church in the world, and the catacombs associated with the church, where they buried the rich and the local monks.  The whole church was dug out of the side of the hill. It was completed very quickly – in about 50 years of digging, during the 9-12 centuries.  Quite amazing.  The pillars of the church support the bell tower, which weights 4,500 tonne.  They have had to reinforce the pillars with steel supports, following archaeological digs which established problems with springs under the ground.  Over the years the well designed original drains had been blocked, creating issues with moisture creating capillary action in the limestone.  It was a relief to be underground with a constant temp of 13, today’s top temperature reached 38 degrees.

St Emilion is very tourist oriented, but we all had a lovely feeling about the place.  Apparently the place virtually closes down for the winter and is overrun by tourists in the summer, so we arrived at a good time.

After a nice day in the village we did the mandatory shopping on the way home.  Tonight’s dinner will be at the “3 star” tent restaurant – cheap and cheerful!