Riding along the canal

Today we drove to Beziers and rented bikes to ride along the Canal du Midi.  We rode this bike path last year, and enjoyed it enough to want to repeat the ride.  But this year we rode into the beach town of Portiragnes-Plage, which was new to us.

The western plage at Portiragnes-Plage.  Note the snow-capped mountains in Spain in the background.

The canal was built in the 17th century to carry merchandise from Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea.  Plane trees were planted along the canal, and a tow path ran along one bank of the canal.  Railroad cars now carry the merchandise, but the canal is a favorite for barge boats, and cyclists.

At one lock, we watched 5 boats jam inside before the lock was shut and pumped out to release the boats at a lower level.  It takes some skill to man the ropes when the water is dropping rapidly.

Holding the boat lines in place, in a crowded lock

Water draining out of lock

Heading out into a lower level of the canal

The canal is quite lovely, and much of the section that we rode along abuts vineyards or other agricultural land.

In some places there is a paved bike path and an old dirt path

Bori along the Canal du Midi

And of course, there are always monuments to enjoy along the way.

Monument in Villeneuve-les-Beziers

Monument below the Plateau des Poetes park in Beziers