Cycling the Canal du Midi is on many a cyclists bucket list and so it was for us.

The 240km canal was dug by hand between 1666 and 1681. Up until then transport from Europe to the Mediterranean Sea was forced to go around Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar with all the political risks, heavy seas and even pirates to negotiate. So it was decided, around the same time as the Great Plague and the Fire of London, to connect the Garonne river at Bordeaux with the Mediterranean at Sete and thereby provide a safe haven through the French countryside.

It is a wide canal taking much bigger boats than our narrowboat system making the accomplishment of building it even more impressive.

We have been a couple of times and have flown into both Beziers and Carcassonne to begin our trip. Once again Isabella at the Relax cycle shop in Beziers is well experienced at equipping English tourists with suitable bikes and equipment and also runs a bike and luggage delivery service from hotel to hotel.

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We decided to cycle the segment from Carcassonne to the sea at Sete. Any visit to Carcassonne must include a couple of hours exploring the old castle which is of fairy tale grandeur and magnitude. And so the journey begins. You can stay on the towpath all the way or take a few detours onto some welcome tarmac lanes as you explore your way down to the sea. You pass endless miles of vineyards and sunflowers, pretty villages and delightful cafes. Boats chug alongside and the waft of their log burners conjures up smells of aromatic gastric wonders being prepared in the galleys.

There are some excellent towpaths of tarmac and some areas of tree root laden bumpy sections but Isabella tells me the towpaths have all been relaid and smoothed out this last season. There is also a railway following the same route where you can put your bikes on board and miss out a couple of sections if you have time constraints. One worthwhile excursion on a feeder canal is down to the old town of Narbonne which is a great choice for a nights stay. Otherwise the towns are quite sleepy and if you are after a decent night out you may have to wait until you get Sete.

Beziers is a nice town with both an airport and a good rail hub with a lovely central square and market area but again I am yet to find a lively bar there! I have transited through Beziers on many occasions as we explored the cycling along the south of France from the Pyrenees all the way to Provence. We fly in, pick up our bikes at Relax and then either bike from there or jump on a train to Nimes, Avignon or Perpignon. I just hope Ryanair keep flying there from Manchester!

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Canal wise, it is famous for its flight of nine locks where the boats descend down to the river level. It is a very old cathedral town and has a strong north African influence with lots of side street cafes. It’s certainly another nice overnight stopping place.

The canal then heads east to Agde where we once again divert to explore the old seaside town. It’s quite well known for its naturist beaches and liberal scene. Not quite my cup of tea until I lose a few pounds and get more toned!

From here its better to leave the canal as it enters into the Etang de Thau (an inland sea lagoon) where salt is harvested on its route down to the port of Sete while we cycle along the beach road right into this gorgeous town. Its port area is lined with sea food restaurants and bars and has beach areas with any kind of water sports available. Definitely a place to spend at least one night.

You can either cycle back the 30 miles to Beziers or catch the train all or part of the way. Its very easy logistically to get around with safe cycle paths all the way and the train as back up along the entirety of the canal route.