I left early to make a good start. I knew I wanted to get as far as Agde as it looked a good distance. Today I had decided to try and follow some of the Eurovelo Mediterranean route. These are usually much prettier routes with less traffic, but wouldn’t usually be so direct.
I think I had the wind behind me as I picked up a good pace. A pace that would stay with me all the way to Port La Nouvelle. I followed a road that took me along a tiny strip of road that separated a few large lakes from the sea, although I’m pretty sure the sea was the source of the lakes. The traffic was heavy but the views of the Pyrenees in the distance were nice.
At Port La Nouvele I joined the Robine Canal which would take me all the way to Narbonne. I was a bit worried I might get a puncture as t
he path was rough and the stones were sharp. I constantly heard stones pinging out from under my tyres, but my trusty Schwalbe Marathon Kevlar tyres stayed strong.
At Narbonne I followed some country roads through little villages before joining the Canal Du Midi at Colombiers. The canal was very pretty with its tree lined paths and some of the biggest narrow boats I had ever seen. To go with that went the biggest locks I had ever seen. I stopped to watch three cruisers climb one lock at the same time. The amount of water required to fill each lock was immense. Just standing high on the path I could feel the force of the water and spray on my face. The boats had to tie themselves to the bank because of the force.
Upon reaching Beziers I was diverted north before I could go south to Agde. The road was pleasant but its no fun when you know you are having to do extra miles just because of some road works. It’s ok in a car, but seeing the French “deviation†sign makes my heart sink.
I finally got to Agde and made my way to the campsites on the coast. Tomorrow is my rest day. I’ll be riding again on Tuesday.