Flat out in the Camargue

85km and not a gear change needed

What better antidote to climbing the Pyrenean giant cols that a day's ride in the Camargue? After all that grunting and grinding, after the crawling upward towards the heavens, after the pain of getting down the stairs for breakfast the next day, a spin through the Camargue will put you right in no time.

Carmarge? Camargue? What's that? Well, it’s some way eastward across southern France to where the Rhône flows into the Med. Basically, it’s flat. Totally and utterly flat. That doesn’t mean it’s not interesting. There’s bulls and birds and white horses plus the opportunity to learn a bit about salt.

The Camargue is a huge salt plain. Or is it huge areas of shallow salty water held in the arms of sandy, salty spits? Here there are mighty views, massive blue skies, salt flats and weird plant life. 

 

Flamingos are just knee deep in the huge étangs

Flamingos stand up to their knees in the „étaings“ which, though huge are just 2m deep. They are home to millions of birds who come and go though the seasons. The bulls are black and bred for fighting in the ring — but also make good steaks. The white horses are everywhere, are a Camargue icon, but don’t seem to serve much purpose.

 

Mighty views and big skies

Some of the roads, which look almost non-existent on the map, are long and straight and horribly bumpy. The old surface is worn to shreds and there are plenty of holes big enough to swallow your front wheel. But they are not all too bad. There are also sand tracks and gravel roads.

 

Why does the sea water turn pink as it evaporates?

The good news is that riding the Camargue, you can easily boost your annual distance score. On the downside you won’t do anything for your altitude–climbed total. A day's cruising here is a pleasure but you should check all the bolts and nuts on your bike afterwards.

 

Weird plants and lots of salty sand - and no hills

A place to stay: if you are nostalgic for the ‘60s, try Les Cabanettes near St Gilles (see below). It's an architectural classic and doesn’t seem to have been altered since it first opened in the 1960s. Very dated and the restaurant no longer operates. But it is an experience.

Original poster