Étang de Thau

Saturday

We spent the morning on the beach, then drove to the town of Sète on the Étang de Thau, known as the Venice of Languedoc due to its network of canals. We found somewhere for lunch, overlooking the fishing boats on one of the canals, then went for a walk around the town. We then drove up to Mont Saint Clair from which my blip is taken, looking across the lagoon to Bouzigues with its oyster beds. The Étang de Thau is the largest of a string of lagoons that stretch along the French coast from the Rhône River to the foothills of the Pyrenees and the Spanish border. It is linked by the Canal du Rhône at Sète to the River Rhône, by the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux via Toulouse, and has access to the Medterranean at Sète. The shellfish industry is the most important to the economy - eighteen varieties of shellfish are taken from the lagoon. We enjoyed a walk around the Forêt domaniale des Pierres Blanches with its extensive views, then continued around the lagoon to the village of Mèze, where we stopped for a look around and a cup of tea. By this time the sky had clouded over and was looking rather threatening, and sure enough we just made it back to the car when it started to rain.We had been hoping to eat that evening in a restaurant in the village of Montady where we were staying, which is located on a hilltop, and there are lovely views from the restaurant terrace, and we were disappointed to think we wouldnt be able to eat outside. However, by the time we had driven back and changed, the rain had stopped and blue skies returned, and we enjoyed an excellent meal sitting on the terrace, enjoying the evening light, the beautiful view and the sight of swallows swooping and soaring overhead!