We awoke to a brilliant blue sky with a stiff breeze forecast from the west by midday.
So I washed the accumulated sand and detritus from the
solar panel and we set off a for a westerly cycle along the Canal du Midi into a gentle, warm breeze.
I was struck by the pale lemon colour of the dandelions along the banks:
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So different to the bright yellow dandelions to be found on the Beautiful Isle.
A few kilometres along the Canal I decided to demonstrate my party trick of walking on water:
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Shortly after which I was attacked by two dogs who drew blood from my leg before I managed to land a couple of kicks in their mouths.
Divine retribution?
I'm so happy that Jane kept cycling so that I could concentrate on the dogs rather than worry about Jane.
No, really.
By now the wind had gathered strength and we were blown back to Homps for some TLC on my leg. And so we left for Minerve under a still blue sky. This little gem........
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.......is set high above the Gorges of the Brian (!) and the Cesse rivers and was formerly a stronghold of the Cathars, a religious group of whom 140 were burnt at the stake here by Catholics in 1210.
For me the real highlight of the visit is the Cesse Gorge. The Cesse must have been a huge underground river hereabouts in past millennia. Then huge sections of the roof caved in and was washed away leaving two 'tunnels' a couple of hundred metres long. They really are huge:
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....and it's possible to walk through them, depending on the condition of the river:
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.........and back out to a blue sky at the far end:
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Tonight we're wildcamped above Minerve, the sky is clear, the wind has vanished and the stars are amazing.
Colin ???