events

After Montséret the D611 had a fast descent to Ripaud where you turn left over a bridge and from there for some distance the road curves through rocky defiles to Durban Corbières then up to the worryingly named Col d'Extême.  Though it's not extreme in that sense.

If you do a mouseover you'll see the view back from this point to give you some idea of the terrain.  It was getting slowly hotter and I'd stopped to eat and drink but mainly to put on some sun-cream.

After the Col d'Extrême there was a long descent, and quite a quick one on a wider road with good tarmac.  I was reluctant to stop to take this photo, which, of course, doesn't look as good as things did in the flesh.  On the horizon you might just to be able to make out the château, a Cathar stronghold I was told.

I was reluctant to stop, not only because I was enjoying the fast downhill but because I was getting peckish and was planning on eating and stopping in Tuchan, at the campsite I'd used two years previously.

This was the campsite restaurant but somehow, when it came to it I didn't want to stop there.  I did want to eat though.

Last year I'd had a wonderful salade Niçoise but this year it wasn't on the menu.  The tuna salad that replaced it was good though.  For the main course I had cassoulet, which I'd also tried here before and I knew it to be very good.  Rollover or click to see a photo of that.  With my usual petit pichet de rosé I as a fuller and much less aerodynamic cyclist when I rolled out of town.

It was only 2.30pm when I'd finished eating so I decided to go to Estagel where I thought there was also a campsite.  It was only about 20km away and the road was reasonably flat with only one climb and fastish therefore.