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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 2882 |
28th September 2016 Mt. Biking: Around Albi Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: Sunny and hot :) Max Speed: 26.45 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 21.40 mile (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise) Wednesday 28th September – Bike around Albi *****21.40 miles, out 4 hours 30 minutes, 26.45 kts. sunny and hot We didn’t wake up until nearly 8 which is unusual for us. We had our breakfast then set out from our spot in Castelnau de Montmiral and drove across the plateau towards Gaillac. The scenery changed and we were suddenly passing lots of vineyards. We headed for Albi hoping to find somewhere to park and get the bikes off to cycle into the city. Just past Marssac sur Tarn there looked a likely chateau to aim for but before we got to that there was a church – Eglise du Carla – with a large field for parking so we stopped there and got ready to set off. The first part of the journey was yet again a very steep climb for about a mile and a half. We eventually came to the chateau we had seen on the map at Castelnau de Levis. We climbed up to the top of the village to visit the ruin of the very strange castle. It had the highest tower standing on its own – it looked weird! There was one whole room which had a vaulted ceiling and was lovely. Back on the bikes to follow the road to Albi, about 8 miles further on. We first came to the Base de loisirs de Pratgraussals which was our only access to the river so far. There was a footpath around a lake and following the meander of the river in a park setting. We carried on over the ancient bridge – Pont Vieux and enjoyed spotting the huge carp near the edge underneath the overhanging houses. When we reached the mill on the far side of the bridge we couldn’t believe the size of the cat fish catching smaller fish as the fast water came out from under the mill! They were absolutely massive, around 4-5 feet long with heads at least a foot across! We watched them for ages – it was fascinating watching them swim into the fast flow and stay in one place smacking their enormous mouths at the grate. This was by far the best thing on our trip!! We wound our way through the old streets, where bikes were able to go where they wanted but cars were very restricted. We came to a brilliant set of fountains where children were running in and out trying not to get wet. The fountains were interlocking circles and came up in all sorts of combinations. Great fun and always a rainbow wherever you looked where the sunlight hit the water. Made our way down to the cathedral which was quite a sight being the biggest brick built cathedral in the world! It used to have lots of turrets all the way round but they appear to have nearly all gone with only a few left here and there. Popped in to have a quick look, not as impressive inside apart from the carving into the walls. Next door to the cathedral is the Toulouse Lautrec museum which again is a really imposing building. We went into the grounds and were really impressed by the box knot garden – it was beautiful and nice to think they let you into that bit for free! We headed off then to join the road we needed to return to the van. We decided to make it a circular route and hoped that this side of the river would be flatter! It was a marked cycle path all the way to Terssac and then on to Marssac sur Tarn. The only incline was the short length of road back to the van. Over 21 miles and out over 4 hours. We packed up and drove to Albi to park with some other camper vans at the Base de Loisirs de Pratgraussals we visited earlier. We had a rest and our tea then set out to walk into the centre to see it lit up. It was actually a bit disappointing on that front but nice to see a different side of the town and go back to the fountain. Walked back and had to use our torch when we got nearer the van. Busy day!! Thursday 29th September – relax, shop and sightsee. Sunny and warm A beautiful blue sky again and a view of Albi cathedral from the van. We did our exercises and while we were having breakfast a nice English man came and had a chat about camper life and Albi. We told him to look out for the huge cat fish from the bridge! It turned into a bit of a strange day after that. We needed a shop and thought a fairly big place like Albi must have a Lidl hiding somewhere but through looking we found ourselves back where we were yesterday – at Marssac sur Tarn – so we followed the only Lidl sign we had seen back to Gaillac. Shopping done we decided to head up to Cordes sur Ceil for a combination of reasons really. The old boy we spoke to this morning mentioned that was where he was headed next, a lady in the Tourist information in Penne a few days ago was very keen on it and we saw it on a sign as we left Lidl. It was a mistake really because it was the most unwelcoming medieval village up a steep incline we have ever been to!! They wanted you to pay to park for a long way outside the town and wanted to herd camper vans into a field at the bottom to pay 6 euros. It was 3.50 euros wherever you parked so I suppose 6 euros overnight with a token for electricity was probably a bargain!! However, as you know, that is not our way of camper vanning so we rode around trying to, one find a good place to park for free and eat our lunch and two somewhere with a view of the village as that was all we felt like doing – sitting, eating lunch and looking at the view because we have had a busy few days!! Anyway, we eventually found a nice parking place for lunch on the river right near an old roman style bridge – it was a parking spot for disabled fishermen really. We decided we had better have a bit of exercise and go and see what this place had that the others we have so enjoyed over the last few days didn’t and basically – nothing!! It was disappointing when compared with the others which were really lovely and really free!! This one had a massive steep hill up and then when you entered through the obligatory medieval arch there were lots of ‘Bijoux’ shops – definitely the word to use around here, it was on every shop! They were selling an eclectic mix of art and fashion and nobody appeared to be stopping to buy or even go into the shops. There were a lot for sale too. The majority of the people there today were pensioners who looked like they were wondering why and how they had ever got up there!! There was a tourist train which brought them up the easy road way and dropped them at the archway but the cobbled steep streets in the fortress bit were really hard to walk on and a lot of them had sticks – what a worry :( There didn’t appear to be a castle either so it was a strange place – a fortress with no castle. We had a wander round and then walked back down to the van to try and think of somewhere to go next. As our detour had brought us to a place we didn’t expect to be in we were a bit stumped. It is supposed to be windy in the middle of next week so we know we want to be headed to La Franqui by Monday but what to do with the in between days is something we haven’t planned. After a while we decided to head out of Cordes on a yellow road heading east and see what happened – at least we would be in the right direction. After a short while we got to a small village called Monesties. It has yet another Beaux village of France sign but is a whole different ball game to Cordes. It is simple and quaint and very small. We parked in the place designated for campers if their municipal campsite is shut – which of course it is! We are the only ones here. We had a cuppa and a rest then went for a walk over the 13th century bridge and through the village. The best thing although a little sad too was a whole gang of cats and kittens – Mag counted 15 at least – on the edge of the village all hanging around between two houses on either side of the road. Some were sitting on the stone steps and others just lying in the road. One little kitten was really crying – it looked in good condition but was obviously hungry. I think some spaying needs to happen around here!! We came back to the van via the small river path which passes lots of allotments and ate our tea (paella) and washed up outside – it has been really hot today and was warm even after dark. Friday 30th September – relax and sightsee – hot and sunny A very relaxed morning in the sun in lovely Monasties. We had a lie in, did our exercises and Mag went for walk over the bridge, round by the river and back past the school. It was nice to be in a little village with some life. We saw the children being dropped off at the school and even a couple reporting to the Gendarmerie – they were in there some time!! We packed up near to mid-day and had a leisurely drive back towards Albi, stopping to look at the Cap Decouverte. We were unsure what this was but it turns out it is a huge leisure park built in a massive hole left by open air mining. There is a museum about mining nearby. Carried on around Albi and headed in the direction of Castres but got distracted by a sign to Lautrec and also the occasional glimpse of a ‘Voie Verte’. A shared cycle and hiking path which runs along an old railway track. We are hoping to cycle on that into Castres tomorrow :) Lautrec turned out to be another unexpected treat. It was a Beaux village and very welcoming. There is an old restored windmill at the top of the village so we stopped in a good place beneath trees and walked up to have a look at it. The path formed an arboretum with information boards about all the trees. The mill was closed but we had a look at the outside and went up to the table of orientation before descending through the narrow streets to the centre and making a fuss of the now obligatory cat – today’s was a friendly tabby! The area is famous for its pink garlic and it was in all the shop windows. All the old houses had bunches of wheat on their doors too. There is a link with Toulouse Lautrec and he was featured in the tourist information and the beautiful Marie which had another box knot garden to admire. There was a lot of activity in the square where the market had just finished and they were getting ready for an antiques fayre tomorrow and Sunday. Lots of stalls and marquees going up but other than the people concerned with that it was deserted! The most popular place was an arty bistro called Le Plum which had an open air courtyard and a bookshop off to the side. Very charismatic. We returned to the van and ate lunch with company that had us in hysterics! There were two goats just over the wall in a garden with a few chickens too. The youngest goat was so interested in us it kept trying to climb up the wall with the help of a tree trunk and then kept jumping up and down and at times all we could see was his head appearing and disappearing!! When the young lad of the house got home from the school they were so pleased to see him and he was hugging them and giving them and the chickens treats, it was lovely to see. We walked to the shop around 5 to get some lettuce to go with our Lidl salmon tea and I fancied an ice cream and Mag had some pear juice – treats all round!! It was another really warm day but quite windy where we were parked. Unsure on what the wind was doing in La Franqui we checked the weather on Mags phone and instead of arriving earlier than expected the wind has now disappeared altogether so it doesn’t look like I will be windsurfing on my birthday :( Hopefully it will appear before we have to head north! Still it does leave us freer to carry on with our travels and do some cycling on these interesting railway tracks. We got a booklet from tourist information which has another track a little further over from where we are now. After tea and when it got dark we walked back into the village to see if it was lit up (no it wasn’t, we even needed our torch in places) and saw a lot of the stalls had been made up already and covered with plastic sheets or just left open! A load of old tools was the most popular thing we saw! There are a few people sleeping in their vans connected to the Fayre so we fit in quite nicely in our place under the trees :) Photo Gallery here |
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