Map of route HERE

Cycling into France was a bit like coming home as I have been here so many times, I know my way around and speak the language better than Spanish, although I was getting quite good at Spanish.

It felt strange to ride through a border that wasn't there, the EEC means no border passport checks.

St Beat was not the best place to enter France, quite a run down village, but like all french places a nice little boulangerie for pain au chocolate and coissants.

My next port of call is Carcasonne, which I have heard about so many times but never visited. and so my next couple of days were meandering towards the city.

I had heard Carcassonne is like the Camelot of King Arthur. As I entered the town and followed the one way system I passed by the city walls, just like so many other french fortified towns, and so I thought , its not all that great, until I came by the river and saw in the sky.

Carcassonne

I found a place to camp , where there were more cyclists, one with a brand new BOB Ibex trailer like mine, so he had loads of questions, one who had made his own trailer, it was good and I should have taken a photo.

There was a couple from england who worked in Spain, so I gave them my dictionaries and maps etc.

The next day I went up to the city and had a good look around, recommended.

Lists

From here I followed the Canal du Midi down through Beziers to Agde on the med coast. But, what a culture shock, tourists, So I headed back inland up to Millau and the Gorge du Tarn through St Affric.

At Millau is the Air bridge. the highest bridge in the world

The bridge at Millau

From here was a great downhill into Millau and then into the Gorge du Tarn, it was good to get into the hills again, even though it rained, and rained and rained.

I camped near St Emine and the next day went up to the tops of the gorge and over to Florac, and back down to the campsite.

The Tarn from the top

Lin had arranged to come over for the weekend to Nimes so I set off  to  ride over the Corniche de Cevennes to meet her there. After Florac the road goes UP, the rain is still pouring down and it is quite cold, it is only April after all. near the top of the climb I stop off to see dinosaur footprints in the rocks.

 I stopped along the tops at a cafe for some food and to get  dry. Once outside the driving rain soaks me once more. 

On a viscious downhill my hands are freezing and I have to stop to put on bigger gloves, I am now soaking wet  and cold, my hands cannot work the brakes. In a village I see a hotel and stop there , after about an hour in the shower I feel better. Fantastic food, bed, evening meal and breakfast 19 euros. But while eating a salad, I break my upper denture on a CrOUToN.

The noise a breaking denture makes is  like a bomb going off in your head. But this time it was just a crack. have to be careful until I can get it fixed. the landlady helps me by finding a technician's address and phone  number in Nimes.

After breakfast ( huge, and eaten very carefully) I cycled along the the Corniche enjoying the views. And then, off the end of the world in a huge downhill , into another town for more food.

Followed the river along to Arles and the to Nimes. I have a spare day before Lin arrives to find somewhere to get my  denture repaired. I go to the address  I have but there is nothing there, so on the way I go into a Hertz rent a car office and ask if they have yellow pages,find another address and success, 60euros later perfect ( £15 in Preston ).

Proper food can now be enjoyed once again.