Canal Du Midi self guided cycling holiday

Planet

Stretching 240km from Toulouse to Sète, the canal travels through a landscape rich in architectural and cultural treasures, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site at Carcassonne one of the most beautiful fortifications of Europe. The ideal way to explore these unique landscapes is by a low impact cycling holiday.

We believe that cycling trips are the best way to explore such an area; because you have more time to appreciate the changing landscapes and get to know locals in the villages and towns that you pass through while having a minimal impact on your environment.

This slow style of travel not only affords you more time to appreciate the natural beauty of the region but, just as importantly, positively contributes to the regions that host you.

We are aligned with “Leave No Trace”, an international organisation that has set the global standard for outdoor ethics. Through targeted education, research and outreach, its mission is to ensure the long-term health of our natural world while maintaining sustainable recreation in nature.

Our Waste Management Policy encourages our travellers to take their own reusable water bottles, coffee cups and reusable stuff sacks to avoid single-use plastics. We follow this same philosophy in our office as well as on the trail: in our London office we have banned single use coffee cups and water bottles. We use recycled paper in our office and we are working towards reducing the amount of paper we use, as well as recycling all of our paper and plastic waste.

People

Our preferred accommodations we use on this trip are locally owned and not part of big international hotel chains; this way we ensure your tourist spend is staying within the area and benefiting local people. From example, when available we book the Hotel L'Orque Bleu in Sete which is run by two sisters; and the Hotel du Pont Vieux which includes homemade jams, and country cheeses at breakfast.

During your tour we encourage you to stop and visit local cafes, and purchase your lunch from local shops whenever you can. Stopping at a neighbourhood or village café, will give you a chance to meet the local people, and helps to ensure some of your tourist spend stays within the local population. For example Castelnaudary is famous for its Cassoulet, and Monday is market day here which is an ideal time to pick up supplies. In Sete we recommend you visit the large covered market and try one of the many seafood restaurants near the harbour.

In 2000 we developed the award winning Responsible Travel Guidebook, which presented our Travel Group’s comprehensive policies on sustainable travel. Over the years our Responsible Travel Guidebook has evolved to meet the ever-changing landscape of sustainable travel. In March 2018 The Thoughtful Traveller booklet was launched, which is an easy-to-read document that empowers travellers with suggestions about how they can be part of the solution and collectively make the world a better place when they travel. Everyone is encouraged to read the Thoughtful Traveller ebook before departure.