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Monday 22nd June 2015 Agen to Grisolles Yet another fine, sunny day and another easy 50 miles along the level, traffic-free cycle path by the Canal des Deux Mers. It is very scenic and it's easy riding but it does get a bit samey after a couple of hours, let alone a couple of days.
I saw several jays, a green woodpecker, a young great spotted woodpecker, a grey heron, a mob of 13 or so kites circling around, several black butterflies, dragonflies and one huge watery rodent on the towpath, about the size of a rabbit or a cat. It quite alarmed me as I was nearly on top of it before we saw each other and it was big enough to have taken a fair-sized chunk out of my leg if so minded. He chose not to, however, and after a warning glare at me he disappeared into the undergrowth while I rapidly accelerated away. I checked with Google later and discovered that the monster was a coypu - eradicated from England a couple of decades ago but apparently still at large in France where they are known as 'Ragondins'.
Today I decided to have a change from omelette au fromage for lunch. I pulled in to Moissac and found Le Paris, a café, where I ordered the salad with hot camembert. Unfortunately when it arrived the salad was covered with rashers of bacon! I left the meaty bits and ate the rather uninspiring remainder then got back to the ride, thinking there was a lot to be said for cheese omelettes.
Mile after mile of towpath and canal slid by and I was quite sweaty and smelly by the time I came upon a waterside restaurant-bar about 10 miles from my destination. I stopped and had a cup of tea there although the waitress couldn't understand my attempts to say 'un grand thé' and called for some anglophone support from one of her colleagues - what a cheek! I arrived in Grisolles at around 3.00 and had a brief ride around town before opting for the first hotel I'd seen, the one nearest the towpath. This was a Logis establishment, the 'Relais des Garrigues' and cost 70 euros for room, breakfast and evening meal - not bad.
That evening they did me a melon and walnut salad as a starter, an omelette with potatoes and a mushroom dollop and sauce, followed by 'Tarte de la Maison' which turned out to be an apricot pastry, not the waitress. Quite nice, all told. After eating I started to walk into town but even though it was evening it was still very hot and humid and the centre was over half a mile away - so after a few hundred yards I turned round and came back. Bike computer: 86.01 km (still showing as km) GPS: 54.1 miles 10.8 mph avg 17.8 mph max 1561 ft ascent English miles: 117.8 French miles: 730 | |||||||
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