In Aigues-Mortes: walking the walls

November 6, 2022

Another trip out to the back patio proved worthwhile this morning, and better because I took the time to put on my shoes this time.

We walked the walls of Aigues-Mortes when we were here before, back in the fall of 2017. If I remember correctly it was a windy day then:

Yup. I was right on that point. Pretty windy.

Walking these walls is a memorable experience, one we came away from with an extensive photo gallery. Same old walls but a different, much sunnier and calmer day. Once every five years isn’t too often to put up a photo gallery of such a singular place, is it?

The walls are open daily, from 10 to 5. It’s Sunday, so we’re there right at 10 hoping to beat the tourist crowds and also to walk the walls with enough day left that we can get a ride or walk in. It’s disappointing when we arrive to find a large tour group - maybe 40 folks - crowding in the door to the museum, the entrance point. I tell Rachael that they’ll go one direction, they’ll go another so it will be fine; but in fact we reach the walls before them because they’re pulled into an orientation meetup that holds them up. It’s brilliant - we quickly pull away from them and have the walls nearly to ourselves for the entire way around.

The walls are huge - a large square box that completely girds the town, giving you views down and across it and out to the surroundings in all directions. It takes us about an hour and a half, but you could easily do it in much less that if you’re in a hurry - it’s only 1.6 kilometers around. But why would you? It’s a brilliant experience.

Oh, and one more thing. It’s Sunday, so it’s free.

Crossing the canal on our walk to the city we get a view of Constance Tower. This is the same route we walked to dinner last night and will again tonight.

Entrance through the Gardette Gate, the main entrance through town. There are nine other gates, all smaller. Once you’re inside, the entire town is virtually a pedestrian zone - there are cars, but very few.

Looking up at massive Constance Tower from the ground level. I should have taken more close-up photos of it and its surrounding moat, and we should probably have toured the tower itself but we wanted to get ahead of the crowd.

Looking back at Constance Tower, and the tour group making its way up the stairs. Good thing we got such an early start! It’s a narrow walkway, basically like this the whole way around except when you’re passing through one of the towers. It wouldn’t be as much fun in a crowd.

The view across the canal on the north side of the town. This is the route we rode in on yesterday, on the opposite bank.

Nestled into a nook at the base of the walls.

Not as wild and windy today! A perfect day to be up here, in fact.

The salt works and lagoons to the west. We’ll get a closer look when Rachael walks over that way after lunch.

La Grande-Motte, that crazy seaside resort we biked through yesterday.

There are stairs angling up to the top at various spots around the perimeter. They’re all gated shut though. Once you’re up, the only way down is at the main entrance - either completing the circuit or backtracking.

Let’s pick up the pace. I’m getting cold!

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Kelly IniguezI think this has to go on my list - walk the wall (how far was it around?), see the flamingos, the cattle, and the horses. Hopefully all of the kids will still be in school in June, and it won't be absolutely overrun?

I'm a sucker for castles. And bridges.

Maybe I can trade flamingos for storks?
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2 months ago

Scott AndersonTo Kelly IniguezHeh, heh. Like I’ve been saying, you’ll come away wishing you’d started coming to France a long time ago.

We’ve never been through here in the summer and no doubt it will be hot and crowded but it’s certainly doable. If you went I’d plan on staying overnight and seeing the walls first thing in the morning, as soon as they open. You really only need about an hour to walk them - it’s only about a mile.
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2 months ago