I thought the day was going to be an easy tootle through vineyards, but it turned out more difficult and more fun than expected.
I started late and the first hour or two was as expected, until the rather nice town of Montagnac, where I had a coffee in the shady square. While there a group of fifteen or so came through on mountain bikes, perhaps a club, or a tourist group.and there followed about 20km of well-used off-road tracks. The vineyards are on the slopes of gentle hills, at the top there are woods, scrubland and rock outcrops, good terrain for rolling bike tracks, and there is little other use for them.This is my lunch spot, having bought a chicken pasty in Montagnac. The air thick with fragrance of rosemary and thyme.This is the land of “Picpoul de pinet” celebrated with occasional monuments around the place. I now see that there is something going on behind him, which I didn’t notice at the time, so I don’t know what it is.Plenty of well-used tracks but it’s lonely dry and hot up here, with a breeze blowing hot and cold. The tracks roll along nicely.Colourful in places.
The tracks are fun but tiring and I arrived in Agde more tired than expected. The place has changed since I was last here, maybe 15 years ago. The sea-front esplanade has been extended, destroying the old boules pitch, new apartment blocks and hotels, campsites along the beaches. It used to be a quaint sleepy little seaside and fishing town, now it is more prosperous, more touristy, uglier. A disappointment.
I have rented part of a little house (new development again) two kilometers along the beach, I walk in to town for dinner, through the multi-coloured display given by the setting sun.
This is the end of my route, very pleased to have achieved it, mostly. I’ve added upthe miles and it comes to about 1,300 km and 19,800 m of climbing. Statistics mean little, but let me know why my legs ache. It was a great trip.
