Béziers Days 24-25 Exploring the city – and unexpected Cowgirls...

This was our first visit into Béziers itself, despite having been in the area many times before. It rises up above the river Orb and the Canal du Midi, on one of the many bluffs that dot the landscape around here. It has a rich history from before Celto/Romano times and was once a Greek colony. It's also one of France’s oldest cities. All of which added to the excitement of heading to an Aire between the canal and river so we could walk to the city to explore. Aside from not being able to find a nearby campsite, we figured that after 18 nights on a site in Sérignan, we were ready for something a bit less fancy!

The Aire turned out to be just right (apart from the high security lighting on all night, that bathed the entire area – Mr B is not a fan of bright lights after dark!). The pitches were marked out and generous in size, with enough space for an awning/table/chairs to be put out. It seems that in paying Aires that are fenced/barriered/offer electricity on top of water/waste, this seems to be tolerated – most of the campers already there clearly thought so. At €12.72 a night we decided to opt for just one night until we had explored a bit and experienced a night...

As we arrived mid afternoon, we set off on an exploratory walk to the Office de Tourisme for information and to get the lay of the land. Loaded up with info leaflets and a clear desire to stay and explore, we returned to the Aire to find it almost full!

And after a restless night trying to balance the need for air (mid 20s outside and in) with the need for blackout blinds, we moved Evie so she was marginally less in the spotlights, paid for another night, and set off on the nearby canal towpath to start our exploring.

This part of the Canal du Midi is new to us, and just as picturesque as we remembered it...

...with the towpath ablaze with Oleanders in full bloom…

...quirky canal side buildings (Villa St Felix, recently restored and once a squat, apparently) …

...until we reached the grand staircase at the station, taking us up and over the multiple tracks…

...with a very heavy police presence for what looked like a promotional event for SNCF…

After leaving the station it was a short walk to the ‘Plateau des Poètes’ park. Created upon the arrival of the train lines to the city in 1867, it was designed to link with the fabulous tree-lined boulevard dedicated to Pierre-Paul Riquet, the main engineer for the Canal du Midi.

The park is an oasis of cool on a hot day, and we enjoyed the ‘English Garden’ as we climbed steadily towards the city centre…

...admiring a statue of Pierre-Paul en route…

...until we reached the magnificent theatre at the top of the boulevard…

We like to wander when we visit a new city, and before long we were in the back streets, admiring the quirky brocante shops…

...until we arrive at the huge central market, Les Halles, where we had been advised we could find the best eateries…

...which there were – in spades! So many, that we ended up a little overwhelmed by the choice, having a fresh falafel bowl for Mr B and a cheesy fougasse for Mrs B, before heading off to see the famous Cathedral, which can be seen for miles around as it sits at the highest part of the city…

...complete with stunning views across the plains to the mountains inland…

… and the bridges across the Orb, including the 12thC Pont Vieux…

We nipped into the 13thC Cathédral St Nazaire, loving the coolness of the cloisters…

...before admiring a statue of Raymond Trencavel, one of the good guys, and a character we had read about in the many novels detailing the massacres of the Cathars in the Albigensian crusades in the 13thC, during which the population of Béziers was also massacred…

We fancied a walk down to the Pont Vieux, where we would be able to look back at the Cathedral and city perched atop the bluff. It was well worth it, as it helped set the scale and majesty of the city from a different perspective – one that people of the Middle Ages and later would have appreciated as the entrance to the city.

Our plan after the bridge, was to walk along the bank of the Orb to see the Ancien Moulin de Bagnols, from where fresh river water was pumped into the city from 1827 onwards. With Mr B in charge of route planning, we should have guessed that things might be amiss as we teetered along narrow footpaths that were clearly not part of a tourist trail. Probably because the Mill itself is almost impossible to see close up from the bank, in its dilapidated and neglected state!

...so that only left the steep climb back into the centre historique, by which time we were ready for a gentle meander back through the boulevard and park, pausing briefly to consider whether we might come back up into the city for a 2300 illumination of these inflatables…(we didn’t)...

The park of the poets, as well as hosting a number of busts of French poets, also has a memorial to the WW2 resistance hero of the south, Jean Moulin, famous for uniting the various French resistance movements from 1943 onwards. Betrayed to the Gestapo, he was tortured and died later in 1943.

We are great admirers of the way France has, at least since the 1960s, made a conscious effort to recognise and remember those killed in the Vichy regime territory, something we have experienced before when travelling in the south. 

The park also has more quirky features…

… with plenty of shade to sit under as we girded our loins for the final stage of our return to Evie – a full day of walking and exploring in the high 20s – so we were ready for a rest and quiet dinner at the Aire…

Except, as we were recounting the highlights of the day and enjoying the ability to have the table and chairs out for dinner, we were interrupted by some very loud music from a camper just across from us. When we looked over we saw two women busy working up a storm of synchronised dancing to ‘Bloodline’ by Alex Warren and Jelly Roll – followed by other instantly forgettable tunes in the worst tradition of country influenced Europop…

And then we twigged. We had noticed a big sign at the entrance to the stadium the Aire was next to, ‘Cowboys and dancing!’ it had exclaimed. Coupled with the fact our immediate neighbours had not long before headed off in that direction dressed in full leather cowboy regalia, it transpired the women were busy practising their moves for a competition the next day!

Luckily they stopped as darkness fell, and the floodlights were activated! Plus, our guesswork with moving Evie to a different pitch made the ambient light levels slightly less than a full on solar flare, and we slept much better (either that or it was the 17,000 steps we had trodden exploring Béziers!).

Waking the next day and feeling much refreshed, we decided to head slightly west and explore some proper ancient history at the nearby Oppidum de Enserune, somewhere we had as a possible free camp on the way down south…

S&J 16.06.26

Sérignan Days 6-23 Part Six – a ride around La Maïre and farewell to Sérignan (for now)...

After quite a lot of relaxing at the beach, it was Mrs B who suggested we get the folders ready and have a ride around the local nature reserve we were situated in – Les Orpellières – a massive 150 hectare ‘site naturel protégé. It’s very easy to access via the cycle path that runs from the campsite into Sérignan, where it runs along the meandering river Orb (cue Fluffy Little Clouds playing in the background…) 

The ride is an easy one, in that it’s one of those compacted tarmac surfaces to begin with and is level. Surrounded by birdsong, our only potential hazard was the odd bit of bamboo that had leaned precariously close to head height as we bowled along.

All along this first stage that hugs the Orb, our anticipation of gazing across to look at the river was thwarted by these enormous stands of bamboo. It's very easy to see how there is so much bamboo washed up on the beaches around here, when you see how much of it grows along the rivers! But luckily there were a few patches where it was possible to pull over and enjoy the cool breeze coming off the water…

Before long we arrived at the ‘Maison des Orpellières’ where our Google map had told us there was an information centre. Which indeed there was – but as we are not quite yet in the French summer season, it was closed, so its delights, which include the local tourist office and information on guided tours, will have to wait for another visit.

What was open however, was the magnificent Belvedere – a huge tower that was built with the sole purpose of enabling visitors to climb to the top for the views across the site…

… as well as providing a nesting box for a resident ‘chouette dame blanche,’ a much more interesting name for Barn Owl, and, some very helpful information boards…

Who knows, this may well be Mr B’s elusive owl that he could hear from the edge of the campsite...

After the excitement of the tower, Mrs B took it to another level by suggesting that we took the folders for a proper off-road test that would take us out into the interior and away from the bank of the river…

...where we discovered huge amounts of salicorne which, when we see it in Blighty (samphire) we love as a salty addition to fish dishes and salads – so we had to partake in a little bit of mindful, respectful, but no doubt frowned upon, foraging! 

We were running out of time to explore further west to see if the ferry boat to Valras was operating, so we completed our circular route, accompanied by dive bombing swallows (maybe some from our site?) and loads of skylarks – a pleasing reminder of the Sussex Downs and not at all expected! With extra time we could also have watched for more of the large variety of birdlife, which includes Hoopoes, Kingfishers and Flamingos – the latter of which we had seen in flight heading towards the lagoon area from our pitch one evening.

We have had a truly relaxing and enjoyable time here, again, but after 18 nights on the campsite we realised that we were ready to head off for a bit more exploring. We were both keen to explore the nearby city of Béziers properly, as the best we had managed in the past was a view from the Canal du Midi, when we did a very long and hot ride along the canal in 2019 as far as the famous old locks, Les 9 Écluses de Fonseranes.

We are sure we will be back again, as the climate is perfect for us most of the time and there is always loads to do without having to trouble Evie for a lift. The jury is still out on whether we will return to Beauséjour, with the changes to the sanitaires and the impact on those Hirondelles, but luckily there are always other choices of campsite offering the excellent ACSI discount…

With one last late night farewell to the beach, we are off in the morning. Merci Sérignan – a l’année prochaine!

S&J 09.06.26

Seignan Days 6-23 Part Five – Failed Fish Friday

There is a regular market in Sérignan; something we have enjoyed cycling to on previous visits, where we have fond memories of buying Megrim to cook, and eating in the oyster bar. And having checked that Friday was one one of the market days, we set off, secure in the knowledge of having done this before.

As we set off on our trusty folding bikes, we passed the nearby Aire, now much improved and run by the Camping Carpark firm. The pitches have been clearly set out; they all have electric; and, access to black/grey and fresh water, whilst still outside the Aire, is also much improved. These Aires have variable costs that are seasonal. This was just over €15 when we arrived and just over €17 when we left.

The ride to town is a very pretty one at this time of year, passing loads of fields full of wildflowers alongside the acres of vineyards…

...with much of the ride running alongside the river Orb…

However, as the title signals, we were thwarted in our attempt to buy fresh fish, as Monsieur le Poissonnier clearly enjoys a three day weekend…

With the temperatures continuing to rise, we didn’t really fancy staying for a sit down lunch and then cycling back, so we grabbed a quiche from one of the boulangeries, ate it in the shade of some trees in the nearby park, and decided to have a quick wander around before heading back. We think we may have posted this bit of inspiring graffiti before…

… but this one is new to us…

… some of this street art might be inspired by the annual comic strip festival in Sérignan (Bande desinée) – another thing we knew nothing about either in spite of its 31 year history…

This aerial street decoration was different crocheted pieces last time – now with its little windmills whirring away…

The decision to do our fruit and veg shopping from one of the nearby stalls en route back to the campsite was an easy one to make. These are a real bonus, as some of the produce they sell is grown on the adjacent land – so super fresh, tasty, and zero food miles! And the prices are not a great deal different from the supermarché either!

Returning to Evie without fresh fish turned out to be not such a big deal, especially when we discovered that the local mini-market sold one of our Sérignan faves – refill rosé – and more besides, which disappointingly our campsite used to do but now doesn’t! A more than adequate compensation for our failed fish Friday!

S&J 03.06.26 

Sérignan Days 6-23 Part Four – a trip to the Regional Museum of Modern Art

Ever keen to ensure that Mr B’s cultural capital continues to expand, Mrs B was particularly excited to discover that the little town of Sérignan is home to a regional Museum of modern/contemporary art – the Musée Régional d’Art Contemporain (MRAC). And it’s taken our third, more extended stay to realise this! (It’s been there since 1991 and in its current beautifully designed building since 2006) The museum has its own permanent collection, plus a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions; three of these when we visited.

Cunningly preceded by a lovely lunch in the central tree-lined boulevard, we opted for seiches grillées. We were going to wait for sepia a la plancha in Spain, but just in case we didn’t get over the border (you never can tell with the way we travel) we couldn’t say no! We both feel the same that it’s a much under rated dish back in Blighty, given that cuttlefish are a common sight around the coast. And they were cooked to perfection!

On our way to the MRAC we passed the Town Hall, with its proud display of the 1^st Article of the French Constitution, reminding us not only of the absence of one in Blighty, but how our oft mentioned admiration of French civic pride also extends to public displays like this!

It’s surprising that we’ve never noticed the museum before, as it’s literally a stone’s throw from the parts of town we have circumnavigated on loads of occasions! It’s a very striking building from outside…

and the integrated use of coloured glass is even more striking from inside…

Featuring French and international artists, we enjoyed a couple of the short films on display – the first by Brice Dellsperger, a humorous take on Dynasty from the 1980s featuring two trans actors…

… and the other, Morgestraich, by Clémont Cogitore which features players from an annual plague-mask type carnival in Basel…

Here are some of the displays we liked best…

...with Mr B particularly enjoying the ones he felt were more interactive, although Mrs B did point out they were perhaps meant to be more of an immersive experience…

...particularly this one room that was given over to a pair of high-end decks running at a very slow speed, sometimes in reverse…

It was only when she later found Mr B stood in front of a couple of pretty obvious ventilation grilles rather than the art to one side, that she realised that perhaps letting his enthusiasm have some free reign might help with his cultural voyage in the longer term…

We passed a very pleasant and informative couple of hours at MRAC (€5 each and no additional charge for being non-EU citizens) and as we left, we were given a leaflet of other sites in the region that we may well be visiting, so perhaps it is as well we had those seiches after all…

S&J 03.06.26