This is just how I imagined the Canal du Midi!
And the Canal du Midi had waited until a day that was pretty special to me personally, before revealing her true beauty. I couldn’t have been happier.
At one point all I could hear were the birds singing and the bees buzzing (with the silence being broken occasionally by the “slap” of a fish breaking the surface of the water).
Idyllic.
The sunshine is not so great for walking in though. Luckily, it was a bit overcast in the morning (before I reached Colombiers for lunch). And by the time that I had eaten my lunch and had started to walk again, the fierce midday heat had dissipated somewhat. Still, it was a welcome relief when I walked through (twice*) the Tunnel de Malpas.
*The tunnel actually ends with a flight of stairs which take you up and over the canal, with the towpath recommencing on the other bank. However, there is no handrail on these steps (which are also quite steep), so discretion won out, and I walked back through the tunnel (and it was just *so* cool in there). A simple path then takes you over the top of the tunnel (ignore the 3.2km diversion signs).
After that, it was a pretty straightforward walk to Poilhes, and then onto Le Viala where I am staying for a couple of nights (while I give my feet a chance to recover).
