Conques-en-Rouergue

It was raining lightly when we left around 8:15, and it only got heavier. The views were misty rather than panoramic, but always over green countryside, with cows sometimes lined up by the trail to watch us walk by. Sadly, it was a day of many narrow, steep paths, which were sometimes rivers of mud. But what the heck: we had two bags, and more clean socks and another pair of shoes each awaited us in Conques.

Conques was a revelation. We knew the path to it went down steeply, so we assumed it would be a typical village/ town spread out beside a river. The last 1.5 km was an overgrown and steep Kokoda- style mudslide, and we could not see where the land flattened out. We were perhaps not concentrating on that too much: it was very cold and very wet, our fingers were numb, and we kept going around corners that lead not to vistas but to more of the same, and we were still on the upper half of a large hill. Then one slight turn and we were in a stony street with old houses way above the river. Then another, and we ran smack bang into an enormous abbey church. It was like expecting Nyngan but finding a miniature Oxford.

Work started on Conques' church in the 11th C, and is apparently still on-going. It is now more a cathedral than a church, and the houses and hotels etc are packed in lines beside and around it. It all sits on a flattish area quite a bit higher than the river. It is old and pretty enough to have its own page... see below.

Our hotel is just back from the church and is about 1 room wide. It has 4 rooms per floor. It is also several centuries old. We arrived at 2pm, seconds before out bags, but the 3pm rule was mentioned, so we looked in the abbey, the tourist office, and some of the shops, talked with a chatty young Englishman who had a tiny souvenir shop, then collected a key and started drying out.

We met St Craig and Liz to return the borrowed overpants. They had arrived in Conques yesterday (having not had the short days with St-Come) and were in the other open hotel, but we took them to dinner in this one. The restaurant is usually closed on Wednesdays, but they were open on 1 May as it was a holiday and they hoped it might be busy. It was. Very good dinner: more aligot and local pork sausage for me, and the best beef ragout ever for Anne. Plus local red wine. We learned that Craig and Liz have a speech therapist daughter in Dubbo, and that we all shared a little trepidation about the very steep and muddy path that goes back up at the start of the walk tomorrow.

Hotel was the Auberge St Jacques. 1 Wifi erratic. 2 No tea/ coffee. 3 Good bed. 4 Dark and winding stairs. 5 Fantastic dinner. 6. Okay breakfast - although I prefer to serve myself. 7. Family operated, and they were friendly

31,250 steps, 25.2km, 76flightsRead more