Aigues-Mortes

Walled city from the 12th Century.  You can walk the ramparts which I found to be most satisfying. The south and east walls are clear and west wall not too encumbered.  The more critical north wall now has a car park in front and some tall plane trees.  This means the additional defensive structures have long gone.  This also applies to the wooden defensive structures that would have topped the city walls.

The tower is amazing.

The city was built as the French kingdom's first port on the Mediterranean and as such a few crusades left from here.  However it silted up in a hundred years and more critically became redundant when Provence and its port of Marseilles became part of France.  However it still served as a military base and sanctuary after that.

Looking north along the west wall to the Constance Tower.

There is a canal that runs past the west wall,

which if I understand correctly,

gave the port access to the sea.

The south wall

Looking west along the south wall

Looking north west towards the Constance Tower.

The east wall in the distance

South east corner tower

On the east wall there were lots of pock marks on the towers, 

as if they had been used for target practice.

Looking south along the east wall

The north wall. As the area at most risk of attack, 

there were other defence works here, 

but now covered by the car park and trees.

View north from the Constance Tower. 

There is another water feature I failed to capture in the picture, 

on the immediate left hand side

Another view from the Constance Tower, 

along the north wall looking east.

And that is the tour bus pulling into the pick up bay and the start of my mad dash back. 

Luckily I met no one coming up the spiral staircase during my descent, 

or at least I don't think I did.