The Way – Page 6 – Tash on The Way

I will walk 500km

Done. I arrived in the protection of Condom today. (sadly there’s no local humour about the name of this town) With that I am safely 1/3 of the way through my journey.

Today started with another diversion, after about 1km I was sent off the track and onto a big road. It wasn’t as bad as yesterday though, a major road but not a highway, and there was a somewhat spacious shoulder. However after 2 km the diversion ended and I was back on the way and feeling much happier.

The day was nice after that. Lots of sunflowers, nice Roman towns to stop for coffee and lunch. Lots of countryside. A big fat, so it was tough but my legs are adjusting to the distances.

And my Gîte tonight has a pool so I had my second swim in two days. Awesome.

A small lake I walked around this afternoon

Walking on the road

Today started with more sunflowers. I passed fields where they were nearly completely in bloom. Lovely.

It continues to surprise that I haven’t gotten completely lost in rural France. Then today, somewhere after about 2 kilometres of walking I missed a marker and I ended up walking off route with no way markings. When I realised I was off track I checked google and realised the road I was on was heading for the town I wanted so I was ok. It only added about a kilometre to my trip. And it shows that even when I get lost il always close to somewhere. I was even passed by a taxi at one stage. However walking on the big roads is fairly unpleasant. Especially when cars pass at speed.

Not long after getting back on track the way was blocked by signs saying that the route was impassable and we had to walk along the highway. There was a plus side to this that the highway is a more direct route, however walking along the highway was frightening. There were trucks and cars going at high speeds. And the shoulder was often thin or just not there at all. Usually the traffic would give as much space as possible and often even an encouraging toot. But there were other times when there was no or little space and at one stage I crossed a safety barrier to get clear of a line of big trucks. There were a few tears at this point. If the way is closed tomorrow will definitely jump in taxis or bus.

Not my favourite day on the trail, but in a happy ending the town where I’m staying, Lectoure has a thermal hot spring so I headed there for the afternoon. I’m now enjoying a local sorbet before dinner. Onward.

Sunflowers looking to the early morning sun

Sunflowers on the way

Short day today. I’m slowing down a bit while the temperatures are high. The heat is so draining. But there is a flip side to heat, the sunflowers are blooming. They are like big sunny faces looking up at me. Hopefully the numbers in bloom continues to grow over the coming days.

I passed through three tiny French villages today. One offered a great coffee and the others nice shady spots to sit after filling my water bottle.

The way continues to be blocked by fallen trees. There are now signs posted indicating there’s debris on the track all the way to Condom where I plan to arrive on Wednesday. They seem to be removing debris slowly but it’s taking time. Some of those towns I passed through have been without internet since Thursday.

Looking back to Flamerens where I stopped for lunch

Approaching Miradoux where I slept tonight.

Back on the trail

Wild ride today. Most of my walk was along a canal, a nice pathway lined by trees and lots of shade. However the recent storms have caused a lot of damage and there were many trees across the trail. The path was passable but it wasn’t easy. I felt a bit like a Ninja warrior going up over and around the obstacles.

When I left the canal behind I had a hot walk along roads with fields on either side and not a lot of shade. Eventually I arrive in Auvillar, another hilltop town which looks out over the Garonne river. Looks like a lovely place to spend the evening.

Au revoir mes amies

Tonight I said a final goodbye to Karina and Annie. They also plan to walk to Santiago however they’ll complete their journey across three years. Today we entered Moissac together and after dinner we said a sad goodbye. They will take a train to Bordeaux tomorrow and fly back to Canada from there. It was wonderful sharing the way with them. I have been so lucky to enjoy their friendship and their courage through the many uphill and downhill challenges. I will miss them tomorrow as I head off by myself and each day after.

In happier news I passed the 400km mark today. I have come so far, but there’s still a long way to go. No doubt I’ll meet many new friends along the way.

In Laurzete last night with Karina and Annie

Up and out of Cahors

Today’s climb out of Cahors was my last big climb before I get to the Pyrénées . I’ve noticed that I’m a lot stronger on the hills now and I can power up those climbs. Hopefully I still have that strength when I hit the big hills of the Pyrénées. But I’m also getting quite tired. The effort across multiple days is starting to build. I generally feel pretty good once I’m out walking though.

Leaving Cahors I also said goodbye to The Lot, the river I’ve been circling around for the last week now. From here things will start to change again. I’ll move from seeing the cows of the Aubrac region and into fields of sunflowers and corn. I passed my first sunflower field today but sadly they were yet to bloom. Hopefully there’ll be some more down the road.

Me on the bridge, trying not to let the rain or the big hill worry me

Quick trip to Cahors

A 14km walk today, the shortest day of my Camino so far. And mostly off the road so it felt like a holiday for my feet. More rain, and once again, compared to the heat of last week it was welcome.

Today I walked the whole stage with Karina and Annie. It was nice to chat as we went. When we could see Cahors Annie demanded that we stop and declared that Cahors is the half way point to Saint John de Pied, the point before the Spanish border and the end of the French Chemin. Saint John de Pied will be my half way point, and so I am one quarter of the way through my walk.

Rain

Rain today. After the heat of the last 2 days I appreciated the cooler air. And I’m getting good at pulling out my poncho. Today was also the first stage that my guide book used the lowest category of ‘easy’. The terrain was definitely flatter and easier on the legs.

I walked for 28km, I passed through 4 villages but only one of them had a shop. None had cafes, boulangeries or bars. This will become more common over the coming stages.

My new friend Donald just said, ‘we always start in a hole’. It’s true. Most of the towns we stay in are down in a valley so we have to climb up out of the hole at the start of the day. But tonight is an exception. I’m sleeping up on a hill in a tiny place called Le Pech. So for once, my day tomorrow will start with a downhill walk.

Light forest in either side of the track in the morning.

Opening out into scrub, the scenery keeps changing

Leaving Cajarc

Leaving Cajarc this morning was stunning. The town was having a Sunday sleep in so everything was quiet. I left the town and walked along the The Lot river for some time before climbing up out of the valley. It was going to be another warm day but cool morning air lingered for a bit longer today sling with a cool breeze. The scenery was stunning. I was really tired after yesterday so I took the morning super slow and stopped for quite a few breaks and took lots of pictures.

This part of the Chemin is a lot less popular with the French walkers so the Way Marking isn’t as clear. I need to pay more attention and sometimes at crossroads I have to stop and find the markings. They’re still there, I just have to look a bit harder.

I have now passed the 300km mark. Soles of the feet are hurting quite a bit, especially on the roads. And I have a new blister on my heal. Other than that I’m doing quite well.

I Will Survive

Tough day today. 32km, 32 degrees. More big hills. And much of the terrain was on the roads. The roads are hot and very hard on the feet.

The last 2km into the town I planned to stop for lunch were exhausting. I wasn’t looking forward to the afternoon. But somehow the break revived me a bit.

In the afternoon we had DJ Annie on the decks playing songs on her iPhone speaker. Fun songs everyone can sing along to – Hot Stuff, Higher Love, That’s the Way (I like it) and finally I Will Survive. Sing along and dance. Donald found us half way through singing and dancing to Higher Love.

It was a fun way to get thorough a hot and strenuous afternoon and up some of the steep hills. Tomorrow will be lighter I hope.

Friends on the trail

There are little patterns emerging now. Most people on the trail seem to keep the same routines and walk at a steady pace. So it means the daily interactions I have are becoming predictable. It’s nice.

There’s Donald from Canada who starts a little later than me but walks a lot quicker. He’s always smiling. He plans to walk the French portion of the trail and will finish in St Jean de Pied. That will be my half way point. He usually passes me about an hour into my walk.

There’s Laurence, who I often start the day with but as we walk at slightly different paces we seperate during the morning or up the hills. But we regularly arrive at rest stops at around the same time. Today we took our lunch together at a park in St Felix. She is walking a different route from tomorrow, so we’ll be saying goodbye tonight.

There’s also a large group of campers who are always at the bars at night. They seem to start a bit later, but they are strong walkers and often pass me during the day.

And then there’s Karina and Annie who I see regularly and often catch up with at the end of the stage. And we’ve taken to meeting at the church to go for evening aperitif. Obviously my favourite part of the day.

Todays walk was a little bit quiet. Very peaceful but without the breathtaking scenery of the last few stages. At one point I felt like I could have been going for a bush walk on Red Hill in Canberra. But of course I’m in France and I’m resting in Figeac tonight.