Narbonne to mountains above Collioure: back on the road


Statistics for today
Distance 133.00 kms 82.64 miles
Statistics for trip to date
Distance 3,039.86 kms 1,888.97 miles
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Saturday, May 22nd, 2010

After another long break it's time to head south again, destination Spain. While I was in Narbonne I bought camping gear: tent, mat, sleeping bag, pot and pan set, camp stove. I got into too many jams not being able to find accommodations in France; and when I did they were invariably too expensive. The camping gear will give me more freedom to stop when and where I want. Plus summer is in full swing, I won't have to worry too much about cold weather from here on out.

I picked up most of the stuff at Decathlon. It was pretty cheap, time will tell if the quality is any good.

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Canal de la Robine.

The ride down the coast towards Spain is pretty nice. Leaving Narbonne there is a 20-kilometer ride along the Canal de la Robine until it runs into the ocean at Port-la-Nouvelle. From there it's a combination of bike paths and roads, some along the beach, until the foothills of the Pyrénées mountains start after Argelès-sur-Mer.

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Crossed 3,000 kilometers.
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Collioure from above.
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First time setting up my new tent.

I head up into the mountains rather than ride the coast road so I can find a place to stealth camp. I end up in a perfect spot overlooking the coastal plain to the north. Setting up the tent for the first time is a bit comical, I didn't do any dry-runs before this, but eventually I get it figured out. I make pasta with my new cooking gear and enjoy the sunset before retiring early.

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View from the campsite.
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Sunset from the campsite. Overlooking Argelès-sur-Mer to the north.