Out of the Var and into the Bouche

Deciding to go through Marseille on a Sunday paid an immediate dividend. The coast road from Cassis into the city was closed to traffic because of a bike race. We were allowed through though. So the first 20k were a car free pleasure, except for it being uphill until we reached the col. We came round the corner to see Marseille stretching around the bay.

Half of it's population seemed to be cycling or jogging up our road.
We soon found the other half were on the cycle track along Prado beach. Between brain dead pedestrians, rollerbladers, dogs, cyclists and several other random hazards it was about the most dangerous bit of riding we've done.
From there negotiating the old port with it's major roadworks, the traffic and the one way system was child's play. Marseille on a touring bike is not for the faint hearted.
We finally escaped the centre to find ourselves in the Northern outskirts were it felt like a little bit of Africa displaced into Europe, complete with a flea market and masses of people in a state of organised chaos.
I lost a brake block and fixed a quick repair on a roundabout.
We climbed up and out on what I thought would be the last major climb of the journey. We dropped down and had lunch on the shore of the Etang du Berre. Very peaceful after the noise of Marseille.
I had assumed wrongly, not for the first time, that the sites at Martigues would be in the town. Instead they were at La Couronne, 8kms away over the inevitable big hill. So much for the last climb, we have to back over that when we leave.
The site proved to be lovely with views over the sea, a terrific plot, a shop and at dusk the haunting sound of the engines and horns of the distant tankers from the refineries along the coast.
All in all one of our toughest days at 80kms and 700m of climbing. We were both very pleased to stop but happy with how the day had gone.