Aumont-Aubrac

We did not wake up until around 6;45 - probably physically and otherwise worn out - but breakfast was not until 7:30 and Thomas had said he would call the Parcel People at 8am. We had to be in the reception area then, as 8am is the daily deadline for dropping off luggage. We packed our one bag, which is unzipped to its fullest to take everything we don't want to carry each day, and went to breakfast with it.

Air France is a disaster, but there is a service - La Malle Postale - that collects bags from hotels in the mornings and delivers them in the afternoons, and seems to be as good as Nico's proverbial Mongolian Yam. So far for us it has been faultless.

The good Thomas went into action when there was a lull in checkouts. After much calling and waiting, he told us that it appears that Air France gave our bag to its agent, who gave it to the local postal service, who tried to deliver it (allegedly) yesterday afternoon to the hotel in Le Puy, and who can or will do no more than try to deliver it to the same place today. The local post is probably linked genetically to Air France, so I am not confident that anything they say about the past, present or future is true, but pilgrims can't be choosers. The deal (as at 1600 on Thursday 25 April ) is that the bag is delivered to the hotel, and then picked up tomorrow morning and delivered to our hotel for tomorrow, as arranged with the tour operator, for 45 Euro... which seems good value for everything involved. The only catches are Air France and the postal service...and both are very French...

UPDATE 8pm. Stupid us. Of course they did not deliver the bag. No excuses, no explanations. They simply lied this morning. The receptionist here rang for us and the latest "information" (being French, the "dis" is silent) is that they will deliver it tomorrow, but they will not say when, nor where it is, in case we wanted to pick it up - only that there is only one point in the world it can go to, which is the hotel to which they would not take it. It's Anzac Day. Is this what those people fought for? Am I bitter, twisted and frustrated? Yep.

Anyway, we started off around 9am today and it was cold and threatening. We had spray jackets on (and also had an umbrella and some cycling sleeves for warmth, courtesy of the sympathetic Australian couple at the hotel), but there was no rain or snow to speak of all day. Through a forest, down to a small town, then farming land and trails through woods, and the occasional small hamlet or farmhouse. The people in the farmhouses must be heartily sick of tourists walking right past their windows and doors for 9 months of the year. We went through only one or two villages/ hamlets on the way, but the first bigger one (Saint-Alban-sur-Limagnole) was 7km or so along the trail. It had a war memorial and a cannon, which seemed right for Anzac Day. The town also had a small, old, deserted chateau, which looked cold and empty, and the smelliest WC in Europe.

We reached Aumont-Aubrac around 2:45. It is a small town/large village, but very pretty. The hotel is modern, but c 700m from the centre. We have not yet decided whether to have dinner here or in town... an extra walk, but we choose our own time. I think one of us (me) could also be described as angry and distracted...

Went for a walk into town at 5pm. Found a store with hiking gear and a very honest owner ("don't buy that - it doesn't work"). We bought rain ponchos and a puffer jacket for me (with hindsight, buying the ponchos was genius).

Aumont-Aubrac has a 12th c church, narrow streets (with the occasional massive 26 wheeler delivery truck trying to get through) and is spread out. Neither of us were feeling particularly social given our aggravation with Air France, so Anne found a boulangerie and we had our own little supper in the lovely hotel room.

Chez Camillou Hotel (Logis chain) rates very well. 1 It was open before 3pm and has soap, wifi, coffee and tea and a good bed. It is quite new/modern. 2. very helpful receptionist who called for us trying to get an answer from the Air France baggage black hole. 3 Great breakfast. 4 Brilliant manager: David, the 4th generation hotelier who, the next morning, took it upon himself to ring every number I had and he actually made progress with Air France. On that basis alone, this hotel might be unbeatable. he promised to email us with updates if anything happened, but as we left he was under the impression the bag would be delivered to an agent that day and delivered to us the next afternoon.

36,721 steps, 28.8km and 63 flights.Read more