Day 26 Barran to Saint-Christaud, 29 km

This is going to be short. Dinner was very late tonight. It didn’t start until about 8:45. Practice for Spain. But cutting into penguin time! I’m staying at a farm and the other guests are friends of the family, two young men and their mum. They are taking her to Lourdes, and they stopped here for a visit on the way.

The day started with bats! Flying around inside the gite building this morning as I was leaving. (Not in the gite itself! )

Animals later in the day: about a thousand ducks roaming about on a farm. The smell was awful. One deer. Many cats, including one who came and lay on my bed and me here.

Lots of shaded paths morning and afternoon. And lots of breaks. Coffee in the courtyard of a chateau. Pain aux raisins on a shady bench. Tiny piece of pizza in the very pretty village of Montesquiou. Part way through the afternoon I was so hot I had to just sit down in the middle of the path, under a tree. And then a huge long break in the gorgeous hamlet of Pouylebon, with a selection of well placed picnic tables. I had to wait until the 4:30 “welcome” time.

Not the warmest welcome. They have a lot of other stuff going here - the visitors and a two month old baby. A farm with animals. A 12 year old daughter. The house was built in the 1500s. They might board horses.

But not my favourite stay so far.

Tomorrow is a bit shorter and it will be a tiny bit cooler. I’m wishing for more mountain views!Read more