The Camargue – Between Sky and Sea

There are places in the world that are sanctuaries for nature, where wildlife still seems untouched by modern life. The Camargue is one of those protected places, where the footprint of humanity is hard to find.

The Rhône Delta forms the topography of this mesmerising habitat, a transition between the sea and the mainland. Its animal and plant life is exceptionally diverse. Birds are the VIPs, approximately 150,000 pass through every year, and the Camargue is home to 30,000 pink flamingos.

The area is mostly flat, but a gravel bike is the vehicle of choice, as versatility is needed here. The mileage can be made more arduous if the mistral or the tramontane start to blow, and you will feel it in your legs, wheels and bones. Gusts can reach 100 km / h. On such a day a gravel bike is the wrong choice, instead a sailboat would be a much better option.

Aigues-Mortes is an emblematic city of this vast territory. Its medieval walls are found in middle of the marshland, and only the salt mountains of the Salins du Midi exceed the tower of Constance, the highest point of the city’s imposing fortress. The city first appears in the history books in 1248, when Saint Louis supposedly set sail for Egypt and then Palestine on a crusade, departing from Aigues-Mortes.

It is freezing cold in the alleys of the city this winter morning. We roll out along the embankment of the Canal du Rhône à Sète, the sun becomes more generous as the bikes begin to move at speed. Some sections of this route take us over boardwalks above the salty marshes, the wooden slats rumbling beneath our tyres. A road sign indicates 5km to reach the Tour Carbonnière, a 13th century tower, while the first flamingos appear in the surrounding ponds, undisturbed in their dozens.

These imposing birds are an impressive sight. Feeding only on small organisms, the flamingo spends most of its time with its head underwater, making characteristic circles as it searches for snacks. With a hooked beak, the flamingo filters the salt water it receives, using its tongue to push the mud out of its beak to keep only what it wishes to eat.

It is in what it ingests that lies the secret of its colour: pigments from Artemia Salina –a species of shrimp, and Dunaliella Salina ¬– a pink algae, are deposited on their skin and on their feathers giving them they’re iconic colouring. Their flights in formation over the marshes is breath-taking. This wonderful show needs plenty of time for an extended pedal-break, to drink in the surroundings before moving onwards.

The last kilometres of the loop, which counts on the computer to just over 60, brings us back to the route’s starting point. As the horizon turns orange we stop at the beach to watch the sun slip into the sea.

Exploring the Morvan

The Morvan isn’t easily explained. A mountainous massif lying in the centre of the undulating Burgandy region.

Tracks and Trails in the Ariège

Five friends explore routes shared with the incredibly diverse range of four legged and airborne residents of the Ariège by bike.

A Tour of the Volcanoes of Auvergne

Sophie Gateau explores the Auvergne region, where there are probably more cows than humans per m2, armed with our camera, a tent and a knife.

Tracing the Torino-Nice Rally

A legendary gravel ride travelling from Italy to France. Sophie Gateau and Mathias Riquier explore the route ahead of the start of the Rally this September.