but that was the price to pay for endeavouring to stick to green principles. That night I took the Plymouth to Roscoff overnight ferry and once on French soil started my bikepacking journey towards my destination, my sister’s place in Carcassonne. To get home I’d originally planned to take the train from there northwards to one of the Channel ports. In the end, though, after spending 4 days’ R&R in Carcassonne I decided to carry on down to the Mediterranean Coast in order to achieve a complete north > south transit of the country.To summarise, I rode to Carcassonne in 17 days (including two nights/one day spent static in a campsite due to incessant heavy rain) then took another 2 days to reach Montpellier, ending up having ridden just over 1,000 miles. I wild camped 13 nights, with 2 nights in the campsite plus 2 last minute AirBnB bookings (torrential rain on the first occasion and the need to wash my clothes properly and get my electronics fully recharged on the other).
The afore-mentioned rain was the exception it has to be said and the weather was generally very kind throughout. The biggest bugbear were the mosquitoes that plagued me at various points during the journey.
Rather than ramble on about the whole thing I'll just do a (hefty) photo dump with comments where appropriate.
Vélodyssée Trail, Britanny by Jimmy G, on FlickrI followed the Vélodyssee route from Roscoff as far as Lacanau in the Gironde Department before heading inland towards Bordeaux and onwards to Carcassonne. In the early part of the route much of it was on former railway lines, on either hard-packed dirt or smooth gravel surfaces... which was nice. Might not have been quite so nice if it had been raining, though!
Vélodyssée Trail, Britanny by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 1, Britanny by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 1, Britanny by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 2, Britanny by Jimmy G, on FlickrBehind a hedge next to the Brest - Nantes canal.
Brest - Nantes Canal by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 3, Britanny by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Singletrack by Jimmy G, on FlickrIt wasn't all prime gravel!
Segregation by Jimmy G, on FlickrI was very impressed throughout by the cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Light years ahead of this country and the drivers don't have anything like the hostility towards cyclists so often encountered in the UK.
Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 4, Pays-de-la-Loire by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Fishermens' Huts by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 5, Pays-de-la-Loire by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Beach Art by Jimmy G, on FlickrHeart-shaped beach art.
Untitled by Jimmy G, on FlickrMore street art, this time in La Rochelle
Gravel Charente-Maritime-style by Jimmy G, on FlickrThe following bivvy was next to the Rochefort transporter bridge over the Charente River. An impressive structure and the crossing was a memorable experience.
Bivvy No 7, near Rochefort, Charente-Maritime by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 7, near Rochefort, Charente-Maritime by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Aboard the Rochefort Transporter Bridge by Jimmy G, on FlickrBike setup
Aboard the Rochefort Transporter Bridge by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Forest Trail, Nouvelle-Aquitaine by Jimmy G, on Flickr
WW2 Bunker Art, Nouvelle-Aquitaine by Jimmy G, on FlickrJust one of the WW2 bunkers along the Atlantic Coast now serving as canvasses for the local street artists.
Bivvy No 8, Nouvelle Aquitaine by Jimmy G, on FlickrAround dusk, only about about 50 feet in front of me, I saw what I thought were two dogs chasing each other and was expecting the owner to appear at any moment. I soon realised, though, that they were in fact wild boar. For hours afterwards I had to listen to a gang of them grunting and squealing nearby until a heavy downpour dampened their enthusiasm.
Slugfest! by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Boar Hunt by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 9, Saumos, Nouvelle Aquitaine by Jimmy G, on FlickrAn overnight halt under the verandah of a local boules club. I didn't get a lot of sleep due to the busy road close by and then sideways rain coming in. Thought I'd get away with just the mesh inner but had to rapidly get the flysheet on in the middle of the night!
Bivvy No 10, near Tabanac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine by Jimmy G, on FlickrI fancied camping in the abandoned building but the brambles and nettles dissuaded me.
Garonne Canal, Gironde by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 11, next to the Garonne Canal, Gironde by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Garonne Canal by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Toulouse Tunnel Art by Jimmy G, on FlickrRiding through Toulouse was an interesting experience - a seemingly chaotic mix of pedestrians, bikes, electric scooters and cars which just works somehow.
Bivvy No 12, Ayguesvives, Occitanie by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Canal du Midi, Occitanie by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Carcassonne Castle by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Berry steep climb : ) by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Bivvy No 13, near Béziers, Occitanie by Jimmy G, on Flickr
Flamingoes near Montpellier, Occitanie by Jimmy G, on FlickrJust a few of the hundreds of flamingoes I saw in the numerous lakes to the west of Montpellier.
. Lucky with the weather, and all that wine... all that bread... all that cheese.... all those lovely slugs...
