July 20, 2006
Day 22: Carnon-Plage - Marseillan: Bicycle paths
This morning is grey, almost cool and it looks like rain - but not for long. The heat wave continues.
Studying the map of the coast near Montpellier, we see freeways crossing bridges and are puzzled as to how we are to continue by bicycle. When we start out from our campground, I flag down one of the many French cyclists out for morning exercise, show him our map and ask if he can help us. Yes, he can and gives us detailed instructions on the route. As for the freeway crossing the lagoon, not to worry, we will have bicycle paths next to the highway.
The ride is beautiful so far, then we hit Frontignan. We land in an absolute chaos of highways, railroad lines, overpasses and underpasses. On the map it all looked quite straight forward. The only road signs take you on to the freeways and we spend hours of the valuable morning, before it gets too hot, circling around in Frontignan and getting nowhere. Eventually we find our way to Sète, it's noon and we hardly look at the pretty town.
After Sète we have a thin straight strip of land, just wide enough for the road and bike path, with the sea to our left and the lagoon to our right for the next 15 km. It's blazing hot and I don't think I took a single picture of the beauty around me. The water is turquoise and tempting. Some years ago friends of ours were cycle touring here and did stop for a swim. When they came back from the beach, their bicycles and bags were gone. We decide not to make their mistake and keep pedaling.
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Our choice of campground is not fortunate, again a giant camping village, no shade and expensive. But we don't know if there is going to be anything better down the road, so we sign in. I'm indignant: this is an ugly football field, and expensive to boot. Again Janos stays calm, tries to calm me, sets up the tent and soon we're off to the beach for a glorious swim.
Obviously this stretch of our trip hasn't been the most enjoyable, but it's part of reaching our goal. We knew we would have to deal with busy roads, crowds and heat somewhere along the line, and I'm glad it didn't deter us. I feel we have already been more than compensated by the positive experiences on the trip. And there is also that extra bonus, the satisfaction of overcoming obstacles.
We are now looking forward to cycling along the tow paths of the Canal du Midi which we will pick up tomorrow morning in Agde. The Canal du Midi has been on my list of cycling priorities for a long time.
I have helped myself to some information in the Internet to give you an idea what the Canal du Midi is all about:
"The Canal du Midi is a 240 km long canal in the south (le Midi) of France, running from the city of Toulouse down to the Mediterranean port of Sète. The original purpose of the Canal du Midi was to be a shortcut between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, avoiding the long sea voyage around hostile Spain, Barbary pirates, and a trip that in the 17th century required a full month of sailing. The Canal, one of the most remarkable feats of civil engineering in modern times, was opened officially on May 24, 1681. The care that its creator, Pierre-Paul Riquet, took in the design and the way it blends with its surroundings turned a technical achievement into a work of art. He bankrupted himself in the personal undertaking and died destitute in 1680, just months before the Canal was opened to navigation. The two principal uses of the Canal today are irrigation and tourism."
Today's ride: 66 km (41 miles)
Total: 1,284 km (797 miles)
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