Touring from the Atlantic to Provence
After finishing the Nantes-Brest Canal we have caught an Intercity train to La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast to begin our journey through the Medoc to Bordeaux and follow the Garonne River, the Canal Lateral and then the Canal de Midi (Les Canal Des 2 Mers) to arrive at the Med and Provence. We expect this stage to take approx. 3 weeks to complete.
Arriving into La Rochelle
A simple transit day to La Rochelle was thwarted by the realisation of a booking error for a planned rendezvous with Janette’s sister in a Medoc area chateau. The only viable way to rectify this involved bringing it forward by two days and when the weather stubbornly refused to settle it became obvious that our planned trip to the Ile d’Oleron, where swimming in the Atlantic and visiting the Citadel du Chateau-d’Oleron had been the objective needed to be changed.
Faced with these barriers, we retreated to the excellent Melbourne Coffee in Nantes and considered our options over a flat white and vegemite toast! Chris is a history buff and a visit to the Citadel had been on his to do list because it was instrumental in the Wars of Religion before becoming a prison during the French Revolution before falling into that hands of the German’s in WW2. Reluctantly, he gave this up and we cut the island from our plans and decided to hole up in La Rochelle for an extra day, in part to dry out our utterly soaked gear and also to enjoy the beautiful historic buildings. Even in the rain La Rochelle is a special place to wander, even when using the stone covered walkways in the old town for shelter. Amongst other things it is famous for being the home of the Knights Templar, and more recently, for housing German U-boat pens that were also used as the set for Indiana Jones and Das Boot.
Note for the slow learners…we once again neglected to arrange accommodation for our bikes and give thanks to the Ibis Hotel who agreed to store them in return for staying the second night with them. Ibis hotels are becoming the front runner as accommodation of choice for wet and weary cycle travelers!
Wandering the Medoc
After an additional day in La Rochelle, we took a 6.08am local train to Royan to start what is the longest stage of our tour as we make our way to Arles Provence via the Canal Lateral and the Midi. We caught the ferry from Royan to the Medoc, and quickly realised that the cycling solitude of the past week is now a think of the past. On our ferry alone there would have been 50 odd cyclists making their way down Atlantic coast on the EV1. Riding from the Gironde estuary down coastal paths into the famous wine region of the Medoc was also going to be one of the more enjoyable parts of the trip, especially given we are meeting Janette’s sister and her family.
It was mixed day with plenty of sun, and plenty of rain, but the biggest distraction was the wind of the Atlantic which gave us both a nice sand facial and filled our right ears with what felt like a beach. This part of the coast also had it fair share of historical sights including WW2 Blockhouses that formed the German Atlantic Wall. How the Germans built such formable defences from Spain all the way to Norway still is hard to fathom. The EV1 was a beautiful, dedicated path through Pine Forests and small beach side villages but did have increased traffic even at this time of the season. We made our way through to Hourtin for the night leaving the EV 1 and following the Voie Verte Hourtin which is mostly a dedicated cycle path (including an old railway line) as well. We are enjoying a camp made minestrone soup, nice baguette and a bottle of Chateau Fond de L’Ile with blues playing in the background at the Western Village Campground.
Looking at the weather…there is sun on the horizon, which will be nice!
Today was a day that started a bit aimlessly. Having covered more distance than anticipated yesterday we had time on our side and no real plans for where to spend it! Into Hourtin we headed and a plan was hashed out over a couple of coffees, another rain storm and a chain lube.
Rather than continue to head south, we decided to point towards the Gironde river side of the Medoc where we had read that Chateau’s were in a plenty – and they were! Our plan had us on roads most of today and that worked out fine because the French drivers are unfailingly patient and polite. Of course, your perspective on driver courtesy varies depending upon the usual country in which you ride, but as a couple of Melbournites, where drivers are broadly accommodating, but tending towards ‘assertive,’ we found no fears in riding the ‘D’ for Direct roads of this area. Our main objective was to head towards Pauillac and although we had mapped out a route, we deviated from it time and again, completely distracted by chasing the chateaus we could see on the horizon. Ultimately, we meandered further north on access roads the wineries and utterly delightful towns of Cissac Medoc, Vertheuil and Saint Estephe. At every turn there was another amazing chateau and stately home! All wineries are Chateau’s bit based on the size of some of these estates, you can see who has done historically well in the industry.
We have settled into a Camping Muncipal Gabarreys campground just south of Pauillac and right on the Gironde to enjoy a more Medoc wine and some cheese. More importantly the sun as come out for extended period at 4pm.
We awoke to a fog over the Gironde river, and the sound of a ships foghorn navigating down towards the Atlantic.
The sun was out!
Today was always going to be a short day as we had an accommodation booking with Janette’s sister and family. That said, on a ride of less than 30ks on mainly the D2 and then the V41 (Route de la Graviere Bleue) we would have passed another 15 odd beautiful chateau’s. Today is also the VE (Victory in Europe) public holiday, so with not much open we were glad for only a short day when finding breakfast or a boulangerie proved difficult. We also need some minor repairs to the bikes and have been told by a couple of bike store in Bordeaux that there is another public holiday this week, so we may need to change our plans for both ensuring adequate food and necessary repairs.
Tonight we are enjoying our surrounding and having a little luxury staying at the Chateau Meyre. A very pretty place.
A day we have being looking forward to, within a trip of great days, riding and arriving in Bordeaux. With time to explore, the second or third cities of a country are often more interesting or perhaps more self-assured. We again followed a couple of D roads, and made our way back to the V41 which is now the Les Canal Des 2 Mers. We even saw our first sign to city of Sete which is 800kms away on the Mediterranean. We came into Bordeaux from the east so we could ride up the Garonne to the famous Place de la Bourse and the Mirror of Water. We always find riding into city’s very rewarding. You come through the suburbs, including the good, the bad and the questionable, and riding into Bordeaux was no different. We came past the new industries and tech hub on the outskirts, the dilapidated townhouses, units and homeless in the middle, to arrive on the river with a great view of the city of Bordeaux in the distance.
The immediate thing that strikes about Bordeaux, is once again the historical wealth the city must have generated, with beautiful squares and sandy colored classic French apartment architecture. Off the squares are little alleyways with cool shops and restaurants. We are here on an extended public holiday weekend (or week as it seems – which as Melburnians we appreciate given, we have 4 days off for a 3-minute horse race!). The place is a buzz in the sun. A great and cool city, which we will take a couple of days to explore.
A couple of snaps of the city below, including some from the Bassin des Luminaire – a converted WW2 Submarine Bunker that is now a place for exhibiting art along with classically music…. really very impressive. Check out the Insta post for some examples
Les Canal Des 2 Mers
Today we were leaving Bordeaux and making our way along the Les Canal Des 2 Mers, that also including a couple of French velo paths, the Roger Lapebie (an old railway) to Sauveterre-De-Guyenne and the EV3 from Sauveterre to the Garrone at La Reole.
We started the day with another technical issue as a result of Janette having a fall in Bordeaux and then need to wait for mechanical assistance from a bike shop – ones that would be open, opened at 10. A call out to the team at Cyclable- Bordeaux centre for working on the bike for over an hour and only charging 24 Euro, including a cable! Wit this detail we need to change plan.
The goal was still going to be La Reole, but given the time delay we decided to take an unexpected train to Libourne (40k from Bordeaux) and then ride to St. Emilion in the Dordogne area. From there we would take the EV3 – which is a cycle trial around both the Dordogne and Garonne rivers. The EV3 although on public roads, was route is on secondary roads which had minimal traffic in most cases. St. Emilion always is impressive, a hilltop town surrounded by vineyards and terracotta rooftops and bought back memories of a Xmas trip a long time ago. The trip along the V80 also took us through Banne on the Dordogne and then plenty of hills to get to the Garrone valley at La Reole, which is beautiful abbey town that climbs the hill over the river. The day was a nice 28 degrees, with full sun. The boutique beer at the end of the day with some locals was much appreciated. We are staying again at lovely campsite on the other side of the river, with a view back towards the town.
Also we dined at a really rustic Moroccan owned restaurant. We were the only diners in a restaurant that looked closed. There was no menu, but a very simple by tasty dished of Lamb Kofte, Chicken skewers, ratatouille and salad was served and it was delicious. If around this way, don’t be put off by the presentation of the restaurant, we highly recommend Cafe De La Gare.
The Canal Lateral a La Garonne – Bordeaux to Toulouse
After a stormy, but not unpleasant evening in the tents in La Reole we were once again forced to pack up wet gear and set off in the rain, which was supposed to stop at 8am…but didn’t! The impact of Janette’s ‘technical issues’ were now very obvious with various abrasions and interesting coloured bruises, but luckily these were not too painful when riding – although our legs in general were sluggish from yesterdays efforts for both of us.
After around 30 minutes and somewhere around Hure, we hit the Canal Lateral du Garonne and resumed the gentle gradient riding that accompanies canal riding. We had aimed to find some breakfast at Pont des Sables but are struggling to settle into the routine of the French. Whenever we need or want coffee/food the shops were closed, we think due to the mid-week public holidays of VE Day and Ascension Thursday. Anyway, we did find a Bio-store that offered an ‘espresso long’ and this proved to be enough fuel to keep going.
The canal itself provides a well sign posted, gentle amble through the countryside with excellent quality bitumen paths – albeit with bumps for tree roots in places and is pleasantly covered and protected by trees most of the way. Louis XIV wanted to improve navigation between the Atlantic and the Med and his engineers did him proud with kilometres of rod straight waterways.
We stopped overnight in Agen which offered a very impressive entry as we crossed the Le Pont Canal Bridge. Commenced in 1839, finished in 1843 is a 580m long aqueduct to cross the Garonne River, the second largest in France. Agen itself was less than impressive on a Sunday but did come to life on Monday morning as we stopped for coffee and breakfast. It seems France may be coming back to life! Towns of interest between La Reole include Clermont-Soubiran which is just off the path, Valence and Moissac – which also had an impressive aqueduct canal bridge.
We overnighted in a campground in Montech which offered the usual facilities – BYO toilet paper though, and prepared dinner whilst other cycle travelers rolled in and set up.
Montech offered (now decommissioned) an interesting alternative to multiple locks through the town– the Pente d’eau de Montech which used old diesel engines to effectively push boats up the height difference.
We awoke again to steady rain and this did not let up all day, forcing us into our full wet weather gear and leaving us with soaking wet tents (see Insta Post). We set sail for Toulouse where we have decided to stay for a few nights to dry out, complete some admin and enjoy the sights. Riding in the rain is not entirely unpleasant and is a factor in most longer cycling trips but the pleasure level is heavily dependent on your gear – if you can, stick to high quality rain wear and always pack it – even if you don’t really think you will need it! The bitumen path continues into Toulouse with similar scenery to that which we have enjoyed all along this path and, as we entered town we passed the confluence of the Canal Lateral and Canal du midi which signals the end of our time on the Canal Lateral.
We are staying the wonderful Hostel Toulouse Wilson. It is right in the old town, close to sights and restaurants and have been very welcoming of wet and fully laden cyclists. Highly recommended. We also enjoyed a beautiful local meal at Au Pere Louis, a restaurant recommended by Rick Stein in his French Odyssey miniseries. We call this out, as that series was one of our motivators to ride the 2 canals. Thanks Rick!
Also a call-out to the mechanic at Arnaud Bike who has fixed some break issues Chris has had with his bike since landing in Paris. Thanks also for finding the puncture we did not realise we had, it would have caused an unwanted inconvenience in a day or two. One thing we have noticed about the bike mechanics in France, they seem to have a real desire to make sure the bike is in the best order when they finish a job. It is not just about the issue you think you had; they do a quick scan of all key wear areas even without you requesting it.
The Canal du Midi – Toulouse to Sete
Quick History – The Canal du Midi was built by Pierre-Paul Riquet during the reign of Louis XIV, between 1667 and 1681. It is one of the oldest canals in Europe that is still in use today. It had made the old age dream of connecting via an inland water way Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Pierre-Paul Riquet was chosen due to his knowledge of hydraulic systems where he came up with the solution to supply the canal with water which until this point had not been achieved. As we ride along the canal we see Rue Paul Riquet in all towns and villages. See here for more info on this UNESCO World Heritage Site in link above.
We have spent the last couple of days riding from Toulouse to Carcassonne along the canal du Midi. Similar to the previous canals, the Canal du Midi itself is quite scenic, however this one also offers views of the broad Languedoc Valley on either side. It differs in that the Garonne offered wide, paved paths from start to finish but the Midi – so far at least – has been much more demanding. The path leaving Toulouse is paved until around 13km from Castlenaudary, but from there it has been mostly gravel, and sometimes deep gravel, with some single track if you stick to the canal tow path. Our research suggested that the path could be difficult in wet conditions and the recent rains experienced confirmed that – Chris has suggested a new name – The Canal du Muddy! Given the muddy state of the track we decided to take a break from the puddles and wander onto some secondary roads for a change of scenery. That took us through 2 small towns of Pexiora and Brams before we rejoined the canal path and almost had to swim through some puddles.
So far, we have overnighted in Castlenaudary where we tried the regional specialty, Cassoulet – an interesting combination of confit duck and pork with Toulouse Sausage and beans. Washed down with a decent glass of red, Cassoulet is worth a try. An impromptu decision to stay at the Hotel du Canal proved fruitful when yet another thunderstorm hit in the evening and rain continued all night.
Our next stop was Carcassonne (a must see!) where the effort of cycling to the hilltop fort is highly rewarding. The old citadel town is a treat to wander and it dominates the surrounding landscapes and provides great views of the Languedoc valley. After a beer in the sun, we retreated back down the hill to the Camping de la cite where we, and plenty of other cyclists mused over our future route options given the state of the canal path. We know there are highlights on the Canal nearer Beziers, which we plan to arrive in 2 days, we just need to work out how we get to that point!
Well an interesting day. With a view of getting away from the Canal du Midi, the day turned our quite ironic. We spent the first 40k before Argens Minervois on various tracks and roads to avoid the canal and get a change of scenery. We saw some beautiful villages including Floure, Barbaira and Capendu, which were all closed given a Sunday and which we need to keep reminding ourselves to plan for as we have run out of water and food over the past 3 weeks! We did have some challenges on the tracks (see our Komoot maps), between 5 and 9ks from Carcassonne. Gravel bikes minimum, best on a a mountain bike – probably without travel equipment and gear. We would suggest finding a better route even if on more busy roads.
And the irony ? After a lovely lunch at the only place we found open on this Sunday at La Guinguette in Argens Minervois on the canal, we decided as the prodigal travelers to then follow the canal, which was far better than yesterday into Carcassonne. We surrendered to the hands of fate and press on until either darkness (when we would wild camp) or until an alternative presented.
That alternative came when we cycled into the most vibrant village we have seen on a Sunday in the regional France. We are holding up in Le Somail, which is a delightful hamlet that punches above its weight in a per capita sense. There are more (open) bars and restaurants here than are reasonable given the size of the village, with added attractions of the largest second-hand bookstore in France and the boat based Epicurie Florrante which apparently sells all your grocery needs. We have checked into the utterly splendid Chambre Le Neptune where our hosts graciously interrupted their game of scrabble (in Flemish) to check our breakfast requirements. We are now enjoying a beer on the canal whilst listening to buskers playing the accordion just next to a 15th century stone arch bridge – ahh, France!
Tip of the day – Google maps is no friend of the touring cyclist, stick with a proven cycling app…
Based on yesterdays learnings we continued along the Canal Du Midi this time towards Beziers. Until this trip, the city was not really known to either of us, but with a little reading you can find that it is one of the oldest cities in France and as a result has seen the Romans, the Crusaders and the like come through its city walls. The city was also key to the French wine industry, which also bought its own historical political issues and revolts. It sounded interesting and has been a desired stop in our planning.
The short trip down the canal was again in mostly gravel paths, with the occasional need to take to the D roads where the path on the canal was not developed. A couple days of sunshine and minimal rain ensured the paths were in good order, with many cyclists on many different bikes having no issues.
Beziers, with its hilltop town and cathedral becomes visible from around 10k out and it is it gets more impressive the closer you get. The city is also home to the architect of the Canal du Midi, so it is only fitting that a couple of the key sights are located within the last few kilometres, the Fonseranes Locks (which raises boats through its 8 locks rising 22 metres over 300 metres) and the Orb Aquaduct which is the longest on the Canal du Midi. The city has a historical centre at the top of the hill (mostly closed on Mondays in seems!) including the Cathedral Saint-Nazaire.
We have taken the opportunity to stay at a hotel that was apparently a functioning prison until 2009 (Hotel La Prison) next to the cathedral, which also made an interesting hill climb to end our ride. From the hotel you can see the Languedoc Valley with the Pyrenees in the distance and the Mediterranean 10ks on the other side where we will be heading tomorrow.
It really is an impressive city to visit.
The started with a Petit Déjeuner in a nice Beziers café and finished in Palavas les Flots on the Mediterranean in what was our biggest day on the bikes so far. Although we were planning on less Km’s, the opportunity to ride in mid 20’s degrees and have a mostly tail and a nice cross wind pushing 30kms per hour (check out the Insta post) was too good to ignore.
Today we also the left the Canal du Midi at Sete, thus completing Les Canal Des 2 Mers (the canals Lateral and Midi), a long way from our first sighting of the sign to Sete on our way into Bordeaux. Riding from the Atlantic to the Med was one of our key motivations for the trip, so seeing the end of these canals was also tinged with a little bit of disbelief that we had finished them!
The Canal du Midi path from Bezier to Sete was a selection of asphalt, gravel and single track. With the lack of rain over the past few days, the gravel and single-track paths were fun to ride this time because they offered some enjoyable variations with some technical elements – but without the mud!
We passed through the pleasant town of Agde on our way to Sete and of course seeing the Med for the first time this trip was welcome – we look forward to riding along this coast for the next week or so. Sete is a vibrant port town with fishing trawlers parked nose to tail along the quay and with cafes lining the adjacent streets. The opportunity to stop for a meal of fresh off the boat seafood would have been amazing, but for us the timing was not right and we pressed on to join the Sete-Rhone canal (part of the EV8 route).
We overnighted in Palavas les Flots, which is actually the beach side town for Montpellier. It too has a cool central quay side shopping and dining area but we collected supplies from the supermarket and headed just beyond the far end of town to the very casual and accommodating Camping St Maurice. After a chilly, but refreshing dip in the Med, we tucked into some chicken and salad and headed to bed – its been a big day!
The Sete to Rhone Canal
One of our shorter days on the bikes because we had pre-booked our accommodation in deference to the tourist nature of our planned destination Aigues-Mortes.
We continued to follow the EV8 route through some more nice beach side towns with their picturesque quay side activities. Towns included La Grande Motte and Le Grau-du-Roi which has a Bullring (of which there are quite a few in this part of France). We will be checking the fixture for Arles famous arena to see if we can catch an event.
With respect to the EV8 through these towns, can we suggest take the roads as the route seems to follow footpaths and opposed to dedicated bikes lanes and you seem to be getting more in the way of pedestrians.
Aigues-Mortes is another crusader era citadel town (see Insta post), complete with a fully walled inner city of lovely alleys / streets and squares. It is quite touristed and the short day on the bikes gave us the opportunity to sit a watch the daily ritual of shops and restaurants closing for lunch leaving older tourists spending the next few hours perusing menus and planning for dinner before the city ‘re-awaking’ which seems to happen at around 6pm. It was potentially a look into our fast-approaching future!
Tomorrow we continue up the canals, including a side trip to the Camargue, a protected natural park with wild horses and flamingos which we hope to see before finishing this stage in Arles.
We continued down the Sete-Rhone canal (EV8) stopping for a coffee in Gallician before heading into The Camargue. From there we went through St Gilles where we left the EV 8 and headed for Arles via Le chemin des Taureaux et de la Vigne. The Camargue is a nature and wet land reserve that extends to the Mediterranean south of Arles and is most famous for its wild white horses (reputedly descended from one of the oldest breeds in the world – over 17,000 years ago). The horses are used for this area’s other notable activity – bull farming for meat production. In the Petite Camargue area, closer to Aigues-Mortes, salt farming is the major industry and pink flamingos can be seen mooching about the flats (as evidenced by any of the local tourist shops where toy flamingos abound!).
Speaking of tourists, we had planned our trip to get ahead of the summer season, but over the past few days the influx is beginning to grow. To date, we have only been planning a week or so ahead for any trains and non-camping accommodation, but this is becoming more challenging. Our next stage was going to run from Nice to the Cinque Terra outside Genoa but it seems that this will be rudely interrupted by something called the Monaco Grand Prix!! We pondered the consequences of road closures and the resulting influx of people to that area as we rode and actually ended up replanning the next few weeks as well. The end result will allow us a few more days of cycling between Florence and Bologna so no real loss in the end!
Our arrival in Arles also marks the end of this stage of our trip. Arles has a strong Roman history as it was the colony in 46BC and was a crossroad between Italy, Spain and the Rhone River. Consequently, the old town centre features a walled city with an amphitheatre and arena similar to the Coliseum in Rome (check out our insta post with streetscapes). Van Gogh also spent a lot of time here and of course his spirit is also prevalent as well.
One the equipment front, we continue to have a front derailleur issue with Janette’s bike so made our way into the suburbs of Arles to Veloc’Arles. Here, Phillipe toiled with obvious skill and knowledge before declaring that the front shifter was not ‘fixable’ and needs to be replaced. Alas there was no time for this to be done whilst we are in Arles but hopefully this won’t prove too much of an issue given the lighter gears work and we are about to hit more hills.
We stayed at the La Regence hotel, which is right on the Rhone, and they were happy to store our bikes for the 2 nights we had booked to enable a couple of days for rest, admin (laundry!!) and logistics.
We now move to the French/ Italian Riverina where hopefully the drivers will be as courteous to cyclists as the French have been.
Au revoir France, see you at the back end of the trip
