Aligot/saucisson but more probably entirely understandable anxiety about the morrow! Neither of us slept well and we were downstairs, with our bags, by 7.30. Nice breakfast - all the usuals. The newspapers were full of Sarkosy's proposed shakeup of the civil service. Bread for lunch was collected from around the corner (we had bought the rest of our provisions yesterday) but in a rush of novelty we also bought six small fruit tarts for lunch. We then decided they would never stand the bouncing and so we packed them in our luggage to access them later for a teatime treat.We were on the road by 8.15, past the water cisterns to the base of the cliff by the old bridge.
It was just as steep as we remembered but fortunately not too much of it - 45 big steps + 24 more and then a slope to the top before we had the reward of a splendid farewell view of Cahors as we paused by an elaborate metal cross that resembled a Channel 4 logo pylon. The route was fairly familiar in content and challenge. With six of us there was plenty of chat. We came across perhaps 30 other walkers today including a young Australian couple and a Frenchman with bad blisters.It was soft going following recent rain along generally wide scrubby tracks. We met very little by way of habitation or serious agriculture until we got to our destination. Such vineyards as we passed were old and dessicated and
there was more of the stubby oakwood, pollarded this time and covered with lots of winter lichen and moss. There was however plenty of birdsong and lots of honeysuckle and wild roses.It was a 23k day, plenty for starters. It would have been feasible, if tough, to press on another 2 1/2 hours to Montcuq which is the recommended destination but we were not yet in full walking mode.
Lascabanes was as charming a place as Geoff had said. The gite was small, immaculate and unmanned. The lady manager was not on duty again until 5pm. Rooms, or indeed individual beds were assigned on the whiteboard in the lobby but sadly the separate rooms we had booked were assigned elsewhere. It looked as though I would be having to share a room with 4 somewhat surprised elderly Frenchwomen. The phone in the lobby did not work so I had to go up the hill with Geoff to raise a signal for my mobile to put a call through to the agents. The Todds' bags had also not arrived and it subsequently transpired that they had been taken on to Montcuq. All was all resolved in the end but it caused a certain amount of ill will all round which rather spoilt things.
While waiting for supper we attended Mass in the church
next door said by the resident village hermit priest. He offered to wash our feet but with typical reserve we declined. We had to leave our names and places of origin in his record book so that we might be prayed for the following day as we were on our journey. Rain is forecast. Supper was plentiful and well done, around a communal table with our fellow guests.