Postcards from Provence and beyond

Sometimes, on a long bike ride, we find we have a day that just feels a bit more hard work than others. And for some reason – today was the day.

We woke with the sunrise, aiming to get pedalling shortly after 8, hoping to avoid the worst heat of the day. After spending last Sunday’s day off, sheltering from the heavy rain in Cognac, today was due to be another day of canicule temperatures, reaching nearly 40 degrees.

Today’s plan was to follow back roads, and quiet lanes towards Capestang, where we were going to stay on the municipal camp site. It was quite a long day’s ride, of nearly 100km, but nearly all the climbing would have been done by  about 40km, so we would be able to enjoy just pootling, during the afternoon.

After a delicious breakfast, at the camp-site’s restaurant, we pedalled out, under a leaden sun.

It was already warm, and the golden light made everything glow. You can Watch a little video here

The planned route took us through more of the pretty, Aude villages that had charmed us, during yesterday’s ride, and each one had something to make us stop, or simply comment that we have to come back to take a better look at the area, when we have more time.

The roads were beautifully quiet, and we pedalled along with the calls of ‘Wibbly Birds’ (Bee Eaters), and the occasional ‘kss-kss-kss’ of a Cicada, as if it was desperate for summer to continue.

We stopped to watch the farmers busy at work with the grape harvest

And our noses caught the scent of newly-pressed grapes, as we rode past the open doors of the Domaines that we passed.

It was, in many ways a sensory delight.

Like yesterday, the countryside was wonderfully rolling, although we both seemed to feel every climb today. It didn’t help that the wind had picked up and that our old friend ‘Headwind’ had returned. At times (even in the cooler morning air, it was like riding into the blast from a hairdryer.

Arriving  in Conques-Sur-Orbiel, we found where all the cars from the area had come, as a huge vide-grenier was taking place below the village. So we stopped, and ambled through, Andy having to remind me that we really coudn’t carry a pretty stoneware casserole dish on the back of my bike.

It was a lovely event, with lots of stalls and so many pieces that would normally have come home with us for the terrace or house, and we really must come back and visit a few more (with a better form of transport) – although even if we had a car, the Gold Gnome still wouldn’t be coming home with us!

Just before Trebes, we caught sight of Carcassonne, in the distance, with its turrets and towers standing proud on the skyline, from several kilometres away. It is always such an impressive sight.

After Trebes, we stopped in the shade of a tree for a second breakfast – it was already far too hot for coffee

And then pedalled on again, feeling a little more perky after some madeleines, and a cold drink, simply enjoying the views and the simplicity of the journey.

We relished the occasional shade from Plane Trees, although they were few and far between, and even drinking as much as we could, the hot wind was drying our mouths, even making our lips stick to our teeth at times.

It still wasn’t as hot as when we cycled up, a couple of months ago, but the wind had added a new dimension that seemed to make it more challenging to ride in.

We stumbled across a quirky little workshop and garden near Puicheric, stopping to take a look at the scultures and models that were there. From the pink elephant

To the ‘John Lennon’ guitarist

And an animated one, where a certain part of its anatomy went up and down. All I’ll say is that it wasn’t his eyebrows!

Eventually, we joined the road that runs alongside the Canal du Midi, at Roubia, and felt as if we were on home territory, having last ridden along there, when we were on a bike tour (earlier this year). It was quite shocking to see the difference, in just a few months. We had been there at the start of May, when everything was lush and green, with the poppy fields adding a vibrant splash of crimson.

Today, everything was bleached, the fields a pale yellow, and everything looking dessicated, after the summer.

By the time we reached stunning Le Somail, we were in need of ice-cold drinks, so popped onboard the little epicerie that is on a barge there, and sat in the shade guzzling from bottles of coke and orangina, refilling our water bottles again.

Then we were on the final run in to Capestang, and we were already dreaming of a shower to remove the salt that was crusting our skin.

As we pedalled towards the town, we passed through a long avenue of Plane Trees that looked as if they had been attacked by a Giant. Branches had been ripped off and the normally elegant trees looked untidy, and almost stripped of leaves. It was quite odd.

Then, we pulled into the camp site, finding the gates bolted and locked & a notice from the Mairie to say that it had been closed due to damage and unstable branches on the site, following a violent storm on 24th August.

It was easy to see why it was closed, as the debris was everywhere, but it would have been nice if the notice had been put on the website too. We stood with 2 people in campervans, reading the notice, and when they got back in their vans to find somewhere else to go, we started to see if there were any other sites nearby.

If we’re honest, we felt crumpled. we were tired, frazzled with heat and just wanted to collapse. The thought of having to ride even another 40 mins to the next nearest site was just exhausting. So we took a quick look and found an apartment in town, messaging the owner to see if it would be available tonight.

A notification came back to say that the owner had 24hrs to respond, which wasn’t going to help us at all. So we decided to pedal into town, have a beer, lick our wounds and look at any other options there may be (which at that time included  wild-camping – which we’ve never done)

Then, just as we sat down at the bar, a message came in to say that we could have the flat tonight and it was available immediately. So our comiseration beer turned into a celebration beer.

Tonight, we’re in a nice little flat in town, with air conditioning and have feasted on a supper of cheese on toast, made with cheese we bought this morning, at Trebes, which had almost cooked itself, on the way across.

So we won’t be wild-camping tonight, and will hopefully feel a bit brighter tomorrow, when we head on again to Frontignan, and then we will really have home in our sights!