Читать книгу The Grand Traverse of the Massif Central. by mountain bike, road bike or on foot онлайн

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Our trail continues across more fairly open plain, dotted with tiny settlements, until the foot of the last major barrier before the coastal plain is reached. The crossing of the high Saint-Baudille range of limestone hills, and a visit to the revered village of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in the l'Hérault valley, are both highlights of the next stage. Only a visit to refined Montpellier remains before the Mediterranean Sea is reached, for a very relaxing finale to the GTMC – a ride or walk along the Canal du Rhône to journey's end, the ‘island’ peninsula that is the town of Sète.

A GTMC for Road Cyclists

A traverse of the Massif Central, following the line of the GTMC very approximately, can also be made by road cyclists. This visits all the major places through which the GTMC passes, but keeps to roads – for the most part relatively quiet ones, where the volume of traffic is not excessive. There are several alternative routes, with the major contenders described in this guidebook. Such a road route would probably take the average cyclist somewhere between eight and 12 days, and would vary in distance between about 660km (410 miles) and 800km (500 miles), depending on the exact route chosen.