Day 3 Bikes reunited. 29.6 miles

Sadly, an overcast day after travelling in hot bright sunshine yesterday.

After petit dejeuner or breakfast on the patio to those not on the crash Babel french course. The first job is to sort out panniers and reassemble our bikes. Have they survived the DHL experience?

Steve and Phil, our hosts at Aux Quartes Vent, retrieved the boxes from their garage and allowed us to unpack and reassemble the bikes on their front drive, they even agreed to dispose of the, not inconsiderable, amount of waste packaging.

The team now feels complete and ready for a test ride to Sete, which is the actual start of The Canal du Midi. This will be an out and back ride from our accommodation. Tomorrow, we set off in the direction of home, and we can then say we truly cycled the whole canal du Midi route from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Sete was a truly lovely port town, and the ride to it on cycleways through the dunes was straightforward and is the reason we love cycling in France.

After a walk round the port, we found a restaurant, so we could try a local delicacy called Tueille with chips and salad. The pie is filled with minced octopus in tomato sauce. It’s much nicer than it might sound.

We retraced our route, passing flamingos in the Etang Lake, and cycled into Marseillan to explore the town centre, to sit having a coffee to watch the world go by.

In the evening, we went back to Marseillan port (by taxi still spoiling my compatriot) for fish & chips with our hosts Steve and Phill for an enjoyable alfesco meal with wine, of course.