Cycling In France - Canals And Castles Of The Midi

Our trip begins at Montpellier Airport (MPL) at 9.45pm. If you would like to join the complimentary airport transfer today, the latest your flight can arrive is 9.25pm. We then travel together (approx. 1hr) to historic Beziers and check into our hotel. On arrival there will be a short welcome meeting and a full briefing to introduce you to the itinerary for the days ahead will take place after breakfast on day 2. Please note that there will be very limited food options with this late arrival so we advise you dine earlier. Situated at the heart of a huge wine growing area, Beziers has a colourful and fascinating history. The Gothic cathedral sits high above the canal on the site of the Romanesque building destroyed by the Crusaders' fires against the Cathars. The old centre is crisscrossed by narrow streets offering some great views over the Orb Valley, whilst in the distance the hills of the Cevennes rise up to form the start of the Massif Central. The town is also famous for its poutous (a delicious treat made from honey), bitterois (a cake made from almonds) as well as some fine regional wines and chocolate. If your flight arrives into Montpellier earlier in the day, you may have time to wait ahead of our group transfer to Bezier. The French railway system has frequent trains going to Beziers, alternatively private transfer by taxi is possible, please enquire with us if interested. Ryanair do not accept bookings through Tour Operators, but they may have direct return flights from London to Carcassonne (and on certain days Beziers) which you could book directly yourself and you would need to make your own way to the hotel. If you plan to make your own way to Beziers please do inform us so we can advise you and that we are not waiting for you at the airport. If you would prefer we can book flights in and out of Toulouse Airport (TLS) and you would need to make your own way to Beziers. This involves taking the bus (it takes around 25 minutes and costs approximately 8 Euros per person) to Matabiau Gare Routier where you change stations to Gare de Toulouse-Matabiau SNCF and take the train to Gare de Beziers (it takes between 2 and 3 hours and costs 30 to 35 Euros). The hotel is one kilometre walk through the park from the train station. If you wish to drive to the start of the trip please ask us for parking details.

After becoming acquainted with our bicycles, we cycle out along the Canal du Midi, crossing the River Orb by aqueduct. The Canal's 99 locks and 130 bridges constitute an engineering marvel and its tree-lined tranquil beauty affords us an ideal opportunity to explore the delightful countryside of this part of south-west France. Connecting old trade routes between Languedoc and Aquitaine, the canal was the brainchild of Pierre-Paul Riquet, a 17th century noble whose persistence and fortitude convinced both Louis XIV and his First Minister, Colbert, of the merits of linking the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. The project was begun in 1667 and took some 14 years to complete, eventually carving a trail some 240km in length, from the River Garonne to Agde on the Mediterranean coast. Unfortunately for Monsieur Riquet he died just six months short of the canal's completion, so never actually saw what came to be known as 'Riquet's Ditch' finished. River traffic brought immense prosperity to the towns along its course, until the arrival of the Sète-Bordeaux railway in 1857, which all but saw an end to the commercial importance of the canal. Following a route over the nearby hills we ride away from the canal through the undulating landscape and quiet country roads to Valras Plage. Here there is time for a leisurely lunch and the chance to relax on the seaside beach or take a swim before heading inland again to join the canal path back to Béziers for our second night. As the whole of the Canal du Midi is a World Heritage Site, UNESCO is keen to keep the historical aspects of the area in keeping with it's origins. Cyclists should be aware that the tow path was originally built for horses to pull cargo barges, hence many sections do not have a modern surface. Ever changing, due to climatic conditions, the sections cycled do include earth and gravel paths with some holes and tree roots, and can be narrow and overgrown in places. These tow path sections show the area in the beautiful way it has always been. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 45 kilometres (Total 166 metres ascent and 164 meters descent)

After spending some time in the old city this morning, (while the tour leader transfers our luggage to Narbonne) we ride south along the course of the waterway, passing the famous nine locks at Fonseranes. The locks comprise of eight water basins that extend 300m up a slope of 21.5m, a spectacular feat of civil engineering. There is an opportunity to visit ancient field structures at Montady, where you can get some stunning views across the Béziers plain and the Malpas tunnel. Measuring 173m in length the tunnel was dug below the Colline de Montady in just six days. This was the first tunnel of its kind to be used for the access of canal traffic. From here we turn away from the canal for a short time, taking a route that passes through a rural landscape of traditional village life, to the city of Narbonne, our final destination for today. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 35 kilometres (Total 89 metres ascent and 140 meters descent)