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By European Bike Express to Orange
Our EBE pickup point was on the M25 motorway at Waltham Abbey. We chose this because nearby to the pick-up point EBE have arranged secure parking with a local farmer. We set off early and found our parking place. ‘Secure’ was an understatement. There was a high fence and dogs. There were also toilet facilities, a place to make tea and coffee and an offer to take us and our baggage the short distance to the pick-up point by car and trailer. We declined the offer of a lift because it seemed easier to cycle the tandem ourselves.
We met up with some fellow travellers and their bikes while waiting for the EBE to arrive. Loading the tandem made us slightly nervous because it involved putting a ladder up to the top deck and then handing the tandem up to be hoisted aboard, but it went on with no trouble. We were off around London and on to Dover with some stops on the way. There was not too long a wait for the ferry, the crossing to Calais was calm and in evening twilight we saw the Eiffel tower and turned onto the Paris Périphérique. In Auxerre at midnight a large organised CTC tour group got off giving the rest of us a chance to spread out onto one double reclining seat each to sleep. It was early morning sunrise as we approached Orange with just time to have a coffee and change into our cycling clothes before arriving. Day 1: Orange to Anduze (100km)
We were off the bus into a warm 7am (6amUK time) morning. Stretched our legs and received the tandem as it was handed down from the top deck of trailer. All was well and we loaded up with our panniers and pedalled westwards away from town.
Small roads threading over and under the autoroute and TGV line, and then back under them and brought us to a bridge over the Rhône. Already the day was heating up, so we paused to shed pertex top and Ronhills and for Sheila’s bad back (she blamed this on the overnight bus seat rather than cycling). We crossed the N580 to reach St Laurent-des-Arbres; and then continued on a small road (D101) up into gentle hills through St Victor-la-Coste and down to Pouzilhac. We rolled into St Victor-la-Coste where the population was already out EU voting at the Mairie. Time for coffee and a breakfast stop in the town square beside its monument to measurement and featuring Newton on one side. From here our route took us on through St Hippolyte-de-Montaigu to reach Uzès. Turning into ‘tourists’ we took a long stop for sightseeing in this attractive town. Lunch was in the main square at Uzès beside an open-air sculpture exhibition. Out of Uzès on the D982 led us along the first of many avenues lined by plane trees and into vineyard, olive grove and fruit tree countryside. Through Arpaillargues, Collorgues and St Dézéry towards Moussac. We took an afternoon stop to munch apples in the schoolyard at Collorgues. Over the Droude river and then along beside the Gardon River with vineyards lining the quiet road. Far away to the north we looked at a line of big hills. These were the fringes of the Cévennes waiting to be climbed later next week. A second afternoon sandwich stop was taken in the boules area of Maruejols-les-Gardon beside a cat asleep in the driver’s seat of a nearby lorry. We crossed the Gardon river and continued beside it towards St Hippolyte du Fort, finally returning to vineyards as we cruised up the increasingly narrow valley into the picturesque town of Anduze with its busy centre. We explored some of the town’s narrow streets and main square and visited the tourist office before heading out of town to find our overnight accommodation. We were staying in a Logis hotel that was fine but required a rather tedious cycle or walk along a busy road to reach the town centre. The tandem was safely stored in a basement velo room that required some rather tricky carrying down stairs and turning to reach. We watched a steam train to St Jean-du-Gard wending its way along the valley and walked back into Anduze later in evening to wander around before a (not very special) pizza dinner in town beside a fountain with multi-coloured tiled roof. Click on any photo to enlarge and scroll through
Day 2: Anduze to Aniane (75km)
It was a steady climb out of Anduze on the D133 - our first real hill. We were encouraged by a friendly wave from a woman car driver commuting downhill into town. There was a brief pause to negotiate some road works, but soon we were out onto a small quiet road with a real upland feel. Super views of hills and a mixture of rocks, small fields and olives on the way. Our efforts were rewarded by a fast downhill whiz to St Hippolyte-du-Fort where we stopped to do some food shopping.
Four kilometres of rather busy road followed, but were soon replaced by a delightfully silent road through vineyards to take us to St Bauzille-de-Putois, which we entered via a no entry sign with an added message, ‘sauf bicyclettes’. We stepped off at a café in a narrow street for our morning coffee-stop. From here we crossed the Hérault River and stayed beside it for a while before climbing from the valley up onto the Causse. Our lunch stop was in a park beside Dutch cycle tourists in Causse-de-la-Selle. From Causse-de-la-Selle it was 2 km more climbing followed by a fast twisting downhill (a prelude to bigger things still to come later) to rejoin the Hérault at a barrage. We stopped to enjoy the view, watch canoeists ‘lose’ their craft and talk to an English sports cyclist before continuing along the Hérault gorge to St Guilhelm-le-Désert. A long stop in the village, sightseeing narrow streets, leaning buildings and fountains. Then a visit to the santon museum. Also, drinks and crêpés in the village square. Back along the gorge the road continued to the 11th century Pont du Diable where we watched people jumping into the gorge and swimmers coming down the narrow river channel. A new bridge downstream of the old stone bridge took us across the river and on to reach Aniane. We were staying at a Logis hotel on the edge of the town, but before returning to check-in to our overnight accommodation we continued into Aniane on the tandem for a mooch around the old town with its interesting church facade and fountain. This evening we stayed in the hotel for dinner. The tandem was parked on grass outside our ground floor bedroom window. Click on any photo to enlarge and scroll through
Day 3: Aniane to Narbonne (105km)
The road from Aniane was a busy with morning traffic but we were soon on a quieter road back to Lagamas. Quiet roads and vineyards through pleasant countryside took us through St André-de-Sangonis, Brignac, Canet, Aspiran and Nizas, followed by a longish gentle downhill into Pézénas.
We stopped in Pézénas to buy a Gan casquette in the cycle shop and also shopped for stamps and food. We explored Pézénas, sightseeing around the old town and visited the tourist office. A coffee / lunch stop followed in the main square where we watched a clown entertaining school children. Away from Pézénas through more vineyards with distant views of the mountains of Haut Languedoc via Alignan-du-Vent, Abeilhan and Espondeilhan. From here there were busier roads and a bit of suburban scatter as our route worked its way around Béziers. A narrow bridge across the Orb River had a grooved metal main deck that we avoided trying to cycle over by walking across on the pedestrian way at its side. We continued through Maureilan, with remnants of ancient fortifications, onto a tiny lane to reach the Canal du Midi with boats moored. The road beside the canal led us to Capestang where we crossed a bridge to enter the town. It was time for an afternoon pain au chocolat and yoghurt stop in Capestang square beside the large but unfinished church. Our route continued on through Cuxac d’Aude to Narbonne on busier roads. Arriving in Narbonne we cycled to the Canal du Midi again and straight to our city-centre hotel doorstep. Once checked in with the tandem stowed in a basement car park, we set off sightseeing of town including its Roman pavement, stopping for drinks in a café beside the canal. The hotel was faded grandeur but was splendidly central with a view of the canal amidst flower baskets from our bedroom window. (There was also a spotty dog in the bathroom - see photos). We strolled along the canal side to find a restaurant in a passage beside the Mairie where we ate outside. John rather boldly ordered a fruits-de-mer meal and was slightly perturbed when one of the shellfish walked off the plate part way through. Click on any photo to enlarge and scroll through
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