Day 3 Condom to Lamothe, 25.5 kms

We farewelled Florian at around 8 this morning, made a leisurely lunch stop at Montreal du Gers and were at Gite Le Mille Bornes by 2.30. Good progress for our first ‘regular’ distance after two short first days.

We were the first of today’s guests to arrive, warmly welcomed by our host Bernard. He and his wife Florence, from Belgium, have owned thé gite for the past 4 years. We made the most of our early arrival. We chose our beds (we are in a dormitory with two others), showered in the shared bathroom, washed socks and undies and they are drying in the sun (which returned this afternoon) - and since then we have been relaxing and chatting with others as they arrive.

The name ‘mille bornes’ signifies 1,000 kms - the distance from here to Santiago de Compostela’ which we hope to walk. It’s a small gite, ‘alone’ in the countryside directly on the Chemin (camino), with capacity for 12 pilgrims. Like ‘our gite, Le Champs d’Etoiles, last night Le Mille Bornes has a welcoming and generous ‘vibe’ - a reflection of the owners and their attitude to those walking the Camino. These two special gites are genuine examples of what The French and I think of as the spirit of The Way.

I’ve counted 9 pilgrims, so unlikely to be more at this stage. Six of us were also at the Champ d’Etoiles last night so we are ‘almost friends’ now.

Time to go … we will all soon be called to the communal dinner. 🩷Read more