European Railroad Discussion > Fall Euro Trip Part 6 - Port-La-Nouvelle

One of the spots I wanted to get to for some photos was Port-La-Nouvelle, and there were 2 places I wanted to see.  One was a bridge right in town near the station, and the other was a remote bluff top with a view out over the bay known as "La Berre".   I went to the bluff top first, knowing it would take some hiking to get there.  

1) OuiGo TGV Duplex heading to Perpignan. 
2) Hexafret (SNCF) mixed freight behind a Class 27000.
3)  Same train.  
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/25 10:20 by dwatry.

---

---

---

4) DB Cargo France Class 186 on a westbound. 
5)  Back in town - Hexafret Class 60000 on a local freight that has just pulled cars out of the port, and then reversed to head to Narbonne.  That's a large cement plant in the background. 
6)  Hexafret Sybic on an eastbound through the Port-La-Nouvelle station.
 



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/25 10:20 by dwatry.

---

---

---

7)  Shooting from the highway bridge - another DB Cargo France Class 186 on a westbound intermodal.
8)  And yet another Class 186 - this time on a train of gauge-convertible wagons filled with Skodas and bound for Tarragona, Spain.  
9)  RENFE AVE on a through working. 
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/25 10:21 by dwatry.

---

---

---

10)  TER ZGC trainset for regional workings. 
11)  Regiolis trainset for regional expresses. 
12)  Map of how to walk to the bluff top photo location in photos 1-4.   You park by a canal lock and then hoof it over a very rocky trail - bring good boots!
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/25 22:58 by dwatry.

---

---

---

Very nice. Two great locations. And so much variety. Enjoyed it.

I've been enjoying all of your posts from your Europe trip. Great images and descriptions, and the railroad excursions probably weren't as much fun as a Basque wedding. It looks like you made the most of your time in Spain, Portugal, and France. I had looked at Google Earth to find the spot on the bluff where you shot your photos. Looks like a cool location and well worth the effort.

I know that similar to me you're a bit of a cyclist. Did you get on a bike at all while you were there? My wife and I were going to rent bikes when we were in Luxembourg in September, but the weather just didn't cooperate. There were a number of bike routes there that roughly parallel rail lines, and I believe most all the trains have at least one bike car. The thought was to take the train somewhere and then ride back, or vice versa.

Unfortunately I did not doing any cycling while in Europe.  I have in the past, just not on this trip.  My older daughter and her husband recently rented bikes near Mt St Michel and cycled all around that area for a couple of days, much of it on abandoned railroad rights-of-way.  They had a great time.  

I've been daydreaming about some routes over there. Friends have done In Gamba rides in the Dolomites, up Mont Vontoux, etc., that look fun, but they are road only and pricey. I've been looking at lower key, out of the way options that would be fun to do on a lightweight gravel bike with treads that can balance paved paths and roads with unpaved pathways along canals, through rural farmland and forests, etc. I got turned on to this idea looking at the bike paths and rail trails in Northern France, Luxembourg, and rural Belgium when visiting the area last fall. There are a lot of options if you start poking around.

dwatry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Unfortunately I did not doing any cycling while in
> Europe.  I have in the past, just not on this
> trip.  My older daughter and her husband recently
> rented bikes near Mt St Michel and cycled all
> around that area for a couple of days, much of it
> on abandoned railroad rights-of-way.  They had a
> great time.  

Some friends of mine did a bike tour on the Canal Du MIdi towpath a few years ago and really had a great time.    The tour operator moved their luggage every day, and there were great meals and nice inns every night!