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From: Bordeaux To: Camp “au Jardin” along the Canal de Garonne: 98 km (sooo close…)
Backing it up a bit, as per a previous post the plan is to cycle the canals from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean (Stage 1), then up the Rhone a bit to Arles, (Stage 1-1/2), at which point we would re-assess our time left and train somewhere near Grenoble and bike from there up to Switzerland, along Lake Geneva and up to the Rhine and back to Basel, our airport back to home (Stage 2).
So, “Stage 1” takes us along two canals linking the Atlantic to the Med. The canals are the Canal de Garonne (Atlantic to Toulouse), and the Canal du Midi (Toulouse to the Med). See the wiki article if you’re inclined…
Anyhoo, it’s summertime and the biking is easy – although this ended up the hardest ‘early’ day of the trip. A tad under 100km, and included some mild hills towards the end, as we worked our way TO the canal from Bordeaux across some pretty vineyard country. This is a dedicated bike path, built on an old train route (somebody please turn the E&N into a Victoria to Nanaimo bike route!!!). As such, no major hill grades, passes through every small town (more wine/beer opportunities), and even a tunnel! Woot!
Oh yeah, there is another complaint – thanks to Obama (couldn’t be Big Oil’s fault), we are all seeming to be in a summer heatwave. No difference here – mid to high 30s (Celsius…). Happily, the locks appear to be managed by local folk (when not automated completely), and every third or so lock hosts a beer/wine stop, where we would stop.
Once on the canal, it’s as flat as a canal can be. Our biggest complaint at that point was that every time there was a lock, we were inevitably climbing UP the two or so meters to the next water level. Phew. Other than that, it’s flat and paved with trees arching over to keep the sun off. One could argue that a few hundred km of this might get boring, but not us. Not yet!
Camping at the end of the day was to be either the municipal camp across the bridge from La Réole, or the private “au Jardin” some ten km down the road. We zipped around the town a bit, and though it was probably cute in it’s time, most restaurants were shuttered for good. The camp was basic – showers and bathrooms – so we kept on to the “au Jardin”. Nice place right on the canal, with a friendly operator with a well-stocked beer fridge, and a little pizza shop next door
“Camping au Jardin”. Right on the Canal de Garonne, offers plenty of shaded spots for cycling campers. Electricity available in the WC, and also in the office, where the owner has an octopus of USB adapters for you to plug in your stuff while you sit outside, taking in the canal and boats passing by, enjoying his beer selection as well as the pizza and similar snacks from the kiosk next door…
Oh yes, was I talking about beer? So, back in Bordeaux, the campground offered “Desperado” beer – I think this is basically Corona-style beer flavoured with Tequila. Seemed like a cruise-ship/Club Med kinda thing when we first saw it, but here it is again in “au Jardin”. We’d soon find the “Despey’s” are all over the South of France. I predict they’ll be in Canada soon enough. Hmm. Might actually not bee too bad after a late night hockey game…
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