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From: Carcassonne To: “Camping Municipal de Tounal” in Capestang: 85.3 km
Well, not actually all the way to the Med, but in that general direction. We bid adieu to our camp, grabbing our requisite morning breads and beers for the panniers, then have our farewell look at the Citie as we climb up to and around it.
We decide to test the bike path by the canal, as, well, that is the route plotted in our GPS’s… Getting out of Carcassonne led to a bit of navigating highway interchanges, but it was relatively painless and we soon found the canal.
Fearing the worst, we hit the path, and things actually weren’t too bad at first.
All good things come to an end, though, and in our case “not too bad” did as well. It was back to single track bumpy trail, with the added pain of no tree cover from the 35+ Celsius temperature…
Luckily, by this point we found that just above the bike track there was usually a farm road, slightly smoother and easier on our suspension… Thusly, we continued on, taking in the occasional view of vineyards, even this far from Bordeaux.
It became a pleasurable day of riding along the canal, above the canal, down to the locks, stopping for refreshments, meeting charming (absolutely lovely) Englishmen and Dutchpersons, and thinking that perhaps riding in a 100,000 Euro canal boat wouldn’t be too bad…
Our plan (and GPS track) was to take us to the five star Val de Cesse some 60 km down the roads, and there we went!
Unfortunately, for once, we are turned away… Full! No room at the Inn! Well, now that we know how Joseph and Mary felt, we decide to brave the heat and pound off another 20 km or so, making it to the municipal camp in Capestang. A fine campground, but basic like you would expect. For us, that means no beer. But that’s fine; we set up our tents, clean up and wander into town to see what’s available.
Turns out that there is a great restaurant in the town square that somehow managed to make my camera take fuzzy pictures. Trust me, the food was great, the beers were tasty and they offered up a trio of guitarists playing funk, reggae and soft french rock.
Back to camp, to ponder tomorrow’s arrival at the Med!
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