Canal du Midi, finally.

PhilMary

PhilMary

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Well, after a couple of false starts due to my sister's death, I'm finally off to cycle the Canal du Midi after the weekend.
Thanks to all for the info. re. Aires, routes, shops, services etc. I will be chasing you up if you've given me duff information.
Ferry on Tuesday and I'm taking 3 days to get down to Toulouse, ride the canal then take my time coming back North.
Phil
 
Are you cycling back? I did the Nantes/Brest canal about five years ago, we camped but would use hotels etc if doing something similar now. :)
 
Sounds great... hope you carry on with this thread and post your travels and stopovers..??

Have a good time
 
No, DBK, I am solo so have mapped out roughly, drive 20 miles East and parkup, first day ride West back to start and return to MH. Second day ride East 30 miles then back to MH again. Next day drive 60 miles East, park up, next day ride West and back again to MH etc.
I have plenty of time and am going to "toddle" along at a snails pace.
Phil ( this time riding slowly)
 
You’ll love it!

I’ve done the Canal on a boat. And I’ve also cycled a good bit of it when based at a nearby Gite.

Without doubt one of my fondest memories of France :-)

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You will love it.
In Toulouse you will pass under bridges where the homeless live. I found it a little intimidating but that says more about me than about them as no one said or did anything untoward.
Stretch from Toulouse is quite rough and rutted but ok in dry weather. There were parts where we had to come off the canal and haul the bikes up a bank and ride along the edge of a field and others where we had to cross the canal or do a short D road section. At one point the tow path went to go under a bridge ... luckily I was in front and riding fairly slowly as it just stopped.
Highly recommend you get hold of this .... it is THE definitive guide. It will be a bit easier as you’re doing it in stages and have the motorhome - we had all our camping gear etc on our bikes and this booklet was indispensable.

7D901ED9-A40B-4DA7-9DAE-73C5C3ACFD4A.jpeg
 
Grianan said:
You will love it.
In Toulouse you will pass under bridges where the homeless live. I found it a little intimidating but that says more about me than about them as no one said or did anything untoward.
Stretch from Toulouse is quite rough and rutted but ok in dry weather. There were parts where we had to come off the canal and haul the bikes up a bank and ride along the edge of a field and others where we had to cross the canal or do a short D road section. At one point the tow path went to go under a bridge ... luckily I was in front and riding fairly slowly as it just stopped.
Highly recommend you get hold of this .... it is THE definitive guide. It will be a bit easier as you’re doing it in stages and have the motorhome - we had all our camping gear etc on our bikes and this booklet was indispensable.

View attachment 318278
Click to expand...
Grianan. Thanks for this, I'll look out for the booklet.
Phil
 
ShaKen said:
You’ll love it!

I’ve done the Canal on a boat. And I’ve also cycled a good bit of it when based at a nearby Gite.

Without doubt one of my fondest memories of France :)
Click to expand...

Similar as quite a young child, parents hired a boat and 2 bicycles, we pottered along each day and then me and my brother "tested" the bikes out, lol. My brother is 5 years older than me and his bike took quite a battering, as did he coming off on some of the jumps we found! Happy days indeed and one of the most memorable summer holidays.

We were there in August and I still remember how hot it was some 40+ years later, ended in a massive thunderstorm on the last night which was fabulous to stand out in :D2:D2:D2

Hope you have as much fun as we did.
 
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I hope no thunderstorms but it's looking like it's going to be warm.
Motorhome all packed-up and ready to go in the morning, so visited the local sandwich shop for lunch and look who I saw.
IMG_20190715_124034.jpg

I took it to be a good omen, so I've eaten it.
Phil
 
Well, day one and safely across the Channel and at Cite Europe.
My sandals fell to bits, so a quick call into Carrifor's and now I am the proud owner of some new foot covering.
IMG_20190716_194313.jpg

Tonight I will sort of plan a route South toward Tours or thereabouts for tomorrow nights Aire.
Phil

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Best wishes, bonne route, or whatever they say there. :)
 
"There is nothing, absolutely nothing...." muttered Toad, supping a beer on a lounger in the shade of the awning, ".......half so much fun, as watching someone sweating along a canal on a bicycle".
 
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Spriddler said:
"There is nothing, absolutely nothing...." muttered Toad, supping a beer on a lounger in the shade of the awning, ".......half so much fun, as watching someone sweating along a canal on a bicycle".
Click to expand...
Nice one Spriddler.
Day two, got to Tours.
One is supposed to learn something everyday. I learned today,
1. Don't trust satnav when it says "there is an alternative route". The A1 through Paris is not the best place for a motorhome.
2. 28'C is a very warm day for driving a motorhome.
3. I wish I had the yellow flashing lights like the motorbikes around Paris, it makes them invinsible, or so they think.
4. There's a neat little Aire, set back in like a courtyard in Amboise.
So, I'll aim to get to Toulouse area for tomorrow night.
Phil (melting)
 
Day three.
An uneventful journey down, but this time mostly off the motorway. I saw lots of nice villages and stopped too many times.
Stopped off for the night at the newly done-up Aire at Grenade, just outside Toulouse.
I was going to post you a picture of the town's square but it won't load the picture. Maybe it's rural France.
First day on the bike tomorrow so keep your fingers crossed.
Phil
 
Day four and the adventure begins.
I am at an Aire on the Southeast of Toulouse for two nights. I rode back up to Toulouse and back to the Aire, in all about 40 miles. It was very hot and tiring so I will modify the "plan" and start early and ride less.

The towpath so far has been paved all the way and I was wishing I'd brought the recumbent as it would have zoomed along.

I saw lots of lizards and there are many types of dragonfly, I sat and watched them for a while, they can fly forward and backwards and we think humans are clever.

It was fun playing chase the Frenchman on his bike but they are a bit surly and not one answered to my 'ey up lad' and not one had a stripey jumper and onions round his neck, maybe there not in season.

No pictures again it seems the French interwebby doesn't like pictures.
Tomorrow I will go the other way and see what's there.
Phil

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When I lived near Toulouse I used the towpath for my return to home route very leisurely, one evening I followed a Fox along the path for over a kilometre.
look out for turtles(some people have released American pet Turtles) in the canal and if you are lucky possibly coypu in the streams next to the canal.
 
Day five.
A beautiful day for cycling, warm, overcast, just a hint on moisture.
The towpath today was mostly graded limestone with a few chunks of natural compressed soil. So definitely not a road bike day but ok for me.
Castelnaudary is a lovely little town and I could have spent the day there mooching about. I had my French lunch there and turned around to come back to the motorhome.
I will move onto Baum tomorrow and see what's on offer there abouts.
Still no internet for pictures but if I pass a McDonald's tomorrow I'll upload a few.
Phil
 
Not in Castelnaudary as it is on my French hosts menu tonight. It was translated for me into "pigs skin" . I am looking forward to it and will wash my face and comb my hair.
Phil
 
Slacking a bit in my updated but not a lot to report today. Another 50 done, so 3/4 through. Still very warm and it's better setting off early and getting back before I cook. Nine o'clock at night and still 31C.
Night night all
Phil
 
Are you always returning on the same route or using roads for the return?
 
All done now. It was a bit warm to be riding big distances but that's now off the bucket list.
In answer to DBK. The first couple of days I did straight out and back. I got a bit more adventurous and over the last few days I have returned via a different route and stopped off in a few very small but delightful villages.
I'm heading off to the mountains now to see if it's any cooler.
I'll aim for the National Parks in a general Northerly direction.
Phil
 
Congratulations! :)

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Well done. Hope we will get some pics once you are able to upload.
 
Thanks guys. I have been looking at my pictures and I think I have a problem, they are all a bit "same'y". O, here's a nice bridge, click. O here's a nice canal, click. O, here's a nice orange bike, click.
What I did forget was to take a picture of the Med. before it evaporated.
Thanks all for listening.
Phil ( running for the hills).
 
PhilMary said:
Thanks guys. I have been looking at my pictures and I think I have a problem, they are all a bit "same'y". O, here's a nice bridge, click. O here's a nice canal, click. O, here's a nice orange bike, click.
What I did forget was to take a picture of the Med. before it evaporated.
Thanks all for listening.
Phil ( running for the hills).
Click to expand...
I did exactly the same on Nantes Brest Canal. There are only a limited number of ways you can photograph a lock - or at least there are for someone with my photographic skills. We ended up taking pictures of ourselves - this is me just after a shower which is why I am wearing a hat. :)

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It was no better on the flat coast either. It also rained there. :)

10-2Cycling-reduced.jpg
 

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