Cajarc to Mas de Games

We stayed in bed a bit longer than recent normal because we had a mere 20kms to walk. Breakfast at 8am (good cereal), bags left at reception, into town and a boulangerie, then along the river, up and down a few hills, through rocky woods and farmland and stopped at a village called St Jean de Laur for lunch at exactly 12pm - sitting on a rock with a view over the countryside.

Note to Nico ( who may well be secretly reading this each day): it is acceptable for your parents to have the same simple lunch several days running because we also have breakfast ( hint) and extremely varied dinners - from potato-less potato soup to amazing dishes in Conques and St Chely.

We knew it was 12:00:00 when we stopped as the bells in the church beside us rang 12 times, then 12 times as we put down our backpacks, then started a little tune as we ate, then another new peal effectively to announce that the rain was starting.

It had been cloudy all morning - T-shirt weather once walking- but light rain set in as we sat there, so ponchos on, lunch over, we set off. It was only 6kms to the place we are staying - a ‘Chambre d’hotes’ or B&B. Another long rocky path and surprisingly monotonous scenery - thick woods, with few clearings or buildings.

We arrived at Chambre d’Hotes La Hulotte, Mas de Game, at around 1:30, just as the rain eased. The non- English speaking host showed us the room and large kitchen/ communal area. Our luggage was there, plus 4 other cases, so perhaps 6 people at dinner tonight.

The room is decorated in a more rustic style than hotels, but is otherwise as large and good, and we have had the large kitchen to ourselves for a few hours. It has a small garden, cows in the next field and a few old stone farm buildings and houses nearby. I walked around in sunshine, although it was only 12 deg. Later we both walked around the area again, but there was not much to see and the rain was back.

Dinner at 7pm was for six - two French men, two French women and u, and all of us around the same general age. Two men spoke better English than our French, so we got along. The meal was all home-made: vegetable soup, a terrine, duck sausage and chocolate cake. A bit of discussion on how to organise caminos, which agencies were good or bad (sadly, ours is squarely in the latter category) and the weather outlook, as well as where we all came from.

29,466 steps, 22.1 km and 55 flights.Lue lisää