Bordeaux to Nimes on a bicycle Day 4 to Castelsarrasin

25th  September Day 4 Feugarolles to Castelsarrasin 84km

Hunting for snails

Crossing the massive viaduct over the Garonne

Really enjoying the cycling along the canal. The prevailing wind is from the NorthWest and our heading was South East. Couple that with a smooth surface and only a slight incline and you have a cycling idyll. There are also plenty of towns and villages en route so, really, it would be possible to do the trip several times and get variety by stopping at different places.

So anyway, down for Breakfast on another cool day. Six cyclists now, the lead peleton had been joined by les Frères Eccossais, the Scottish brothers. After a jolly meal we headed off. I joined up with the Scots as the pursuivants, the Three Musketeers, in Tour de France terms. The yellow jersey had already left and we did not catch him. This wasn’t grape country. The fields alongside the canal were planted with a myriad of different crops including tobacco, kiwi fruits (what a massive plant), apple orchards, maize to name a few. We also saw a team of mighty hunters just short of Agen. Armed with sticks and carrying plastic bags they were on the hunt for Les Escargots. Stuart probably ate them that evening!

Just before Agen we crossed the Garonne again, this time over the massive viaduct that carries the canal over the river. Down into Agen to, you guessed it, the Patisserie. Had a very tasty ham baguette as we sat outside on pavement tables. Agen is a busy, bustling town with lots of traffic and, not for the last time, it was good to get back to the canal after our meal. It took a while to get through Agen and, though not the prettiest stretch of canal as the scenery included a nuclear power station, we made swift progress towards our destination of Castelsarrasin.

So good in fact that a late afternoon beering halt was agreed in the pretty town of Moissac. The canal and the River Tarn run through the town so we thought we would find a nice riverside hostelry, alas no. A diligent search. however, revealed a suitable establishment in the town square where we were able to sit outside. Beers were ordered, I’ll have what your having! All for one and one for all! The beer was a little bigger and better than my normal tipple having been brewed religiously by a Belgian Monk. It was tasty though and soon horns started blaring! Yes, it was a Saturday Wedding and the traditional noisy tour of the town had started. Around the town square came a loud procession some equipped with air horns that included, bizarrely, a large camper wagon. Perhaps they were on Wedding Crashing holiday?
 

Suitably refreshed. we headed back to the canal-side for the 13km ride to our B&B which was outside Castelsarrasin. Again we went a bridge too far but, after a phone call, our hosts for the night sent their son out on his bike to look for us. Nice B&B with a pool and a colonial feel to it.



Balcony View

Though only a short distance from the canal, Les Dantous, seemed to be in the middle of nowhere surrounded by massive maize plants, half-expected a team of baseball players to wander out from Field of Dreams. No food at the Inn but our Singaporean hosts would, very kindly, drive us to the L’Auberge du Moulin and pick us up afterwards. Hungry as a horse - so lets go!