Breakfast included 'petites viennoiseries' presumably from the bakery up the street. The day looked good as we set off and it turned out to have a distinct 'pilgrimage' flavour. We were escorted out of town by a friendly colley-cross and were reassured after a mile or two of his persistent company that, according to a young farmer we spoke to, 'Il s'arrêtera'. In fact the dog gave up on us and our discouraging ways and dashed off ahead to some other walkers (hauling their bag on a sort of trolley) and was not seen again.
It was much more traditional French farming
today. We viewed a virtual meadow - well nearly - of wild orchids left to do their thing. There were lots of cattle on human-scale farms in beautiful undulating countryside. It was lovely to hear cow-bells and cockerels in the distance, mingling with the church bells. We visited the charming isolated little 11c church of Sensacq, silent, with fresh flowers. The old baptism font was for 'total immersion' of infants. The sacristy was converted to a pilgrims' dining room with drinking water and bowls provided. Shortly after we came to, but did not enter, the 'English' bastide 12c village of Pimbo. A more recent source of local pride is the newly developed 'natural park' on the sheltered south facing slope of the valley with interesting Mediterranean flora 
and fauna. Near Poursuigues a decorative sign on a farm informed us that we have 924k to go but that seems a bit harsh - our guide book seems to think it is about 50k less. Another novelty on this stage was a decorated 'pilgrim tree' by another farm. Some road walking took us for a coffee and provisioning stop at Arzacq-Arraziguet where we sat in the shade on the terrace of the bar overlooking one of the two big open squares This is another place of 12c English fortification where the country of France met the country of Béarn (where the sauce comes from?)Our picnic was by the old water mill at Louvigny
which is being restored. We chatted to a friendly 63 year old South African lady who was enjoying a pear. She was walking alone, in sneakers. A few years ago she had done the Spanish section from St Jean Pied de Port, staying in pilgrim accommodation and carrying her pack, and had so enjoyed it that she was now doing it all again, but this time from Puy. Also resting nearby was a lively and well-behaved class of 8 year-olds in their brightly coloured clothes who were out for a hike with their teachers.We then became a bit ambitious and instead of following the direct road to Fichous Riumayou we took a newly devised variation on a loop which initially entailed some very steep uphill climbs. the reward was at the top where we were taken along a ridge with delightful views on either side. I suppose it is good training for the Pyrenees. The village of FR had a school where the children in the playground wished to sell us their homemade cookies
and some plaster 'scallop shells' they had baked and decorated. We duly invested in both and a little while later reached the equally tidy and sleepy village of Larreule, in pre-revolutionary times the site of an important Benedictine monastery. There we telephoned our hosts and M. Cousin duly arrived to collect us to take us to their house in Morlanne 15 minutes away. By splitting the distance to Maslacq we will have done 26k today and 27k tomorrow. Morlanne is a tiny and pretty place notable chiefly for the Chateau. This was bought post-war by a wealthy lawyer from Alsace named Ritter. He and his wife had no heirs so spent their fortune restoring the old brick-work of the building to its former style before bequeathing it to the Commune. The Cousin house, formerly an auberge is in a dominant position in the village centre in an old fashioned atmospheric garden.The owners moved here six years ago with B&B in mind. With eclectic furnishings and good humour they provide comfortable informal "family" accommodation in big polished rooms. But it is a double-clock-chime village overnight.Supper was apparantly not included tonight but provided by the "new" Auberge nearby: good soup, followed by our old gesiers friends and then a dish of grilled lamb chops with diced roast potatoes followed by a big piece of cake for those who wanted it.
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