Le Somail - Castelnaudary - Toulouse

7.5.2022 The start is a bit difficult. After 200m, the passage under the bridge is closed, so back and over the bridge to the other side of the canal. Today it is extremely windy, I feel like I'm always going uphill. For this reason, it is also recommended to travel the route from west to east. Also, many sections are difficult to ride, bumpy from the worn tire tracks and narrow trails. I can't imagine what it looks like there when it's wet. I often switch to the road, where I am completely exposed to the wind. The canal sometimes offers some protection through the bushes and dams. Before Castelnaudary, there are locks every few kilometers, which means that a more or less good path leads from lock to lock. In some sections, the path is also being built and new trees are being planted.

About 15km after Castelnaudary, it seems like I have reached the highest point of the canal, from there on it goes downhill. The path then continuously changes into a approximately 4m wide asphalted path, perfect for riding, all the way to Toulouse. Because it is Saturday, there are also many cyclists on the way. You can ride along the canal without any intersections all the way to the city center.

In general, the paths are very poorly marked or not marked at all. You can say that you can always ride along the canal. Sometimes there are paths on both sides, how should one know if one suddenly ends up nowhere. Sometimes the paths are so bad that you are unsure if it is actually the right trail?

Route taken