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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 2886 |
17th October 2013 Mt. Biking: Gruissan Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Hot and sunny Max Speed: Distance Covered: Thursday 17th October – Bike ride ***** - Gruissan bike route 4 VTT, Tintaine – Hot and sunny We had to make an early start again because of the mozzies this time! We were being inundated while Stephen took photos of the sunrise. Returned to the beach and managed the chicane again with no scrapes although it was pretty close on the way out! Did exercises, had breakfast and read our books. It is a glorious day:) We left there late morning and just got to the shop before it closed for lunch. We drove to the Mateille beach on the other side of Gruissan because we knew that the VTT mountain bike track no. 4 went across the beach there. After lunch we set out and followed the track. It was really tough and it is a blue, supposedly easy piste! I loved it but it was too much for Mag. It was absolutely beautiful rocky, pine forested scenery with lots of vineyards (called the Clappe) but the path was so rocky, and bumpy with loose stones on the slopes and there was quite a lot of up! Apparently the whole thing is 16km and rises to 152m in total. We stopped at the best view point for a well deserved rest and a banana! The panorama of the beaches and sea was amazing. The cycle along the beach was quite hard work too as the sand was pretty soft until you reached the car park on the beach which was very hard. Back at the van we decided to go for a paddle and cool off. A cuppa, cake and read sorted us out:) Left the beach about 7 and drove to the old fishing village to take photos of the sunset and watch the huge full moon come up. Parked up for the night here too. Photo Gallery here Friday 18th October – travelling and small walk - cloudy We woke up to gloomy great skies which was a shock after yesterday! We enjoyed our lovely spot near the old fishing village with great views over both the etang and saltines. Decided to move away from Gruissan but to leave via the Montagne de la Clape, where we biked yesterday. There are a few roads winding around and the one we took passed the path up to the Chapel Notre Dame des Auziels. We stopped and walked up – it was very beautiful and peaceful. There is also a cemetery for Mariners – 27 gravestones to sailors lost at sea and not recovered dating back to 1844. There is also a hermit dwelling where the hermit lived and helped people trying to get up to the chapel. The last person to live there made the most beautiful landscaped garden with all natural plants and a well. Very pretty. The actual chapel was closed but apparently has a beautiful painting dedicated to those lost at sea. We saw 5 red kites flying overhead:) Back to the van for lunch and then followed the roads through the Clape to Narbonne Plage (what extremes – beautiful natural terrain to built up concrete jungle!) and Gruissan. Unfortunately we then left Gruissan to drive to La Franqui with a view to cycling to the Salses Chateau on the etang opposite Laucate. I had an e-mail I had to send about my gps so we stopped at the Narbonne McDonalds and no plug for electricity! Drove to Sigean and used the wifi at their McDonalds before carrying on to the camping car Aire at Les Coussoules on the outskirts of La Franqui where we have stayed free before – shock, horror, they have put a height restriction on it since we came in the spring but you can go through if you pay 6 euros at the machine! A frustrating drive round followed, trying to think of somewhere to park and then deciding that there weren’t any decent bike paths anyway so returned to the etang on the edge of Peyriac de Mer and Bages at the end of a dirt track where we have stayed before. Phew, no problem here. So in hind sight we should have stayed at lovely Gruissan:( and to cap it all it is supposed to be stormy with thunder and lightning tomorrow and Sunday:( Under a week to go so hoping things buck up. |
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