Day 128
Out of Italy and into France, not much changes really, there’s the iconic Corniche coast gradually changing from grey limestone to red sandstone.
After Monaco I follow the coast. From Nice to Cannes and beyond there’s a well-known cycle path. Well-known in respect of there’s a lot of touring cyclists using it but compared to the Italian one it’s absolute shit: constant sharp turns, numerous crossings, and to top that a 10 km/h speed limit, like, really??
The scenery doesn’t disappoint though.
Day 129
I head inland, having been on the coast for a few days. Target is Aix-en-Provence. The first part is a bit tedious with town riding and major roads. The towns have a habit of putting a physical barrier in the centre of the road which makes it a bit annoying as the cars can’t get past. There’s often an attempt at a cycle path but usually unrideable.
After a bit I cut away from the DN7 to the smaller roads, through villages and vineyards and pine forests. I love the smell of mediterranean pine at this time of year.
There’s a reasonable amount of climbing involved, but what really does me in is the steadily increasing headwind. Once out of the other side of Maximin there’s suddenly an enormous quantity of traffic on the road. Where did they all come from, and more to the point why aren’t they on the motorway alongside? I’m not going to bother trying for Aix-en-Pce now, against the wind. I stop at a little place in Ollières and cool down in the pool (in my cycling gear).
Day 130
I get up and leave early, but even at 07:30 the busy road is busy, and gets busier to the point of traffic jams. There are stretches of cycle paths but some of those are out of action.
After Aix-en-Provence there are more roads to choose from and it quietens down a bit. I have a second breakfast in Aix and then into Salon-de-Provence. This is lovely, if I had to live anywhere in France, this would be the place.
Then on towards Arles. I’ll digress here a little. I know the area from the distant past. When I was a small we used to summer at a camp site in Eygallières. I have photos of me in armbands at the outdoor pool in Arles. My first memories are from here: driving through the plane tree avenues to Arles in a Ford Escort, my brother’s first birthday with a thing from the boulangerie with a candle in it.
If these are not the same roads with fatter trees, they are very similar. I resist the temptation to actually go to Eygallières as I know I’d not recognise it. Arles is lovely, if I had to live anywhere in France, this would be the place. It has a mixture of typical Provençal architecture and some fine 60s modernist.
I stop at St Gilles rather than carrying on across the Camargue, it’s windy and I’ll appreciate it more when fresh.
Day 131
Into “Petit Camargue”, and follow the canals down to Aigues-Mortes with its impressive fort, ramparts and medieval town centre.
From there the next town is La Grande-Motte. This place is really odd. Everything is made of concrete cut-outs, with a lot of arty style to it. The larger buildings have the form of pyramids or boats, but the smaller blocks are more imaginative. The whole thing was built in late 60s/early 70s, everything’s set in huge rambling parkland which is now very mature, wide boulevards accommodate the tiny amount of traffic while pedestrians are given sweeping bridges over them. The feeling of the place is like halfway between Le Corbusier and a Butlins Holiday Camp.
From here there’s a path that goes for many, many kilometres alongside the Canal du Rhone which has a lake on both sides of it.
Day 132
Agde – Narbonne – Perpignan
Narbonne is nice.
I’d planned on cutting inland toward Andorra, but the weather is disappointing and gets progressively worse than the forecast so I aim for Perpignan instead and route along the coastal isthmus. This is initially worrying as there doesn’t appear to be any land between where I’m heading and the actual mainland. It’s all more weird concrete holiday constructions, all the way.
Perpignan is a shithole. Historic centre? More like decrepit centre. There are one or two smart art galleries and olive oil shops but the rest could feature in a post-apocalyptic film.
I’m also a bit pissed off as I’ve blown my budget by booking into a 4* hotel, all the others had dire ratings. Apart from the very smart (read: expensive) tapas bar on the ground floor this would struggle to be 2* in Albania. Seriously. I want my money back.
Digression: France is lovely in some respects, parts can be very pretty, but for quality/service it’s crap, and expensive. I’m quite happy with pretty much anything, just be honest and don’t rip me off. Apart from one sandwich in a village bar, the food has been invariably shit. Overcooked fish, oily fried stuff, salad smothered in shop-bought dressing. You can’t go wrong with a pizza, but for €15 in a roadside restaurant (surprisingly popular) one side was burnt to charcoal and the opposite side was raw. The €45 menu at the Logis hotel had a starter called “gazpacho” which had melon and mozzerella balls, but no flavour. FFS how hard can it be?
