After coffee and then the empty/fill routine, we hit the road. We need LPG so we headed for a fuel station. Unfortunately, the road was blocked and the alternative route to the gas station would add 6km to our route. We programmed a gas station closer to our destination into the satnav and diverted around the closed road.
We were on a narrow road and had to stop several times to allow other vehicles to pass. A lady that we waited for warned us (in French with sign language) of a steep humpback bridge coming up. We decided to press on - there wasn’t much alternative - and soon came to the bridge. Another motorhome was stopped before the bridge whilst he decided if he was going to risk it. The bridge had a 2.5m width limit which is 15cm wider than Kiki so we were ok there. The problem was the hump - it was steep up and then steep down with a risk of grounding. I walked up and took a look - it looked doable so we went for it. Emma got out under the auspices of watching our underside but it was really to take photos. We crept up and very gently over the top without touching down - phew I’m glad Kiki has good ground clearance!
Shortly after the bridge excitement we arrived at our first destination, Les Ouvrages de Libron. This is a unique engineering solution to a problem where the Canal de Midi crosses the Libron river. At this point the canal and river are at the same level meaning that an aqueduct wasn’t feasible. Most of the time the river is either dry or just a trickle which was allowed to flow across the canal. In the rainy season the river becomes a raging torrent which often flooded the canal and blocked it with mud and other debris.
The first solution was a canal barge which was moved into place when the river rose. The barge was designed to form a culvert for the river to cross the canal. This operation was difficult and time consuming and as the canal was an important thoroughfare it was decided to replace the barge with a better solution. A number of culvert sections were suspended from carriages on rails. These are normally to the side of the canal but could quickly be moved into place when needed to bridge the canal. There are two consecutive sections of culvert with a boat length space in between. This means it’s still possible to navigate the canal by blocking the first river section and moving the culvert to the sides. This allows the boat into the middle “safe haven”. The first section is then returned to the river flow before closing the second so the boat can proceed. A fascinating piece of history which - we were not sure - may still be used today.
Returning to Kiki we continued to the gas station. Unfortunately the pump wasn’t working so we carried on to the Aire de Camping Car at Cap d’Agde where we’ve staying tonight.
After lunch we went for a walk around this purpose built tourist resort. It’s very quiet out of season and we walked along the promenade enjoying the warm sunshine and the sparkling clear water. At the end of the beach we came to the harbour and marina - there are hundreds of boats here! We looped round back to Kiki for a drink and some chocolate before heading off in the other direction. We walked for some distance along the beach marvelling at the number of sea shells - some quite big and often intact. We returned to Kiki for our evening meal before settling down for the evening.
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