Day 10 Navarrenx to Aroue, 19 kms

After our delightful early evening catch up with Pretty Beach friends (now resident near Navarrenx in France), French-Australian couple Danielle and Ross, we returned to our gite for the communal dinner.

Since we started walking 10 days ago, we’ve stayed in some wonderful gites, some favourites we enjoyed so much in 2014 we wanted to revisit, and some new to us. Thé gite / chambre d’hôte Le Cri de la Girafe in Navarrenx was a new one for us. And it was wonderful. Merci to our friend Bronwen for the recommendation.

Hosts Marie and Fabian have created a welcoming and comfortable environment for pilgrims - with both dormitories and private rooms available. Gites (albergues in Spain) that offer this combination are ideal for us - we opt for a private room if possible (sometimes you have your own bathroom, other times shared) yet still have the same shared experience of communal dinners and breakfasts.

Marie and Fabian have capacity for 15 pilgrims. Last night we were 11 around the table. Some of the friends we’ve spent time with before were here including German couple AnneMarie and Georg, French Michel and Canadian Peter. Added to the group Piotr, who shares his time between Poland and China! That’s not someone you meet every day. And, of course, the considerably less exotic Australian, me.

Speaking of favourite gites, we have been looking forward to today’s destination - the wonderful farm gite - Ferme Bohoteguia with Simone and Manu and family. The French and I stayed here in 2014 - not as a couple but as two pilgrims walking our own Ways. In fact we reminisced today that in 2014 we had not walked together from Navarrenx to here. We had stayed in different gites in Navarrenx. Dominique had set out with his friend Raymond and I walked largely on my own from memory. But we all ended up at the Ferme Bohoteguia. It is as wonderful this time around as it was 9 years ago.

More tomorrow.Read more