Toulouse - Castelnaudary - The Grand Tour - 2023

May 21, 2023

Toulouse - Castelnaudary

Another day on the canal and heavy rain predicted for the morning, lighter rain in the afternoon - I am not looking forward to today's ride at all. Although there is a train connection between Touslouse and Castelnaudary, I only consider it briefly. For all the advantages we have with our e-bikes, taking trains isn't one of them. Their weight makes stairs a real problem. We even prefer rain.

We dawdle over breakfast and check out at as late as possible, waiting for the better weather. It's a short ride to the Canal du Midi which we will follow most of the day. Although it goes all the way to Castelnaudary, we have been advised by Susan to avoid the last bit where it becomes narrow, probably muddy and bumpy with roots and rocks.

The first pleasant surprise of the day is that it isn't raining when we leave. The second is that the canal bicycle path is really beautiful. It is lined with plane trees, each view subtly different, there are a few curves in the canal, a couple of canal bridges where the canal goes over a river, some slight rises, just enough that you can roll down the other side, we are happy with it all. And the wind? It's a weak west wind and we are heading east.

Once in a while we see some other touring cyclists.

A bit of color other than green on a bicycle ramp

The next good thing is that we didn't forget to buy something for lunch. And it still isn't raining.

At kilometer 50 we leave the Canal du Midi and take small roads for the final stretch. I must admit, although it was lovely, I am very happy for a change. I still prefer open countryside, big sky, some hills, villages and distant views.

So few cars on this little paved road that flowers sprout down the middle.

We have a nice room in a guest house in a residential area just outside of town and it's a 20 minute walk to the restaurants on the canal. Janos has Castelnaudary's specialty, Cassoulet, a dish of beans, pork and sausage served in a clay pot.

Cassoulet (picture from the web - ours didn't turn out)

It never rained on us all day, but the streets in Castelnaudary are wet. And the final good thing today is the rainbow we see when we get back to our room.

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Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 712 km (442 miles)

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Scott AndersonLooks like a really beautiful day!
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11 months ago

Steve Miller/GrampiesSteve looks at the weather apps and worries all day about possible rain, while I look at the sky and the road, and if there is no rain, I ride happy. We each have our preference, but I have less anticipatory anxiety.
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11 months ago

Kirsten KaarsooThe rainbow is a beautiful end to a day when you escaped the rain. Looks like it was a pleasant one.
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11 months ago

Rachael AndersonI’m glad the day was so much better than expected and you didn’t get rain but only a beautiful rainbow!
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11 months ago