The problem with ticking things off your bucket list is that, in the process, at least two things get added to the bottom of that list! And so it was that I found myself “moored” on the banks of the Canal du Midi in my “land yacht” Gloria, with her feeling proud that she was really able to compete with all the canal traffic motoring up and down, dreaming of journeying on the French canals myself one day. I had found this spot by motoring right past the horribly crowded campsite and exactly 301m past the motorhome prohibited sign and arrived in Seventh Heaven as, much I’m loving the Moho experience, throughout my life I’ve always been drawn to water .

Once established (and after a swim in the canal, of course!) I jumped on the bike to explore the local town, Villeneuve-les-Beziers. I would have thought that Villeneuve meant “new town”, but it was the complete opposite; a labyrinth of tiny streets in an ever-decreasing circle to the middle, with not a tourist in sight.

So happy to be by the river, it was hard to tear myself away the next day, but eventually I hopped on the bike along the canal to Beziers. How glad I was that I hadn’t succumbed to the canal’s enticing tranquillity, as this town was certainly not one to be missed. Just the bike ride itself was a revelation in hydrological engineering, witnessing the 9 locks that allow boats to be raised 21.5m…..

Beziers was stunning – more from a distance than from within the city, as the views of the cathedral are sensational. However, the best part of the afternoon was finding a bar with a really talented musician giving it his all – I always think that the best way to find out about a place is to just sit and take it in with a coffee or a beer…

But how could I have known that on the way back, just near the famous “neuf écluse”, I would find some live rock, all sung in English (the best language for rock, or am I just biassed? They did one song in French and it was…..well, lest said about the better!)

This did result in a slightly unexpected late-night ride home along the canal

Time to move on and I was at a bit of a quandary…..Catalonia and Andorra are now out due Coronavirus, my friends who were thinking of joining me couldn’t risk the possible quarantine on return and Gloria’s next co-pilots have had to move their flights from Barcelona to Valencia too. So, I had a fortnight stretching out in front of me with no plans. Is that scary or difficult? No!! I could truly be like a leaf in the wind and blow where it took me – the first place being a slight backtrack, as apparently I’d missed out one of THE villages of the area. So, turning east for the first time this trip, I set off for Pezanas. And it’s….well, it’s quaint and pretty, but it’s completely packed with tourists and kitschy little shops and it is at this point that I realise that I just don’t do tourism like other people; the tiny empty streets of the previous village were more beautiful to me, as they weren’t surrounded by people or covered in signs directing you around.

Feeling a bit deflated, I fired Gloria back up and pointed her towards the mountains, along some beautiful country lanes with grapevines on every spare spot of soil and plenty of red (burgundy??!😂 ) signs directing us to the local Domaines or Wine houses. I could feel my hands start to turn the wheel towards them, but Gloria was having none of it, resolute in her goal to get to a camping spot and stay put for a few days. So, reluctantly, I pressed on and ended up at the best campsite find of the trip in Roquebrun. Not only did was there electricity, hot showers and Wifi (weefee, as the French say!)……but there’s also a washing machine, a tennis court and a mountain view to die for and I book in for 3 nights – my longest stopover so far. A quick recce of the village shows why it’s on the “top villages’ list…..

I’m in biking/hiking heaven, so take off the following day for a big expedition to Gorges D’Heric, apparently “a lovely 9 mile route” according to my Cyclemaps App. Now, this App, having led me up the garden (mountain!) path in Germany, has really redeemed itself and found me some great cycle rides in France – but, today it was up to its old tricks and had me pushing the bike along completely inaccessible routes (but they were stunning and off-road…..hence my love/hate thing with this App). After one particularly hard drop down along an old river bed, I arrived back on the road to find not one but two flat tyres. Where is Tall Bike Guy when I need him??!!!! And, unfortunately I hadn’t set this bike up for this eventuality, so I was stuck. I tried sticking my thumb out for a while, but what happened next could only have been written by a comedy genius……a car turned into the lay-by, initially giving me hope, but only for me to find out that he too had suffered from a flat tyre. What were the chances??!! As he was taking up the spot where any good Samaritan could have pulled into (and shouting and swearing in French), I decided to cut my losses and start pushing my bike back to the campsite. Sweltering hot, it was going to be a long 8 miles with no sign of any of the infrequent cars willing to help – I was just going to have to get on with it. Then, coming into hazy view like a mirage in a desert, I caught a glimpse of a red (burgundy?!) sign in the distance. I shook my head and rubbed my eyes thinking I must be hallucinating, but soon, a large wine bottle came into view.

Well, if I was going to have to spend a couple of hours pushing a broken bike along the road I may as well be fortified by a bit of the local grape juice! So, I pulled in, explained my predicament (charades again!) and proceeded to tuck into their delicious Sred wine. It turned out that my two companions on this exercise (obviously less strict here than in Provence) were going in my direction – so, not only did I land myself a ride right back to my campsite, they very helpfully transported my 5L winebox which I had purchased for all of €13 (yes, you read the right, not for a bottle, but for FIVE LITRES!) in their self-build converted “camping-car”. What a lovely couple and what another funny escapade for me on my crazy travels – last time I broke down within 20m of a bike shop, this time it was just a bit further to a wine cellar……whatever next?!

Having been delivered by my red wine saviours, I got on with replacing the inner tubes – and it was only when I had got them both out that I realised my spares are for my road bike (was the vin rouge “tasting” responsible for this oversight??). Rookie error #3: bring lots of spare inner tubes!

Having the luxury of time and not liking to feel that I’ve been beaten by something, I set off the next day to cover the same route, but this time on my road bike, which means that I went by….ROAD! So, the interesting thing in going to the same destination by road is that I can see where the Cyclemaps App took me off-road and I realise that if I hadn’t followed its path, I would never have seen the stunning village of Vieussan. An equally quaint, authentic, carless village that is clinging to a cliff like the more touristic version of Roquebrun where I am staying, but again I am the only foreigner in sight…..just confirming the fact that I prefer the more off-the-beaten-track place. So, Cyclemaps moved back into the love zone!

I’m so glad that I had another go at the destination, as the Gorges d’Heric are stunning and had a good 3 miles of uphill hiking alongside a river laced with huge stones and ideal cliff-jumping backwaters. This time I made it back home without any dramas and headed straight for the river waters of Roquebrun for a dip.

The exertions of the day must have really wiped me out, as it was the first time that I had slept through the town’s constant church bell chiming. There are three churches here – I haven’t seen them, but my ears have told me that because they all chime out the hour VERY LOUDLY!! And they are all a couple of minutes adrift. It’s a bit like being woken by your alarm and hitting snooze for a couple of minutes….and then a couple more. Then you know you’ve got 55’ before it all starts again – but it’s such a beautiful town, I forgive it!

So, have I really gone sauvage? In French, this means “wild’ or “feral” and, though I know that in the blink of an eye I could put my uniform or glad-rags back on and re-enter the modern world, I feel as though I have just taken a moment out from modern life and am living in a completely stripped back, primitive way. No need for material things, eating very simply, no make-up and basic clothing – it’s nice to feel so in touch with oneself and, even if I‘ve gone slightly rogue, my sanity is definitely still intact. I recommend it – everyone should go sauvage just once in their lives!

And now it’s time to get away from the campsite and go and find some more sauvage spots in this incredibly beautiful part of France

• Thoughts so far:
• Finally mastered bicycling with no hands – what a revelation!
• Stay away from the recommended tourist spots – the next village along is probably far more authentic and just as interesting
• I seem to be addicted to the Southwest of countries…..Germany, now France and, of course, the Algarve in SW of Europe!
• If you’re stuck, just look for a vineyard
• Wine in France is every bit as good as I thought it would be (and cheaper!)
• Too many vineyards, too little time!