The final third of our tour will be an inefficient meander through southwest France, ending on the coast at Sete, near the Montpellier airport. The line on the map looks pretty illogical: the direct ride is only 125 miles, and we could comfortably cover the distance in three days. Instead, we'll take two weeks and cover about 600 miles.
One of the nice things about having Rachael fully retired finally is that it's easier to coax a few more days out of her when blocking out a trip! Not that it was all that tough a sales job to propose spending two weeks in the fall in southern France.
Doing a bit of research while writing this entry, I was surprised to see that the map of France has changed since we were here last. Just last year, a new administrative region, Occitanie, was created by consolidating the former regions of Langueduc-Roussilon and Midi-Pyrenees. It is named after Occitania, the historical region of southern France where Occitan was the primary language. The new district is huge, covering 13 departments. This entire section of our tour will be within Occitanie.
The route begins with a two day pass through country we're somewhat familiar with - a ride across the Aude department from Foix to Gruissan (virtually a suburb of Narbonne) on the Mediterranean coast. Along the way we'll overnight in Carcassonne and follow parts of the Canal du Midi.
Carcassonne, one of the can't miss sights of France. We biked through here 20 years ago on our way from Nice to Barcelona, and have wanted to see it again ever since. Downloaded from the web
Barges tethered beside the Canal du Midi. This is another spot we rode on our tour from Nice to Barcelona, although we didn't know what it was at the time. Our memory of the canal is of an unfortunate couple with their barge stuck sideways in a lock outside Narbonne. Downloaded from the web
Gruissan, a port town on the outskirts of Narbonne. We'll spend a night here on the Mediterranean before heading back inland again for most of the rest of the tour. Downloaded from the web
Leaving the coast, we'll spend the next week looping through the south-central highlands. This isn't exactly a mountainous region but it's pretty close. I imagine we'll feel the climbs here fully as much as those in the Pyrenees, as we repeatedly climb atop upland plateaus and then plunge back into dramatic limestone canyons. In early October, with the leaves hopefully turning, I think we can expect a spectacular, colorful, but very challenging week.
From the coast, we'll work our way inland toward the Tarn River. On the way, we'll spend the night here in Olargues, in the middle of the Haut-Langueduc Natural Park. Listed as one of the most beautiful villages in France, it's one of a series of lovely village stays we'll enjoy through this part of the tour. Downloaded from the web
I've wanted to see the astounding Millau Viaduct ever since I knew of its existence. We biked through here 20 years ago, but the bridge didn't open until 2004. It's the highest bridge structure in the world - 1,100 feet above the ground at its highest point, higher than the Eiffel Tower. Downloaded from the web
We'll stay over two nights here in Meyrueis, on the Jonte River. We'll use it as the base for a loop ride somewhere - if the weather is favorable, we'll ride up the Jonte Gorge and then on to the summit of Mount Aigoual, the highest peak in the department. From its summit, on a clear day you can see the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees and the Alps. Downloaded from the web
The Causse Mejean, the high limestone plateau that separates the Jonte and Tarn Gorges. We'll cross this on our way north from Meyrueis, climbing steeply for 2,000 feet to get up here and then plunging just as far and steeply off the other side. And then climb out again. The ride from Meyrueis to Mende on the Central Massif figures to be one of the toughest days of the whole tour. Downloaded from the web
The famous Tarn Gorge, one of the most spectacular river rides in France. We know, because we were here 20 years ago and added a layover in Sainte-Enimie to paddle down a section of the gorge in a rented canoe. We've talked about this day ever since. Downloaded from the web
We'll leave the highlands with a drop from Florac to Anduze, through Cevennes National Park. We're hoping it looks something like this, with the chestnut forests turned yellow for the fall. Downloaded from the web
Our tour will end up with four almost completely flat days, in the Camargue and then the flat coastland around Sete, our final destination. In these final days we'll spend two nights each in the walled fortress town Aigues-Mortes, and finally in Sete. It looks like a perfect way to end - there will be plenty to see, and I'm sure that after our roller coaster through the highlands we'll be ecstatic to spend a few days lazing through the flat Rhone delta, the largest river delta in western Europe.
We'll stay two nights here in Aigues-Mortes, a medievil town whose fortified walls are still intact. It's an ancient city, with parts of it dating back to the time of Charlemagne and the Crusades. It sits in the middle of the flat, marshy Camargue. Downloaded from the web
The Camargue is one of the most important birding areas in Europe, and home to its largest population of flamingos. Many of them will have migrated south to Northern Africa by the time we arrive, but there is a sizeable wintering population also. Downloaded from the web
Sete, the end of this year's road. Situated on the narrow spit of land separating the Mediterranean and Grau Sea, Sete is riddled with canals and is known as the Venice of Langueduc. It is also the most important fishing port on the French Mediterranean. Downloaded from the web
