Having reached the Med, our next task was to get to Marciac. Looking at the terrain, west of Toulouse we decided to avoid cycling it with the loaded Pino and so hatched a plan. We could hire a car (large enough for the bike) at Toulouse Airport and drive to Marciac. We’d then spend the week staying in the campsite chalet and enjoying the rides and camaraderie of the Tandem Club. We also decided that we would not have time to ride back to the ferry and get back to the UK in time for a hospital appointment. We would drive to Caen and leave the car at the airport there.
The first few miles were spent back-tracking towards the coast alongside a main road, but there were only a few cars, so all was good.Much of the day was spent riding along a strip of land between the sea and a lagoon, but the cycle path was excellent for much of the way.
Near Sète we followed what looked like a well-used path, trying to stay off the busy coast road, but it ended in a dead-end, so our only option was to back-track and run the gauntlet on the main road for a stretch. One nearer the town we picked up the cycle network again and stopped near the harbour for some lunch. Our hotel that night was a bar at Agde, opposite the station. It turned out the restaurant was closed and we really didn’t want to ride any more after doing nearly 40 miles in the heat, so we plumped for an outside table and had some drinks and bar nibbles. The barman let me put the bike in the bar overnight after he closed at 8:30pm, as outside I thought it would be in full view of passers by and vulnerable. The rail station isn’t the most peaceful of areas.
Karon had a bad night with elevated heart rate – the result of dehydration we think, despite drinking loads throughout the day. She literally had to crawl down the stairs after I had loaded the bike and got it ready. I was all for a trip to the local hospital, but she insisted on carrying on, and once we were moving on the bike, and she had cooled down a little, was fine from then on. It’s something that happens now and then as a result of after effects of her auto-immune condition.
Leaving the coast we headed inland a little, where we encountered a few hills. At Sérignan there was a little market and we stopped to have a wander around the stalls then a coffee. After this stop we were out in the wilds. It was a gradual climb away from the town and it felt like we were completely alone. We saw no-one as we passed through the next village, some 15 miles later and it was almost a relief to get onto the main road into Narbonne, with some traffic and even the odd cyclist to keep us company.The main road into Narbonne. We’d found an apartment for the night within walking distance of the town centre. We took advantage of the washing machine then hung our stuff out the windows – it took less than a half hour and all was dry. Later we walked into town looking for somewhere to eat, but the centre was very busy. We managed to grab a couple of seats for a drink, but didn’t fancy eating there. A quick search online resulted in a table booked in a small place on a side-street, away from the crowds.Not my idea of fun.The busy main square.At last… less hectic with some good food.
From Narbonne we headed north into the river l’Aude valley and Picked up the Canal du Midi. We’d now follow this all the way to Toulouse.
Roadside vineyards and relatively flat riding again.Riding beside the Canal du Midi. Many stretches of towpath were better suited to mountain bikes, and not ideal for the loaded Pino, so we picked up the road where we could, enabling us to cover the ground much faster and a lot more smoothly!The bridge at Ventenac–en-MinervoisAlong the Canal, finding places to eat was easy. Finding a table was a little harder!The Pyrenees in the distance.Another Pino!Our B&B for the night in Olonzac. By far the best place we stayed in on the whole tour.Karon relaxing in the garden at Olonzac. We were recommended a place to eat in the evening and it didn’t disappoint.
This stretch of towpath had been reworked and replanted. fortunately we were up on a better surface.Canal-side track.Coffee stop at Trèbes.Leaving Trèbes – next stop Carcassonne
We’ve stayed in Carcassonne before and decided to take a day off the bike here. Our B&B was a ground-floor flat. The owner helped manhandle the bike inside as there was nowhere else to keep it. We ate in a nearby Sushi place. Next day we walked through the town and up to the castle, taking our sketch books, but it was way to busy
Carcassonne castle – far to busy to find anywhere to sit and sketch.
Although we left Carcassonne next to the canal, we quickly took the alternative road as the canal meandered so much – we probably would have cycled twice the distance. In the distance to the south were the Pyrenees…Sunflowers seemed to be the abundant crop here.
At Castelnaudary the hotel restaurant was busy for lunch, though we spotted a couple of empty tables, they wouldn’t allow us to eat there, so we rode up into the town and found a place to eat.
Leaving Castelnaudary next morning we passed by the big basin. This is the high point of the Canal du Midi. We could have reached Toulouse today, but decided to split the leg into two shorter ones. Having skipped the Mont Ventoux climb, we had caught up on time and the International Tandem Rally was still over a week away.
Canal-side coffee stop.
In our hotel in Villafranche-de Lauragais, we had to try the speciality of the area, duck confit with beans.
Being close to the big city of Toulouse meant the canal towpaths were all well surfaced – walking and cycling beside the canal is a popular pastime.As we neared the city the number of houseboats increased dramatically.
Celebrating reaching the end of our cycle tour with a drink.
Each tent/house represents an overnight stay with multiple nights in Falais, Beaugency, Paray le Monial, Lyon, Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Carcassonne and Toulouse. The flag is Marciac where we would spend a week with the International Tandem Rally.
In Toulouse we had booked an apartment in the north of the for six nights opposite the Station Marengo. There was an underground car park to keep the bike and trailer. We had time to explore the city before riding out to the airport to collect a hire car and drive to Marciac.
