Carcassonne
|  Olargues - Haut Languedoc
|  Gorge d'Heric
|
LANGUEDOC
So, after a rather mixed return to the “Paradise Isle” of Mallorca - I decided to leave slightly prematurely. 🤷♂️🙄😊
An early morning (expensive - they refused to accept my Spanish residents discount 🤬) ferry, and soon I was heading north from Barcelona…and not a car jacker in sight!
Writing this now not quite sure why I decided to hurdle Spain and head straight to France (considering I want to improve my Spanish), but armed with my new shiny Lonely Planets guide to France, I headed north young man! 🇫🇷
Took the coastal road over the Spain / France border….nice coastline, nothing spectacular, but within less than a kilometre spotted a quintessential French trait, by men only it seems thank goodness! 🤔
A bus driver just freely urinating without a care, next his bus, at the side of the road…many more examples followed, and when in Rome….”ah I need a piss, reyt, I’ll just pull over and get mi todger out….let it flow!”. 🙄😂
So started to explore the Languedoc region….which included the Tet Valley (into the French Pyrenees); checked out the Gorge de Galamus, which was pretty impressive….then found myself at Carcassonne.
I don’t get excited about urban scape generally, it has to be special….and this place was….a huge Disney like castle, with its interior loaded with nice bars, restaurants and various shops.😍
Alas it was spoilt by morning rain, on my first camp night….eventually I said au revoir to Carcassonne, and headed towards the first of the mountain ranges….the Haut Languedoc, via the Gord d’Heric, which alas, was closed! Apparently due to a rockslide, as I was admonished by an employee, whilst ignoring the signs and cycling up towards the gorge!
I found an AirBnB in the local Orb Valley…Run by a retired Englishman, great garden and mountain backdrop…but with a bizarre interest in laser and light shows….at 10pm he asked me to watch, which was like a 70s disco! I showed a YouTube of a recent Chemical Brothers gig, with the amazing computer images….he was transfixed! 🚥
I tried an easy bike ride along a nearby disused railway track, and also a short walk….but was struggling with a virus I’d picked up 😷….did find a pop up bar / restaurant that was very nice, with a friendly waitress and an amazing playlist, from Nirvana to Motown to Madchester….I went there two nights….in Columbieres-sur-Orb.
Tbh the scenery was just Ok, high mountains but rather characterless with lots of trees / greenery covering them…with some sporadic rock outcrops, on high…this was actually repeated across the Cevennes too, further east.
Paul (my host) recommended Lac du Salagou about two hours drive further east….this was a frustrating day. My virus was really holding me back….the lake was full of cyclists and trails, but I had no enthusiasm to get on my bike….the trip was in danger! 😢
I called Katie who suggested I should act like a “normal” person and do nothing but relax for two days…then reassess…. And see if I feel any better…..But I don’t do inactivity, this was a challenge.
I ended up doing lots of driving and sight seeing, snobbiliy deriding but forced to join the masses….stopping, photograph, next view point / point of interest on the road, photograph….move on…..this isn’t me…slowly heading east…🙄
I did tick off some worthwhile sights such as the Cirque de Navacelles (a huge deep limestone bowl); and the Pont du Gard (surviving three tier Roman bridge). I stayed in a squat of a hotel on the edge of Avignon….so now in Provence……
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 Cirrus de Navacelles |  Le Pujol sur Orb
|  Gorge de Galamus
|
Leaving Avignon, and still on driving / photo duty only, I drove over the nearby infamous Mt Ventoux - dodging the throngs of cyclists, most partaking in some sort of event….surprisingly a fair number were walking very early on, long way to walk in bike shoes?!
