Bordeaux to Nimes on a bicycle Day 10 to Cap d'Agde

Narbonne Plage to Cap d’Agde – 52 km

Backbird

Good breakfast at the very imaginatively named Hotel de la Plage. Another cyclist was heading off to Barcelona to compete in the Triathlon. He offered me a lift but I told him my breaststroke wouldn’t be good enough (As if my running and biking would be!) Set off along the coast through St. Pierre sur Mer. At the end of the main street there is a short climb and then a right turn onto a quiet road that follows the coast, the Route des Vins. More vineyards and a few camp-sites. Crossed the Aude and headed on. The area became progressively more developed. I was making good progress until I got near Serignan. My Michelin map indicated a right turn would get me onto a quiet road. No such luck, a ditch that would have deterred Charlemagne stood between me and my side road. I suppose you have to go into Serignan to pick up the road. So I had to grit my teeth and pedal on down the busy road. Eventually, in the distance, I saw the rows of plane trees that meant I was nearing the canal du Midi again. My southerly diversion completed, it was good to be back off-road, ‘do your worst tree roots’! Pretty rutted and bumpy over the latter stages but I made it into Agde.

Went straight to the Gare SNCF to see if I could book my train home. The prices had quadrupled from what I had been quoted on-line at home. Took the bike route to Capd'Agde. Found a very nice Hotel near the Plage de Mole – the Hotel Bellvue. Went for a very brief swim in the sea thankful I wasn't practising for a Triathlon.

Plage de Mole

 Have to admit my last minute travel bookings for this trip were not too clever. I got a very good price on a train from High Wycombe to Bordeaux. Unfortunately, I had totally misread the bike regulations for TGV trains. So, from Lille, I was travelling on a train that would not take bikes. No problem, I will get a bike bag. Would have to be a light one so that I could carry it with me on my tour. Found the ideal bag but there was just one in the country, at an FW Evans in West London. So had to take the train into London and buy the bag. So my fare to Bordeaux may have been cheap but I now had to add the cost of the bike bag and a return train ticket to London. On top of that I failed to book a return ticket and now, at Agde, was being quoted 4 times the price I had expected. So needed to find another option - beam me up!


At Le Port, some very expensive boats

Cap d'Agde is a modern tourist resort that spreads its net very wide. It has everything from beaches, casino, tennis courts, yacht harbour, golf course and a fairground. Must be bursting at the seams in the high season. Don't think it would be everyones cup of tea. The hotel gave me a good restaurant to go to - La Manade just by the port. There are literally dozens to choose from.