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What most of the route looks like:
http://imgur.com/Ugv1b
http://imgur.com/oMQeaCarcasonne:
http://imgur.com/82MICLes neuf écluses @ Bezier
http://imgur.com/iABe8Canal through the etangs:
http://imgur.com/Q81Pc -
Just to let you know Me and a friend took on your advice, albeit a few months ago now, and done the trip!
I took my 7D and filmed what I could. Just want to say thankyou to everyone in this thread and their input. We scaled the internet for info on a route like this. So if i can help in anyway, get intouch!
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Just to let you know Me and a friend took on your advice, albeit a few months ago now, and done the trip!
I took my 7D and filmed what I could. Just want to say thankyou to everyone in this thread and their input. We scaled the internet for info on a route like this. So if i can help in anyway, get intouch!
Aw fuck man, I really want to go out again, I missed touring so much, and the bread! the cheapest lunch we've managed were €2 for two.
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We did this route (and onwards to Avignon) a few years ago. Did the Eurostar/tgv thing with les velos dans les housses. Sadly the change in Eurostar rules may have nixed that plan.
The first part of the paths were excellent but as noted some sections later are near unrideable on a laden tourer. However the quieter roads are fine and French drivers generally considerate.
Favourite spots: carcassonne, narbonne (a great campsite just outside the town... Afraid I can't recall the name), Toulouse (the approach along the canal is horrible but once you get to the centre, the city is ace. There's a cyclist friendly cheap hotel near the canal on the north east corner if the city.
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As far as the eurostar is concerned, I managed to ship my two bikes back to france and get them back upon arrival. You can ship them with eurodespatch as long as you have a reservation number. Just show up at eurodespatch a day or two before you travel, pay £25 and the bike should be waiting for you in Paris.
Otherwise, you can show up with your bike the same day and have it shipped in your train, but they can't assure that your bike will be on the train as it depends on the amount of space they have on your particular journey, and it's £30 squids... -
Fucking love this route, cycled it a couple of times now. First time was part of a much larger tour and second time was last summer with my girlfriend. Lovely people, stunning views, great campsites and easy cycling.
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Kattiep and I have just booked our train tickets for a 2 week trip on this route!
Haven't worked out any of the detail yet but trains are as follows:
Tues 18 June
Eurostar London - Paris 0540-0917
Stay in Paris for the nightWed 19 June
TGV Paris - Bordeaux 0828-1142
Maybe spend the day in/around BordeauxThur 20 June
Cycle out to Pyla sur Mer to see the giant sand dune
Camp one or two nightsFri 21/Sat 22 June
Cycle back east to pick up the Canal du Garonnev
v
v
v
vSat 29 June
Arrive Montpellier areaMon 1 Jul
TER train Montpellier-Avignon 1014-1119Tue 2 Jul
TGV Avignon-Paris 1257-1634
Eurostar Paris-London 1813-1939Aiming to camp for the majority of the trip, maybe with a couple of 'luxury' nights along the way.
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Good Camping in Narbonne: http://campinglesfloralys.com
Toulouse: we were going to stay in Camping Rupé but passing it on the way in, it looked absolutely horrible (three years out of date, I should note). I am about 80% sure this where we stayed instead: http://www.chartreusehotel.com/
If you fancy getting in some foothills of the Pyrenees, you could head south from Toulouse to Tarascon sur Ariege and take the Route des Corniches over Col de Marmare (1361m according to my photos) which is quite high, but has gentle gradients. You can return to Carcassonne via Quillan and Limoux (home of France's second most famous sparkling wine)
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Tell kattIep if she want my old handlebar bag, if not, do you?
Hey Ed, That would be ace.....Give me a chance to see how I get on with it before I buy one of my own.
Can I grab those brake adapters off you pre-Thus? I'm dropping my bike off to BC on Thus for Jim to work his magic so need them by then! Cheers.
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Somewhere near Castelnaudary last summer. Wish I was back there now.
Canal is hiding behind the undergrowth down on the right.
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Refreshing rivers near the canal.
CYOA
lae
Poppy
DeadJosh
rak500
kattiep
edscoble
Midi
rwn
sorethroat
t4ny4-
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About
Bordeaux to Montpellier
Posted by
Hi all -
My missus & I cycled from Bordeaux to Montpellier over Easter via the Canal de Garonne & the Canal Du Midi.
Trip notes as follows if you're interested in doing it...
Day 1 - London to Bordeaux
Day 2 - Bordeaux to St Macaire, 60km
Day 3 - St Macaire to Damazan, 63km
Day 4 - Damazan to Moissac, 78km
Day 5 - Moissac to Toulouse, 70km
Day 6 – Toulouse to Castelnaudry, 65km
Day 7 – Castelnaudary to Marseillette, 70km
Day 8 – Marseillette to Capestang, 54km
Day 9 – Capestang to Sete, 79km
Day 10 – Sete to Montpellier Airport, 39km
Total 578km, average 64
General:
Google Maps & this website: http://www.canal-et-voie-verte.com/ were all I used to plan. There's links and contact details for food, accommodation, camping etc. All very easy. For a few € they'll send you “maps”, by which they mean those touristy “things to see here” kinds of maps. Useful in that they give the distances between Ecuses (locks) which means you can roughly figure out how far you want to go and where you might want to stay. Google Maps is great for zooming in & finding places to stay & for basic print-outs of towns so you know where to go.
It follows two canals so it's flat the whole way. Follow your nose, you can't go wrong.
Just to note: the times I've listed are the length of time in-saddle, excluding breaks.
On the whole it's a pretty easy ride, and ideal if you're new to touring or need to convince someone who is!
There & Away:
EasyJet Gatwick to Bordeaux, then Montepllier to Gatwick. EasyJet trashed our bikes on the way out – on mine the rear valve was snapped off and on my partner's, the rear wheel was severely buckled. There's a Decathalon shop that does repairs about 1km from the airport. No trouble coming back. We used CTC bike bags.
Bordeaux to St Macaire:
There's a cycle path (reclaimed railway) called the Roger Laperbie Way which we would have liked to have taken (about 20km extra) but the bike repairs delayed us and the weather was a bit shit so we didn't bother. Looked lovely though, and very easy cycling.
Bordeaux to Toulouse:
Pretty much all cycle path – packed clay, gravel or tarmac. Very easy cycling. Could easily do it fixed or SS. I rode a cyclecross & my missus a a city bike (Trek 7.3)
Toulouse to Montpellier Airport, generally:
The path is pretty rubbish for a lot of it – in some places less than a foot wide, with loads of tree roots. Fine for a mountain bike but no good on a city bike, and pretty shit on a cyclocross. We ducked out to the road a few times – definitely worth while and easy to do.
Capestang to Sete:
It was not possible to ride along the “old road” that runs parallel to the sea along the beach from Marseillan-plage to Sete – it's undergoing major (unpassable) repairs. Take the main road – not fun, but legal, and doable.
Sete to Montpellier airport:
The canal (it's not actually the canal) extends through a bunch of inland seas (etangs) which you can see if you zoom in on Google Maps' Satellite View. These are completely cyclable, although it was pretty muddy for a couple of hundred meters so we had to walk. Don't let anyone tell you it's not doable (our hotel guy did).
Happy to answer queries on specifics...
Matt