directions_bike by Chris Riches -

Carcassonne to Narbonne

The landscape on the way to Narbonne was quite noticeably different from what I had seen prior to Toulouse, with many vineyards and plenty of cypress trees.

Some of the small villages approaching Narbonne from the northwest were quite picturesque. I entered the city along the Canal de la Robine. The old buildings, which had a lot of character, often painted in pastel colours, were very impressive with their matching shutters. The sandy coloured backstreets contained interesting shops.

Some roads were closed as there was a music event going on in the evening in the historic centre with a large audience watching performers, and on the other side of the canal a stage had been set up. This was accompanied by a large police and military presence.

The area in the centre around La Via Domitia (which is the remains of an uncovered Roman road) was particularly nice and lively.

Distance: 40 miles

Maximum temperature: 23 degrees C

Narbonne in the evening

Narbonne backstreets in the historic centre

Canal de la Robine in Narbonne

Canal de la Robine in Narbonne

Carcassonne

directions_bike by Chris Riches -

Narbonne to Porte-la-Nouvelle

Departing from the campsite just southeast of Narbonne, I knew it wouldn’t be far to cycle to reach the Mediterranean coast, and was pleased to find it was a sunny morning.

The route went south on a path alongside the Canal de la Robine through some wetland areas, where you could start to sense the sea air, and then arrived at the Mediterranean coast at Porte-la-Nouvelle. As forecast it was a windy day which provided a tailwind and the sky was looking vividly blue during the journey to the coast. The area is prone to strong winds including the northwesterly Tramontane wind. Apparently the strong winds in the South of France cause the strong light conditions that can be seen there, with the clear blue skies. This phenomenon, which attracts artists, was particularly noticeable as I approached the coast.

Porte-la-Nouvelle had what seemed to be a cement plant on the outskirts along with numerous large silos. It is France’s third commercial Mediterranean port and is important for grain exports and hydrocarbon imports. It was interesting to think that much of the grain crops that I had seen being grown, irrigated and made ready for transportation in the South West region might end up being internationally shipped from here. Up to 800,000 tonnes of grain are shipped from the port annually, including wheat and barley, to other Mediterranean countries.

It was really exciting to see the calm and glistening Mediterranean Sea for the first time on the trip, from the promenade next to the beach at Porte-la-Nouvelle. Decided that this location would be an ideal place to have lunch, and stay overnight. I enquired in a hotel in the port area and they confirmed that they had a room available for the night, and a garage for bikes. I left most of my things at the hotel and then relaxed on the beach in the afternoon and had a swim.

Distance: 15 miles

Maximum temperature: 27 degrees C

Canal de la Robine

Canal de la Robine

Beach at Porte-la-Nouvelle

Porte-la-Nouvelle

Porte-la-Nouvelle