The Canal de Garonne by bike

While spending a couple of weeks in France, Adrien’s country of origin, we went on a two day bike trip on the Canal de Garonne, a 200 km 19th century channel spanning from Bordeaux to Toulouse. We only did the 75 km section from Moissac to Toulouse but it was enough to get the feel of slow days and quiet easy pedalling that we were looking for.

We used borrowed or old bikes, had one saddle bag each, and were fuelled by pastries, bread and cheese. We biked less than 1km on the road. It was perfect.

Read on for more information about the trip or skip ahead to the pictures.

Moissac

From Toulouse, we took the train to Moissac, a village located about 70 km north of the city. The train ride was about an hour and cost us 10 euros each. There was room for bikes on the train and although the compartment was designed for 3 bikes, there were more than that.

The village of Moissac greeted us with a November shower that got us soaked in a few minutes. Luckily, it was warm enough to keep us feeling positive.

We walked along the narrow cobblestone streets and quickly visited the abbey which, oddly, is crossed by the train line.

We then hopped on our bikes, found the canal and headed towards Castelsarrasin.

The canal

The trail along the canal is totally flat, except around the locks that control the flow of the canal.

However, often only one side of the canal is well groomed for bikes with crusher dust and enough room to pass pedestrians. We made the mistake of cycling on the wrong side and ended up being stuck in the mud with no way to cross. We had to go a few hundred meters further to find a bridge and go on the other side of the canal, where the trail was much better.

Castelsarrasin

In the small town of Castelsarrasin, we bought a quiche and a panini for lunch, that we had on the main square, in front of the city hall.

A couple of residents came to talk to us, curious about our bike trip and feeling sorry that we had to be outside on a grey day. We were invited back to a woman’s house for coffee but politely declined since we already had some and an eclair for dessert.

We stopped at public bathrooms that were located just by the canal and went on our adventure.

Montech

We spent a night in an AirBnB in Montech a few steps away from the canal and in walking distance of the center of the village.

It was a Monday, so all restaurants were closed, so we dined on saucisson, cheese and red wine that we bought at the grocery store.

The next day, we went to check out the local market on the main square and had coffee and pastries at one of the bakeries.

Grisoles and Saint-Jory

On the second day we made a pit stop in Grisoles for a washroom break and a snack. For lunch, we stopped in Saint-Jory, a small town in the suburbs of Toulouse. We sat on a renovated square and finished our leftovers of saucisson, cheese and red wine.

A public bathroom was conveniently located a few meters away. It was smelly but served its purpose.

The last kilometers

Coming close to the city, we noticed the difference in landscape. We were now surrounded by industrial areas, highways and rundown buildings. In the few patches of nature left, people had set up camps.

The trail was also harder to follow. It was sometimes blocked by gates or private property signs and we had to stop and look around to find our way to the city.

Once in Toulouse, we followed a network of bike lanes to the Capitole square, our final destination, where we sat for a drink. We enjoyed watching people using all means of transportation to get around the busy city center.

We then hopped on our bikes one last time and pedalled back to Blagnac where we were staying for the night.

Pictures

Some selected pictures from the trip in more or less chronological order.