Cycling the Canal du Midi

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Atlantic to Mediterranean - Cycling the Canal du Midi
August 23rd - September 7th 2004

In his younger days, Shepperton Rotarian David Fear used to go on cycling holidays with his friends. Following the death of his much-loved wife Carol in 2003, David decided to relive the experience and go on a fundraising cycle ride along the Canal du Midi in France. In the summer of 2004, after months of planning, David set off accompanied by Alan Wood, with whom he was at school some 50 years ago. The plan was to cycle from Carcassone to Sète to raise funds for the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, Surrey..

The start of the journey

A typical view along the Canal du Midi

Long stretches of the towpath are shaded by large Plane trees

Pleasure boats use the canal, especially in the summer months.

Alan and David at Sète their destination

Back in the UK at The Princess Alice Hospice

From August 23rd to Sept 7th David and Alan cycled along the towpath of the canal. They carried all their camping gear with them, stopping overnight on the way. On their return to the UK they presented the funds raised - about £4,000 - to the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, Surrey.

The Canal du Midi

The Canal is part of a 360-km network of navigable waterways linking the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Built during the reign of the Roi Soleil between 1667 and 1694, it was conceived to enable the transport of goods and the French Navy between the Atlantic ocean and the Mediterranean sea.

The canal is one of the most remarkable feats of civil engineering in modern times. The canal's creator was Pierre-Paul Riquet and thousands of workers dug out 7 million cubic tonnes of earth during its construction. Today it is mainly used by pleasure boats, although barges continue to carry loads, from the Mediterranean coast to Bordeaux.

The Canal du Midi was recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 1996.

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