Up with the lark after a good night’s sleep and away promptly after breakfast.

It turned out to be a day of ups and downs, we walked up and then we walked down and then we walked up again, you get the idea. I walked with French people and for a time an American couple who I knew were American because I heard them talking but I didn’t let on for a while. Tee Hee!

The real problem I have had is the temperature, this afternoon it was 42°C at around 1000 metres altitude. I simply can’t go on doing these distances in this heat so I’m looking at shortening my stages but that’s defined by the availability of lodgings.

On a plus note I arrived at a most unimpressive Gîte d’Etape but the proprietor came through with a brilliant dinner: cep omelette, steak and chips, 3 different local cheeses and iles flottant (look it up if you don’t know) with a decent vin rouge AND rugby on the telly! So life is not all bad.

I’ve no WiFi so this will go when it can. I have to cut back on the number of pictures I include, last night’s blog took about fifteen minutes to upload. Anyway here is a picture of typical walking conditions today when not hoing up or down

and a castle on a hill.

6 September 2014