Cycle along the Canal du Midi with a Cicerone guidebook

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Updates
• Reviews
• Further Reading

On 13 April 1667 Pierre Paul Riquet began work on one of the world’s best cycle tracks. It wasn’t his intention; the bicycle had yet to be invented. He set out to construct a canal, the Canal du Midi, but the 240km towpath along its banks is now a cyclist’s dream.

The canal’s towpath, linking Toulouse in the Haute Garonne with Sète on the Mediterranean coast, is an excellent and rewarding cycle. It passes through some of France’s most beautiful and historic countryside: rolling plains enlivened with sunflowers, dark mountain ranges, oak forests, tinder-dry garigue, Camargue-like marshland and sandy coastlines. The towns and villages which punctuate its route are steeped in history and culture. This area is part of France Profonde (anywhere in France where the rural way of life still prevails); the towns and villages feel authentic and you experience genuine French life.

It is hard to believe that the canal is manmade; it seems natural and fits perfectly into its surroundings. It’s a thriving refuge and wildlife corridor for a wide range of animals and plants.

Riquet built the canal to enable goods to pass more quickly from Bordeaux, on the Atlantic, to the Mediterranean ports without boats having to circumnavigate the Iberian Peninsula. This saved time and secured supplies in uncertain, turbulent times. Back then trade brought wealth as evidenced by the elegant buildings in older districts of the canal’s towns, and today it still generates business. Tourist boats, walkers and cyclists have replaced the working barges, and the canal is a focal point for sporting and leisure activities.

Villages, towns and cities along the canal predate its construction. Ancient Greeks founded Agde and the Romans developed Narbonne. Toulouse, the ‘Rose City’, has been one of France’s most beautiful and important cities for over one thousand years. Carcassonne’s Cité is a restored 12th-century Cathar stronghold.

The arrival of railways in the late 19th century and the later construction of truck-carrying motorways undermined the economics of moving goods by barge. The Canal du Midi went into commercial decline, and the last commercial barges travelled it in 1970.

UNESCO declared the Canal du Midi a World Heritage Site in 1996, recognising its unique engineering heritage and its historic importance in the development of the Languedoc area in the south of France. It rates alongside France’s great monuments such as the Eiffel Tower and the Popes’ palaces in Avignon. The Canal du Midi is a working, almost living artefact. As you cycle its banks you can feel, touch and taste the history and culture of the area it enriches.

This book gives information on cycling the Canal du Midi from one end to the other. It is ideal for those who want to spend a holiday canal cycling, and will also be of interest to those living or holidaying in the region who are looking for a few days of good cycling.

Those boating down the canal will also find this guide useful; most of the boat-hire companies offer bicycles for hire. Cycling offers boat users the opportunity to explore the countryside that they pass through. Bikes give easy access to towns and villages at a short distance from the canal. Regions of the Canal

The Canal du Midi is part of a waterway system linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea. Together, the River Garonne and the Canal Lateral link the Canal du Midi to the Atlantic in the west. It joins the Mediterranean at Sète. A spur of the Canal du Midi – the Canals de Jonction and de la Robine – connects it to Port la Nouvelle on the Mediterranean coast.

The canal flows through the French Midi-Pyrenees and Languedoc-Rousillon regions. Midi-Pyrenees is a combination of ‘Midi’ (meaning southern lands) and ‘Pyrenees’ (from the mountain range). Languedoc refers to the area where the Occitan (Oc) language was once spoken; ‘oc’ is Occitan for ‘yes’. Rousillon was a Catalan principality. This name dates back to Roman times and comes from a fortified area called ‘Ruscino’ close to the French border with Catalonia. It is easy to be confused by the various names given to the region. Occitan was spoken far more widely than just the region now known as Languedoc-Rousillon. The language is closer to Catalan than French, and is taught in schools and in universities such as Toulouse.

France is also divided into 99 administrative departments, usually – although not always – named after the main river flowing through them. Each department has a number assigned in alphabetical order. The Canal du Midi passes through the Haute-Garonne (31), the Aude (11) and the Hérault (34), named after the rivers Garonne (haute referring to upper), the Aude and the Hérault. Cars display the relevant department number at the end of their registration.

Why by bike?

France is one of the most cycling-friendly countries in the world. Up to 20 million French people cycle annually, and so much of the country is geared towards the activity. The Languedoc area is working hard to establish itself as the cycling holiday centre of France, and local authorities are expanding an already extensive network of cycle tracks. Some of these incorporate parts of the towpath and offer the cyclist an opportunity to explore surrounding countryside safely and easily.

Towns and villages along the route go out of their way to welcome cyclists. Larger towns provide bicycle lock-ups or safe parking, and hotels usually have secure areas for bikes. Café owners won’t bat an eyelid if you arrived smeared in grease or oil.
Cars are excluded from most of the towpath; roads are rural and relatively free of traffic. Plane trees shade most of the canal’s length, giving some protection from the summer’s sun and shelter in wetter weather.

It is easy to divide the cycle into manageable stages. There are plenty of stopping points, allowing you to pace yourself. Food, fresh water and accommodation are readily available close to the canal. Those looking for a greater challenge can make excursions into nearby mountains or explore forest and marsh tracks.

The canal is easy to access, with airports, train stations and motorways nearby. By air it takes a few hours to reach it from most of Europe’s airports. It is under seven hours’ drive from Paris and 11 hours from Calais. There are train stations along its length, and the French train service is becoming increasingly bike-friendly.