My Chemin de Compostelle--the Via Podiensis: Jour 6

The Gîte Communal in Espagnac was lovely, clean, new, and well-equipped. It was too bad we arrived too late to catch the tour given by an elderly local woman who apparently was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. I had dinner, and then breakfast, in the restaurant with a French Canadian man, displaced in Vancouver, an Australian man from Perth, two French women from Paris and another French couple from Tours, a second French couple using the kitchen instead to make their meals.

After leaving Espagnac that morning, the walk became quite visually spectacular with views of the limestone cliffs overhanging the river, and the vestiges of several castles all simply known as "English". The path then became very serpentine and rock-strewn, with too many ascents and descents, and much rock-scrambling, winding through the trees, often with a precipice to one side.

St. Sulpice sur Célé was a charming village with remnants of a castle, and troglodyte houses, but it paled in interest when I discovered that both the restaurant and the campground snack bar were closed. Lunch, consequently, was a few power bars and leftovers from breakfast. At least I could get fresh water, and there was a public restroom available.

I was happy to run into one of the French couples I had met in Noailhac on my second day on two separate occasions. They would be going a little further than I, though, and would end up a day ahead of me at St. Cirq Lapopie.

Finally arriving in historic Marcilhac, I discovered to my delight that I would be sharing a room with the two French women from the night before. (They were from Paris and are pictured in the photo below, one wearing orange, the other a black jacket).

Marcilhac sur Célé boasts the ruins of a Benedictine abbey church founded in the 9th century by monks from the Saint Amans monastery in Cahors. I stopped by to visit the ruins be was disappointed to find nothing written up on its history. The town, Marcilhac sur Célé, true to its name, is situated on the banks of the river Célé and is surrounded by steep limestone cliffs.