To the knackers yard

 I must admit , this Chamre d'hote was lovely with all the breakfast homemade.

 Weee bit on the high side though

" heh heh, well that's the mortgage paid off Piere "

Grisolle. Now this is what Katikati needs . The library above a market place. 

After 10kms we're at Montech and decide on Valance d'Agen for tonight as we know a place to stay.

 But firstly, about the engineering that didn't work

Here's another of those sliding locks that this time was to replace 5 locks

But remember, those who never made a mistake never made anything ! 

   Castelsarrasin comes next and these 2 kiwi boats are moored together

We just wanted to know the super rugby results but they weren't home.

  These bikes look very comfortable and my sore bum is red with envy, but they'd be no good on the rough tracks

ALDI . Love these shops, and we got the rugby results from McDonalds next door.( didn't even have to go inside )

 As we approach Moissac we pass over the Tarn river on this massive aqueduct .

 This was just a shot of a cute dog but doesn't it support my theory that people choose dogs that resemble themselves?

 Go on, draw a pair of glass's on it

  

  Moissac

   A pretty port and also a major monastery that's been here since the 11th century 

This is on the St Jacques de Compostelle pilgrims route 65, and you can see them walking the route with a scallop shell  tied to their packs

I guess signs like this have been targeting them for 900 years.

  This is big wheat country and grain sylos are dotted along the canal

Working barges no longer carry cargoes of wheat and it's the tourists that keep the canal going. 400,000 a year they estimate.

And to your right is a clue to what killed the canals children ! ( Not the left , that's Nana)

 Valance d'Agen.

And here is the knackers yard we've been aiming for. All facilities but unfortunately they only take large parties ,booked in advance. 

  Luckily we found a fantastic Chambre d'hote ,huge! And for a very reasonable price 

The Garonne Lateral canal

Toulouse is a great example of what proper cycle ways are about. It was so busy going into the city this morning that you really had to concentrate or get bowled over. 

Here we cross over a motorway . 

 An affluent city ,even the homeless have tents 

Capitalism at its best. Not only can they sleep under bridges , they can set up in business

If you're teaching your dog to beg! Don't

 We don't want this catching on in NZ

This guy was doing circus acts between lights. I like to give buskers something. They make our world a bit more colourful. 

And the council workers were out cleaning the streets and the canals ,as they do... 

The mobile mechanic was doing an early morning service of the hire bikes.( he actually told me to bugger off !) must have thought I was one of them tourists.

Spent the morning enjoying the beautiful buildings and gardens of the center city. The Jardin du plantes is a lovely garden that spans several blocks by using walk bridges over roads. Great idea

The canal du Midi finishes at this basin beside the Garonne river. The masterpiece of Riquet who wasn't even a qualified engineer

Traffic then used the Garonne to reach the Atlantic. Unfortunately, flood and droughts made it unreliable so in 1887 the 'Garonne canal lateral 'was made which took it to the tidal part of the river.

 That's what we'll be following for the next 200 odd kms

Interestingly, they keep the water flowing strongly for the first 30 odd kms, bypassing the locks with these weirs. It drove a number of small power stations and finally a flour mill

Very few tourist boats on this section as it's just a long ditch. Great biking though

We've made it to Griselle and were lucky to get the last room in town. In fact I'm not sure if I've rented it or BOUGHT it. Anyway, it's nice😉

Toulouse

We hadn't intended going all the way into  Toulouse ,63kms ,but the path was so smooth ( except the first 7 kms) that we were there by lunch time. 

 The first major milestone was the lock Mediteranian . The last one climbing up from the Med

Those boats are sitting on the highest water of the entire canal. To get enough water to keep the canal full, Riquet bought it in from the central Massif using a clever system of damns and canals

This next shot is a sign of the Pilgrims way which passes right beside it.(a route that pilgrims took in the Middle Ages on their way to the holy land

This search took us away from the canal a little and as we stood studying our map , a lady stopped her car and offered help. That was good ? Except she forgot to pull the hand break on and the car rolled away down the hill. She caught it just before it found the gutter

Why didn't I chase it? I had the camera !

  And she was younger than me

We pass these survey markers occasionally. Riquets original pegs.

One of the smaller streams the canal had to pass over.

   This Laverie is at Negra lock,and where we met up with a couple from the Bay of Islands.

Andrew and Carol. They've been doing this for a few years too and love it. They were on their way from Bordeaux following the canal.

" nice goosie, hold still for a photo"

Then the bugger rushed forward and bit me. What a fright !

We are now in the Haute Garonne, and the difference is huge. Beautiful tracks, seats on the canal side, and toilets along the way. This one had a book exchange outside. 

 But MOST unusual for France, the toilet was disgusting. This usually meant Gypsies! Sure enough a little way along ,a camp that the council had supplied with toilets etc

 We are on the outskirts of Toulouse now and pass dozens of converted working barges, that really are a street of nice 'houses'

Even though it's early we book in to an

F1 Hotel. They're very clean and functional with all the usual .ie WIFI and air con.  But they're also cheap! Only €31

  We'll see Toulouse tomorrow . Right now we're going to lay around and read