My Chemin de Compostelle--the Via Podiensis: Jour 9

Leaving St. Cirq Lapopie by the towpath (the route I should have taken in coming!) was absolutely lovely, and mornings make all the difference. The previous evening I had been terribly fatigued because of the walk and the LONG day, not reaching the Camping à la Plage until after six. But today, walking along the towpath to les Bouziès was just beautiful. I supposed the sunshine also helped. I passed through more limestone cliffs overhanging the river, and at one point there was a sublime abstract carving into the surface of the rock by an artist. There were striking views of the castle of St. Cirq, and I watched several small craft going through the locks along the river.

When I reached les Bouziès I ran into my tent-mates of the previous night--two women with their two DOGS (!), but they were taking the trail in reverse and heading towards Figeac. For some odd reason many French people walk portions of the trail backwards as the trail markers go both ways.

The walk to Pasturat started out nicely enough, following the Lot River, but then took a turn inward, steeply ascending, the trail becoming rockier, and heavily forested. It was hot and humid, or rather seemed so because of the difficult climb. Finally halfway, it clouded over and a light rain began to fall. There were no longer the fruit trees--the apples, the prunes, nor the wild blackberries, the sunflowers, the stalks of corn, the walnut trees, and the vineyards, but simply a path through a forest. I finally arrived at my destination, and suddenly there a dozen pilgrims swarming the gîte. Where they had come from I had no idea. They had not been on the trail! My gîte, the Relais de Pasturat, was lovely in a modern, rustic way. There were many French pilgrims around my age staying there and the three I shared a room with were looking for ways to cut out difficult portions of the trail to save their knees! Maybe that explains why I felt I was the only one walking the way I did. . . At any rate, I took notes from them, taking a photo of their topographical map that I would use the next day!