A bit cooler this morning but not too bad. Our loop today was Four Lane Ends, Whalley, Mitton, Bashall Eaves, Micklehurst, Rabbit Lane, Bashall Barn, Waddington and West Bradford. Just got the 21 miles in but a bust afternoon ahead.
Our virtual journey would be leaving Avignon on the the Rhone and starting to head south west towards the Mediterranean and entering the Gard department. After 12 miles we leave the Rhone and ViaRhona behind. The going is flat but much more industrial. . We are on small roads, in the middle of crops and irrigation canals, zigzaging between vineyards and orchards. We have our first sighting of wild Camargue horses as the route touches on the edges of tte Camargue plain.
With an area of over 360 sq. miles, the Camargue is western Europes largest river delta (technically an island, as it is surrounded by water). It
is a vast large brine lagoons or tangs, cut off from the sea by sandbars and encircled by marshes which are in turn surrounded by a large cultivated area.
We are now in a historical coastal region in southern France, extending from Provence to the Pyrenees Mountains and the border with Spain. Its now part of Occitanie. The area is a major wine producer, with Vin de Pays dOc and sparkling Crmant de Limoux among its varieties. The regional capital, Montpellier, is home to a medieval quarter. Our destination for the night is the small town of St Gervasy.
