Postcards from Provence and beyond

Some days, like today may not be quite what we planned, but they still turn out to be rather wonderful… even in the rain, with wet feet !

After a lovely couple of days in Pezenas, it was time to hop back on the bikes again today, to continue on to our next stop, at Capestang.

We’d been watching the weather forecasts closely, as it was showing that heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected to hit the area. But on a bike, and with accommodation already booked, there is no other option, but to hop on the bikes and ride,

I had originally planned a longer route, which would take us up into the hills, before dropping into Capestang, but with heavy rain due, and the temperatures set to fall a bit, I planned an alternative, which would follow the route we took between the 2 towns (in the opposite direction), when we did our first long bike ride home through France, in 2023. You can read The story of our first trip in 2023, here

At least this would give us options, if we needed them, although as we went to bed last night, we still hoped that the forecast was totally wrong, and it would have been an unnecessary task.

I woke during the night to the sound of rain gurgling in the gutter, and it was still pouring, when we popped out to get some bread, this morning.

We had managed to reduce the ride to just under 55km, and happily didn’t have to leave the flat we’d been staying in at Pezenas until 11am, and would be able to get into tonight’s wonderfully quirky accommodation, after 2pm, so all being well, our time getting soggy and wet would be limited.

We packed everything up, and waited for the rain to stop a little, before heading out onto wet roads, with the spray soaking our feet, within minutes.

We soon left Pezenas behind and by the time we reached the top of the hill, leaving Tourbes, it had stopped raining and I was already overheating. We stopped so that I could take off layers, and then had to quickly stop again for me to put them back on.

Even in the grey, with intermittent heavy showers, it was a pretty ride through open countryside..

Passing through peaceful, pretty villages

And pedalling past beautiful old buildings..

We looked for an open cafe in the villages we rode through, so that we could pop in for a coffee (or probably hot chocolate), just to warm ourselves up a bit, but everywhere appeared to be resolutely closed.

After the third ride around a village centre, we were even beginning to lose hope of finding a bus-shelter, or market hall to sit in, so that we could make our own coffee, and have some lunch too.

Neither of us are at our best, when we are cold, wet and hungry, and the word ‘hangry’ definitely came to mind.

Then, just as we were beginning to get a bit flaky, we spotted a bus stop, with solid sides to protect us from the wind and drizzle, and settled down to make coffee.

It may not have been the most scenic of coffee-stops, but it was warm, dry and felt like a palace for the time that we were there.

It made a huge difference to our mood – we had been a little bit hangry, before the stop, but after, we were warmer inside and out, and every turn of the pedal seemed just a bit easier.

We followed a cycle path along the bed of an old railway track that we remembered cycling in 2023, which proved to be a perfect off-road route, between the villages.

All around us, we could see the storms raging, yet somehow they seemed to keep just beyond our route, and it felt that we were pedalling alongside the Canal du Midi, before we even knew it.

You can watch A little video from today’s ride here

It was nice coming back to Capestang, and even better, when I spotted our accommodation for the next 2 nights, a rather quaint little narrowboat, moored at the side of the Canal, just below the bridge.

We cycled past, popping into town to get supplies for the night (Pesto & Mozarella Brets Crisps tonight – we’re working our way through the flavours on this trip)..

Before heading back to settle in.

It’s our first time staying on a narrowboat, and it really is incredibly narrow, but also is rather charming too, reminding us of the simple times we had, in the campervan, in Japan, but this has the added benefit of rocking gently as other boats pass by..

We’ve had a visitor too,  a rather beautiful cat that slinked its way onto the boat & wound itself around my feet, before popping inside to see if there were any goodies on offer. It ended up being disappointed, as we hadn’t packed any cat treats in the panniers, so slinked on again to try the neighbouring boat.

We ambled along the canal path, listening to the bee-eaters, and watching the swifts and swallows skimming across the surface of the water, before settling in for a drink on the front of the boat, watching the world pass by.

Then the heavens opened again, and we snuggled back inside, listening to the raindrops on the roof of the boat, and watching them hit the water outside the window too.

A gentle and cosy end to a cold and soggy day.

We’re predicted to have storms overnight, and looking at the reports from towns around us, we have done remarkably well to keep as dry as we did today (slightly, rather than seriously soggy)

But tomorrow is predicted to be nice again, so I’m planning another ride around the area, to explore some of the villages along the Canal, including Le Somail, where we bought a painting from an artist there, many years ago.

Let’s hope the weather forecast is right, so that we can enjoy a pedal down memory lane.