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Day 38: Capestang to Cap d’Agde
I slept next to the canal and woke at 6 to the sound of a bin lorry. The sky was clear and full of stars, the air chilly. The boulangerie opened at 6.45 and I was the first in. After much decision, I chose a nid d’abielle – a brioche sandwich with a layer of…
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Day 37: Homps to Capestang
The first questions everyone asks me are ‘where are you going? and ‘Where will your trip finish?’. Of course I have thought of the possible future routes for my trip, but I’m not going to reveal them, because they aren’t set and I don’t want to be tied to a route. Most expeditions seem to…
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Day 36: Carcassonne to Homps
I woke up with renewed energy and motivation after my rest day, although my sugars were still running high. The morning was spent doing the tasks I didn’t have the willpower for yesterday – washing, blogging, logistics etc. Sometimes I just need an off day to reinvigorate myself. It was great to get paddling again…
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Day 35: (Near) Lasbordes to Carcassonne
Lots of people have been asking how my body is coping. So far I haven’t suffered a single rub or blister. I put this down to paddling most days for the last few years, and using great kit from vaikobi. I’ve been careful to look after my body. On the sea, I rubbed coconut oil…
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Day 34: Negra to (near) Lasbordes
Today I reached the highest point of the canal, the Seuil de Naurouze, at 190 metres above sea level. It’s cool to think that water splits here, some flowing to the Med, some to the Atlantic. I have portaged up over about 80 locks, and now for the next 70 I will be going downhill.…
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Day 33: Toulouse to Negra
I left the rowing club at 8 am and paddled into the centre of Toulouse. I negotiated a few portages and stopped outside the train station, looking a little out of place with my boat on the street. For a few hours I wrote, happily getting interrupted by people asking about my boat and trip.…
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Day 32: Montech to Tolouse
I had a chilled morning with Dede and Manu talking and looking around the farm. After a big plate of spaghetti, I set off for Toulouse, with 16 glorious lock-free kilometres to begin the day. I was having a rest when I heard a yacht approaching. For the next hour, I sat on its wake…
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Day 31: (near) Moissac to Montech
I’m writing this walking along the canal into Toulouse and wow, yesterday seems an age ago, I have to stretch back in my mind to recall it. I start each day having forgotten the effort I put in the day before. The first 40 minutes are often sore as my muscles warm up, and then…
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Day 30: Agen to (near) Moissac
The air had the feeling of a hot day approaching, the sun melting off the last of the morning mist from the wooded hills surrounding Agen. I had breakfast and said goodbyes before heading to the Agen aqueduct. Stretching 1/2 kilometre over the river Garonne, I had a great view of the valley below. I…
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Day 29: Villeton to Agen
The day started with a candidate for the most disgusting loo of the trip and another chilly mist. I winced as I got into my wet clothes and then got paddling to warm up. At Damazan I stopped for a refuel. There was a choice of three boulangeries in this tiny village and it was…