In the morning we had a game of petanque on the path beside the barge, with Ian&Sarah running out winners 11-9. It was good fun, although we had to cease the game at various times to allows walkers to proceed through with their dogs.

When the locks opened for boats going downstream that morning, we had the opportunity to observe the queue discipline for boats wanting to go down the locks. It was clearly a case of those closest to the locks getting priority, no matter when they arrived in the basin. So we made a note to move up closer to the locks the day before we wanted to go down.

We all walked into Beziers during the morning to check out the scene. Given that Beziers was still on the Midi canal, I was surprised to find rectangular locks in Beziers, rather than oval locks like on the rest of the Midi.

On looking around the port, it was clear that there were virtually no moorings available today (although we met the guy from Newcastle that we had seen last week and he said they had found a mooring on the other side of the port). But there was little chance of Ian and Flis being able to walk to the station, with luggage, from any possible mooring. So we walked into town, and they booked a room at the Terminus Hotel, just across the road from the station. Now they could relax, knowing that they would be able to get to their early morning train with relatively little hassle.

We then walked up through Beziers to the Mairie Square. It was interesting to note the change in character of the area as we walked up the hill, from run-down at the bottom of the hill to fairly classy at the top of the hill, all within the space of about 250m. We took a break for some drinks, and then wandered through some narrow streets to St Nazaire, the Beziers Cathedral.

The view over the river and the valley from the Cathedral forecourt was impressive, but the Cathedral was closed so we started our way back the way we came. But on the way, we found a Crepes Restaurant and since they were only open for lunch, not dinner, we decided to take advantage of the fact that it was lunchtime.

The outdoor eating area was dominated by a fresco wall, where the real balconies and wrought iron had been extended in paint. The angle of the sun was such that from our seating position it was hard to tell the difference between real and fresco.

The crepes and cider were delicious!

We took our time over lunch, and by the time we had finished it was time to go back to the Cathedral, which was now open for inspection. The current opulence of the interior was hard to reconcile with the tragedy and brutality that occurred here during the 14th Century when hundreds of Cathars were murdered in the Cathedral.

Ian and Sarah took advantage of the opportunity to climb the stairs, and wave to us from the high tower.

Finally, it was time to walk home via the old canal which used to connect the 7 Locks with the River Orb. As we walked along the path besides the old canal, Ian drew our attention to a poor critter who had met it’s demise on the path, perhaps under the wheel of a car. The detail in the skin and skeleton was amazing to behold, and made me think of Mr Toad in Wind and the Willows, who had many adventures, and close calls, with motor vehicles along canals.

As we arrived, we saw the Fonserannes Locks in action, as the afternoon batch of boats were coming down, led by a tourist barge that was just turning into the canal towards the Orb Aqueduct. The old canal is seen in the foreground covered in weed and water lilies.

In the afternoon, Ian&Flis went to their hotel by taxi, to ensure they were ready for their early train to Paris tomorrow. Before they left, I made tentative arrangements to meet them in Beziers tonight for a final dinner. But these tentative plans became firms plans when Ian texted saying that he had forgotten his camera on the barge. So I agreed to bring it with me when I met them for dinner.

That night Rita, Sarah and I all went into town for dinner. But I met Ian&Flis first and kept them talking while Rita and Sarah snuck up behind them. Surprise!!   We then went and found a little family-run restaurant on the lane to the Cathedral that we had passed earlier in the day, and had a nice relaxed dinner.

We grabbed a taxi home, but got him to drop us at the foot of the 7 Locks, where a Night Market, with Swing Band, was being held. We got there just as the band finished a set, so Rita asked if they were playing again, and they said “probably”. So we waited around as “probably” became “possibly” as the band had a few to drink, and then “probably not" as they continued to drink. Eventually, we accepted the inevitable and went back to the barge to sleep.