New Fastpacking Trip

In my post from last month, What’s ahead for 2026?, I indicated that despite being utterly pissed off with air travel and all the grief that goes with it, I was still pondering options for a European fastpacking trip this year.

I suppose that the spell of endlessly shitty weather in recent weeks has also caused my mind to drift to warmer climes and to make me yearn a little more for a trip.

I also said that I wanted to do something different, not necessarily mountainous.

I started to investigate a couple of Scandinavian options, namely the Stockholm and Turku archipelagos, but they were better for cycling and just didn’t suit a running approach. Besides, Scandinavia is f*!king expensive, however you try and cut costs.

I began to think of something for the early spring when one might find pleasant but cool running temperatures before the summer heat kicks in. I couldn’t later recollect how my mind drifted to the solution, but I found myself looking towards the south of France around March/April time.

I am going to fastpack the Canal Du Midi.

The Canal Du Midi is a 240KM (150 mile) waterway running from the centre of city of Toulouse to the Mediterranean at Sète. The canal was built between 1666 and 1681 to link with the Garonne, thus creating a navigable waterway extending from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

Once an important hub for transport and commerce the canal now has a more historic and leisure focus. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, although these days, where isn’t.

I will fly to Toulouse on 30 March and start running that same day. I have seven days in which to complete the journey although it might be possible in six. Each day, I will only need to cover 20-25 miles or so which could actually be quite leisurely given that it will be flat. Plenty of time to moderate pace, stop, refresh and enjoy the environment.

As far as accommodation goes I will mix bivy nights with accommodation nights, as I did on the GR70 back in 2024. I could probably do it with accommodation alone as it is quite cheap out of season, but I do enjoy some nights bivying, especially if the weather is decent. Daytime temperatures will be between 15 and 20 degrees, dipping down into single figures at night. Possibly perfect running weather.

The bonus element will be the training benefits with the Highland Ultra just several weeks later. A number of back-to-back distance days carrying similar weight will be excellent preparation.

So, that’s the plan.