170 kilometres and eight and a half hours on the bike today!
A flat kind of day as far as elevations go and the amazing scenery along the way made every part of this day worthwhile!
With a 7 am start to the day to try and get as far as possible in daylight, Crazybikeguy set off in the direction of Sète so that he could try, once again to stay on the coastal path as he had originally planned.He had thought of stopping in Montpellier but then decided that with a bit of extra effort he could in fact make up some time and pedal harder through to Arles. Most of the day was spent standing on the bike - pushing and pushing for greater speed.
The wind made itself known but thankfully not as severe a force as the day before last on the way to Béziers.
A wonderful day to explore the French countryside with the wind dying down after 3 pm and the clouds coming over bringing with them a cool drizzle which was quite pleasant. Crazybikeguy decided not to stop to put on rain gear and instead enjoyed the temperature change and cycled on.
The coastal town of Sète was just lovely- set on the side of a salt water lagoon. Across a narrow isthmus, Sète's Mediterranean coast is lined with sandy beaches and it is known as the Venice of Languedoc as it has an extensive canal network with lots of boats.
Crossing over sand banks and entering the area known as the Rhône delta where the Camargue National Park is made up of brackish marshland and waterways; home to the most amazing flocks of flamingos -Grant was amazed at the amount of wildlife and the pristine environment.
Crazybikeguy just loved the beauty of this area and riding through St Giles and the Camargue National park really made cycling here one of the highlights of his trip.
" Cycling here was just wonderful.The inland scenery was exquisite- far better than what I experienced on the coastal path. This is definitely one of those must see places- someday I would love to come back here to explore it properly. This was one of my most scenic days- just so beautiful!"
Grant - voice note
The great advantage of cycling is that by getting onto cycle path ways and gravel tracks one gets away from the road and the traffic and one has the opportunity to immerse oneself in nature and get a feel for the land, enjoy the scenery and see the countryside from a different perspective. Such a privilege.
Arles was Grant's stop for the night. A city of ancient Roman ruins, famed for inspiring the paintings of Van Gogh, many beautiful monuments, churches and even an amphitheater. A feast for the eyes!
Our Mission.Their future.
"If you truly love Nature you will find beauty everywhere"
- Van Gogh
Lovely to know that Crazybikeguy had a really good day of cycling, viewing the wonderful countryside, enjoying the beauty of nature, and making the most of the pleasant weather! Great seeing the stunning spots through the lens of his camera.... such incredible photos!! A real feast for the eyes of us vicarious travellers so far away. Arles is simply breathtaking! Thanks G! And a big thanks to Liz for making it all come alive! xx