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cycling the canal de la garonne. declan lyons. cicerone press paperback 188pp illus. £14.95

canal de la garonne - declan lyons

the early part of the year in the hebrides is fraught with draughty weather. it's a common complaint north of the border, however, that such weather systems only ever garner a nom de plume if they affect those south of that same border. this particular instance assumed the moniker 'storm erik', bringing with it, 100 kph winds and frequent bouts of horizontal rain. though i will admit to being somewhat directionally challenged, such is the frequency of a prevailing southerly that i'm usually well aware of from where any alarming crosswinds might arise.

canal de la garonne - declan lyons

scanning the map on the back cover of this cicerone publication, i can only assume that french prevailing winds inhabit an altogether different direction. at first look, riding from bordeaux to toulouse, would fly (quite literally) in the face of the draughts experienced on islay.

author, declan lyons, has apparently ridden the enclosed routes with great frequency, to the point where he probably knows each twist and turn like the back of his presumably track-mitted hand. the route roughly follows the canal de la garonne from the north-west town of bordeaux to that of toulouse farther south, both conveniently served by airports to ease arrival and departure, should air travel be your chosen means of approach. lyons has also (conveniently) considered that the majority of cyclists will be unlikely to traverse the 450 kilometres at a single sitting, breaking the journey into seven conveniently portioned rides, plus a prologue and a couple of round-trip excursions.

canal de la garonne - declan lyons

the prologue is, without doubt, the longest day in the saddle, covering as it does, 135km from bordeaux to lacanau océan on the french atlantic coast. generally speaking, the stage rides occupy between 40 - 50km, distances easily accommodated within a single-day's riding. the two excursions are around half those distances, allowing a more pedestrian tempo to take in the sights.

this is where cicerone's superb guides manage to score big time, with frequent box-outs, describing the sights of interest to be seen.

canal de la garonne - declan lyons

"Port-Saint-Marie traces its origins to the Romans... Although the town is now rundown and shabby, it is still well worth a visit."

"The Knights Templars built a church in the 12th century. The square is dilapidated but interesting, especially the small dancing figurines in an alcove above a door."

of course, before you even make it this far, the intrepid bicyclist will be keen to learn how to get there in the first place, what accommodation might be available along the route, and any food and drink idiosyncracies of which advantage might be taken as pedalling proceeds. lyon gives credence to the number of good-value bistros, restaurants and cafés when time comes to park the bicycle and take a well-earned rest. and should you be quizzical as to the style of bicycle on which to proceed, declan has that covered too.

canal de la garonne - declan lyons

though brexit might possibly make a hop across the channel a tad more fraught with obstacles than has hitherto been the case, many a british touring cyclist has 'cut their teeth', so to speak, on french roads. if this sounds like the very parcours to introduce yourselves to continental touring, i'd highly recommend you acquire a copy of 'cycling the canal de la garonne'. cicerone's guides are produced in a format that easily slides into a jersey pocket, or under that clear panel atop the handlebar bag.

having said that, the current fashion favouring bikepacking over panniers, might well have rendered the latter comment somewhat redundant.

cycling the canal de la garonne

staurday 09 february 2019

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................