Canal Du Midi Beziers to Carcassone

Hi Noel

Thanks for the kind words.

Try doing what I did. I went on the internet and found a cycling holiday company operating nearby (in Gouarec actually) and emailed them for advice.

The one in Gouarec (Breton Bikes) is English owned, which helped, and it would not surprise me if you found a similar setup near your destination.

You could even email Geoff Husband at Breton Bikes. He would have some idea, and may even know the area well - and he's a very helpful and generous chap.

Hope this helps

Dave

Thanks all for your input.

Pusser; I had read about the scurrilous sabotage executed on a competitors bike in the local Portraigne free press. The culprit was clearly identified and was seen to be wearing a yellow hi-viz vest disguised as a leaders jersey. He was rumoured to be visiting the area in a Porky lookalike. We are excited about this particular trip as it will be the first time in a long time that we both are fit enough to enjoy the bikes, I have been a member of an exclusive club in work called FBC ( Fat B***ards Club) but with a concerted effort have managed to shed almost 2 stone in the past year and I do feel one hell of a lot better as a result. FBC promoted a change in lifestyle rather than a diet and I am just more aware of what I'm eating and have reduced portions now, with daily exercise now part of my day. I either walk or cycle to work covering about 12kms every day. I was told a long time ago that the best exercise was to push yourself away from the table.

DAB; we will probably move to the Eastern side of Beziers after the week on le bateau and may head for the coast. We have a few camping cheques which will expire soon so we will find a nice site that accepts them into July, hopefully within a bike ride of the sea.

Dave Zeb; There is some good stuff on that site which i will print and bring with us

Philip; in this part of the world swimming in canals is also known as going through the motions

Noel

tincan said:

Thanks all for your input.

Pusser; I had read about the scurrilous sabotage executed on a competitors bike in the local Portraigne free press. The culprit was clearly identified and was seen to be wearing a yellow hi-viz vest disguised as a leaders jersey. He was rumoured to be visiting the area in a Porky lookalike. We are excited about this particular trip as it will be the first time in a long time that we both are fit enough to enjoy the bikes, I have been a member of an exclusive club in work called FBC ( Fat B***ards Club) but with a concerted effort have managed to shed almost 2 stone in the past year and I do feel one hell of a lot better as a result. FBC promoted a change in lifestyle rather than a diet and I am just more aware of what I'm eating and have reduced portions now, with daily exercise now part of my day. I either walk or cycle to work covering about 12kms every day. I was told a long time ago that the best exercise was to push yourself away from the table.

Click to expand...

I'm just starting my diet which is a mixture of Mckenna and a science based program on TV that suggests the following:

Never miss a meal.
Breakfast should be protein as this releases a .... (forgot ) and this affects the hunger ....(forgot ..... ) in your brain.

Drink a lot of water.

If you have a meal e.g. chicken, potato and a veg and a glass of water, if you liquidise the whole lot inc. the water it becomes a soup and you will stay unhungry for two to 3 hours longer.

You must however stick to the calories pertaining to your lifestyle which by my calculation for me and the exercise I do - mainly typing is 10.

Drink low fat milk and eat low fat cheese as the calcium binds fat in your tummy and makes it impossible to digest so it goes straight through and presumably out the other end.

Eat no more than 4 oily fishes a week as they contain contaminants i.e. PCB's (never realise fish ate motherboards) Eat white fish twice a week.

There were other rules but I have forgotten them but I have a least taken onboard the protein breakfast which should be egg, lean ham and mushrooms mixed in. I will worry about the other meals while I get used to a cooked breakfast. 8)

For exercise I have just bought a canoe from John Cross. Found a cheaper two man canoe which will do me and all I need now is some water. 8)

Hi Noel, My mate has got back to me with :
"It is very variable.
From Toulouse to Castelnaudary about 40km of the 65km are tarmaced and very good.
From Castelnaudary to Carcassonne, there is no tarmaced piste only a canal side track, sometimes one tyre width wide.
Carcassonne to Epidum d'Enserune, only narrow canal side track, sometimes very difficult with tree roots and stumps (came off twice)
Final stage to the Meditteranean, mixed, some good piste and otherwise a rough track.
The final few km to the lighthouse in the etang is almost impossible to find and is a very rough track, I do not think many people actually complete the ride.
This is not a possible ride in wet conditions and it was a good deal tougher than I thought it was going to be - we did it in 4 days, ~ 270km.

It is a bit like the footpaths on Exmoor, close to the towns and pubs they are good and then a few km out, the track disappears.

Of course the lack of a tarmaced piste increases the solitude of the ride, which is nice"
Hope that is of use, and don't come off your bike "canalwards". Have a great trip, the trees along the canal make it a beautiful journey. Great spectator watching at the locks.
Philip

Hope I get it right this time

http://www.campingleneptune.com/english/index.html

Page 133 Camping Neptune Agde

Easy walk or cycle to town or beach, lots of restaurants handy and several cycle rides of varying lengths. Stayed 14 nights for price of 11 once. And there is a Hyper U, a huge supermarket, 15 mins cycle.

In Agde there is a very good market on thursdays for food and in one of the allyways near the market hall is a little wine shop selling draft wine and the St Chinon is to be recomended.

Friends of ours spent 15 nights there in May with camping cheques it was their 3rd visit.

Hope the above helps. I am a very poor typist and was in a bit of a rush with the last post.

John