Day Twenty Seven: Le Somail to Carcassonne: Storming to the Castle

April 23, 2017

Because we have been passing through smaller places and/or using pilgrim accommodation, we have been coming into contact with B&B or shelter hosts. And we have been lucky to have met in this way some super people. So we again enjoyed just chatting with Dirk and Inge this morning, learning a bit of what it is like to be running a B&B, to own such a large building, and so forth. Dirk and Inge came to the door to wave us goodbye. We will remember them!

Inge and Dirk, excellent hosts in Le Somail

Boat rentals like this may be the true lifeblood of the canal. Cyclists? meh!

Ou primary preoccupation this day was to find a way to get to Carcasonne, 65 km distant, without spending three days on the bumpy and narrow canal path. We scrutinized our new guide book, looking for small roads to follow, and we did see some bicycle route signs that seemed a bit helpful in this as well. At one point we gleefully thought we had it licked, as we cruised along an ideal small road passing by ideal small towns. Now this is what cycling in France is all about, we crowed. That is until, bang, we were back on the bumpy single track.

Tempting bike route signs, but be careful of cruel hoaxes!

Looking down on the poor canal path from our temporary position on an actual road

Which way to go. Canal signage is virtually non-existent. In this case Dodie had chosen correctly and the better looking path did not immediately dead end.

The distant Pyrenees, look a little hilly!

It was there in purgatory that we encountered two heavily laden touring bikes bumping down from a narrow bridge. These were ridden by Adrian and Claire, from Switzerland. Adrian, at least, was just returning from the Camino in Spain. It was interesting to see his prolifically stamped Creanciale, and to hear his account of some of what it had been like. We exchanged contact information, for we are both also Warm Showers hosts, and we anyway have every intention of showing up in Switzerland some year soon.

Adrian must have been more of a pilgrim than us, because he expressed satisfaction with the present trail. No cars and no fast bikes were his reasons. He also mentioned that the path would narrow for us up ahead, if that was even possible.

It was. And after a few more kms we resolved to take the risk and get on the direct road, the D610. D610 turned out to have not much traffic. But it did have open sun and wind and hills. We retreated to the lousy Canal path.

After a while, though, some bike route signs lured onto roads again. Blinded by the appeal of real bike routing signs pointing to where we were going, we did not check closely on how they intended to achieve that. In fact they swung us way north and up hill, before turning back. It was probably slower than the Canal.

We had spotted a pilgrim shelter in Carcasonne, and we now phoned them to see if there would be place. The answer was yes, but the reception would close at 6. Could we make it? We figured the distance and the time - well, maybe.

So we pedalled over punishing terrain, not daring to stop for long to rest. The Canal itself swung way over and away from where we had to be in the City. But we figured it knew the actual non hilly way in. Carcasonne is a fortress on a hill, so we did not want to mess with a direct assault. Dodie pedalled on, harder and faster than I knew she could really do. But the gauntlet had been thrown down, and on she went.

Time was almost up when we entered the city. Now we had to find the place. The GPS suggested a goofy route, and we tossed that. So we noodled this way and that, as the clock ticked. Six o'clock slid by, but we persisted. Suddenly, we were there!

Fortunately an Austrialian pilgrim (only other one in the building) speaking French slowly had held up the reception lady, so we were in! They gave us supper, and we are snug in our cell in the monastery, the Notre Dame de l'Abbaye. This is a place started around the 8th century. I mean, in the 11th Century the Pope (Urban II) slept here (probably)!

Tomorrow they will also give us breakfast. We'll need it. Tonight when we arrived Dodie had the shakes, fixed temporarily by a Worther's Original. And we both were covered in road dust. We are starting to look like real pilgrims. Anyway, having stormed to the castle, tomorrow once fuelled up we try actually storming the castle itself.

P.S. the new keyboard is malfunctioning (suprise!) accounting for less blithering today as this had to be typed on screen.

The D610 - they are getting desperate now!

Cruising the streets of Carcassonne in a desperate race with the clock.

Well here is the castle. Our place is supposed to be just below.

The view from our window. That is a cloister garden in front of the chapel. We are not sure just now exactly what type of religious persons this place might house.

Today's ride: 65 km (40 miles)
Total: 1,292 km (802 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0