18 April Carcassonne to Beziers

April 18, 2023

https://www.strava.com/activities/8913353165

Thankfully my hangover subsided overnight (that's two nights!) and I headed to breakfast in the hostel dining room. It was a buffet of the usual continental brekkie style. As is was sitting down and French gentleman caught my eye and he asked if I was also a cyclist and suggested he joing me for breakfast. He arrive late last night after cycling 167km of canal towpaths from the Bordeaux area to Carcassonne. That over 100miles! I was suitably impressed. We spent a long time chatting about cycling, France and other common stuff. Francois lives in Paris but regularly travels to other areas of France enjoying opportto cycle-tour. He is a part time and very accomplished photographer. He shared his website and I would encourage you to have a look at his work. It is astounding!

https://francoispache.book.fr/

We were both heading east and discussed what route to take. At planning stage I interned to cycle the Canal du Midi but a cyclist I met on the ferry commented that the tow path was in a bad condition not suitable for touring bikes, then I found a blog on this (crazyguyonabike) website which showed dreadful routes. So I decided to take the road route. Francois wanted to avoid traffic so he chose to sta on the canal. We shook hands and parted ways.

I found a local cafe and bought and sandwich then headed for the outskirts of Carcassonne. The road was awful, truly not what I signed up for in planning this trip. Dual carriageway, buses, lorries and millions of cars. I knew it would get better once clear of the city but those first few km made me question what I was doing. A quick stop and check of the map confirmed that the next town includeda connection with the Canal du Midi so I headed for there. I may never be here again so why would I miss the opportunity to cycle such an iconic route?!!

I joined the towpath and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet of what is a most beautiful setting. After a few km I stopped to speak to Laura and whilst on the call I saw Francois coming towards me. I flagged him down and we cycled the rest of the canal together. The weather was wonderful, the scenery stunning and the cycling varied. We had all sorts of surfaces some of which made it hard work. At the end of the day we did 104km but it felt as though we had done a lot more but it was all worth it.

After settling into the hostel we headed out for a beer and then some well deserved food. We were both very hungry. It was great having Francois lead in ordering food and wine as I felt I had a better understanding of what was on offer. We had a fabulous meal.

This photo shows a large depression in the land. In the 1700s this was a natural lake or wetland however as the population grew there was pressure to maximise agricultural land. The local prefecture arranged for this lake to be drained by the construction of a shaft allowing water to pass the the underlying aquifer. The radial lines are ditched which collect water and take it to the shaft. Quite a remarkable feat of engineering given it was in the 1800s.

Today's ride: 167 km (104 miles)
Total: 1,278 km (794 miles)

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