Agde to Ventenac en Minervois

Jun 11

The first reasonable mooring we found on the Midi was at Vias - still close to the coast though.  Angie couldn't resist going to the beach - but Peter got wet encouraging Kes into the waves.

Vias Plage

Vias had one of the more complicated flood gates we have seen - damn clever those 19C engineers

Then a very short run into Villeneuve les Beziers through one of the oval Midi locks.

The Midi (so far) is excellent for green bank moorings - reasonable depth at the sides and very little stone/rock infill. We were also experiencing our first low arched bridges on the Midi - a few buttock clenching moments given the cost of a new wheelhouse (not to mention the embarrassment)..

Whilst food shopping we spotted this painting - fantastic perspective as it is hard to believe it is just the flat end of a blank terrace wall.

Beziers has a dodgy reputation, so we carried on to the Fonserannes ecluse flight (seven ecluses once again filled two at a time which made for a bit of turbulence).

Then through the Malpas tunnel to a green bank mooring at Enserune.

Malpas tunnel

Enserune was carefully selected as it was an Gallo-roman archeological dig - the Oppidum was up a hill of course - with lots of funerary urns and grave goods (if you are into that kind of thing) but more impressive was the view over the drained (13C) Etang de Montady.

Etang de Montady

Enserune - Angie in a food silo

The local resident wasn't much impressed

The light was fantastic so I tried my hand at a still life (now if I could paint like this).

Another short run, into Poilhes to top up with water plus a few beers under the plane trees in the marketplace cafe - very attractive but judging by the beer prices the tourist season is here.

Poilhes

The catfish were hungry

The next day was Capestang bridge - the main Midi height barrier so we stripped down.

It didn't look any worse than all the others

but I can see why wheelhouses get wrecked

Capestang bridge

and another greenfield mooring at a bridge, with a restaurant which seemed permanently full (luckily as it was out of our price bracket).  The next day provisions were low so we stopped in La Somail before lunch to stock up at the floating Epicerie.

and we stuck our heads into the Bookshop Ancienne (xx thousand books) but the English titles were really ancient.

Le Somail

Angie managed to find a mooring in Ventenac en Minervois - adjacent to a wine cave in the local Chateau -which involved wine tasting - followed by a purchase of a doz overpriced Minervois (and she had forgotten her purse again).  I must remind her of the new drinking limits for pensioners - one glass a day I believe!

Angie has spotted a new bird - a Roller - like a blue parrot - but the only photo was of black swans.

St Gilles to Agde

Jun 11

The St Gilles ecluse had dropped us off the Petite Rhone on to the Canal Rhone a Sete heading west. Moorings remained sparse and we were still mixing it with commercials heading to and from Aigues Mortes and Sete.  Suddenly though we were getting our first taste of the Camargue wild life.  Our first sight of the wild horses.

We could have been on the Fens as rush cutters were busy at work

We ended up moored to the bank at Gallician near the Port - massed stakes as the commercials weren't taking much notice of the speed limits.  Our first hire boats for about a month sped through. We managed to find a Boulangerie and a Bar but the mosquitoes were both large and voracious so we were pleased to move on towards Aigues Mortes.  Aigues Mortes wasn't very Plaisancier friendly with minimal moorings for passers by so we pushed onwards after a little shopping.

Aigues Mortes

In the end we found a tatty wooden pontoon near the River Vidourie - very atmospheric but very isolated.

Camargue at sunset

For the first time since Cyprus we found sheep and goats co-pastured - I certainly wouldn't argue with those horns.

Then it was a long push on through little fishing villages to the west - Angie was busy checking out the birds - mostly old favourites like Stilts, Terns, Egrets, Herons and sundry gulls but also a new one,  the European Bee-Eater.

Then it was into Frontignan where we spent the night, after waiting for the lift bridge which only opens twice a day.

Frontignan Lift Bridge

We set off early through Sete to our first semi-maritime crossing on the Etang de Thau - luckily the wind was fairly subdued and the  GPS was working OK to keep us on track.

Leaving Sete

A fellow traveller

Nearly there

Made it - but where is the Canal du Midi?

We found the Canal entrance, fought our way through massed boat moorings and still on salt water pushed on to the first Midi lock, where we felt the Canal du Midi really started. The first 'oval' lock since our early days in Flanders, then to Agde where the three way 'round' lock is really peculiar eg Brugge Ring sluis.  After the flog from Avignon on the rivers and some not very pleasant canals our first views of the Midi looked good.

Canal du Midi nr Agde

Rhone - Valence to St Gilles

As we went south the moorings were getting sparse and 'green bank' wasn't possible - so an early start from Valence and a longish run to Viviers - we grabbed the last pontoon finger next to a new 18m gin palace - the Dutch owner alternatively swore or sobbed when we got closer than 2m to him.  Quite windy so we had to run ropes to all possible mooring points.  Viviers was a nice little town so we spent two nights (mooring and electricity were free which may have contributed).

Viviers

Viviers Street Scene

Viviers 18C chateau

The trip onwards from Viviers was a long slog as the nearest good mooring was Avignon - the weather was great though.

Rhone cutting

But by midday the wind built up  - from a distance we thought this commercial was a hovercraft

Sand blasted

The problem with the big locks was the eclusiers kept you waiting till they had more than one boat so we were averaging an hour a lock.   The deepest ecluse in Europe was passed.

Bolloene Ecluse - 23m

Then it was just a slog past various towers ruined or otherwise.

Tour de l'Hers

Tour de Phillipe du Bel

Then after nearly 10 hours into Avignon - which we have somehow missed in our past travels (again we squeezed into the last mooring).

Palais des Papes

Congress building

Avignon mooring

Our feet worn to the bone from sightseeing after two days we headed south  past the Benezet Bridge.

Avignon - Benezet Bridge

It was another long run as we planned to turn before Arles onto the Petit Rhone.  The current at Tarrascon whisked us quite quickly through the bridges and down to the junction.

Tarrascon - Castle du la Roi Rene

Kes was determined to keep Angie awake and resorted to tongue in ear tactics.

Then on to the Petit Rhone - very African Queen-ish with thick vegetation down to the mud brown water and no buildings - it reminded us of the Daintree River in Queensland (we kept waiting for the crocodiles to splash in from the sides looking for a snack).  After a couple of hours we arrived at the St Gilles lock into the Canal Rhone au Sete - a smiling Eclusier and a drop of 40cms!