Overcast as we set off at 8.45am. There is a large chatty mixed French group running in parallel with us although inevitably they have problems keeping together. Today is a series of short uphill climbs, a bit like an extended gym session.
On leaving Maslacq and as you climb up you overlook a large power station complex in the valley below and surrounded by pastoral images. Alison Raju describes
it as ”one of France’s biggest nuclear power stations” but I think the Usine de Lacq is actually a natural gas complex (or is it all designed to deceive?) She may just be confusing it with the Golfech power station 140 miles away up by Moissac on the Tarn river. We met the South African lady again for the first of a number of times today and she joined us for lunch later under the dripping eaves of a barn. Like us she finds the flat easier than the uphill. We passed some nicely restored holiday homes positioned to take advantage of the beautiful views with the Pyrenees in the distance.There were no shopping facilities at Maslacq but we stopped for refreshments at the Abbey (little of interest left after various sackings) at Le Sauvelade and we were able to buy filled baguettes for lunch later. Indeed they even filled a bottle of wine for us! Vocabulary note: their menu blackboard included a local speciality, "Ventreche", but nobody was able to explain what it was.
We had a couple more climbs before lunch and then it started to rain. We carried on in ponchos but when it reached 'stair-rod' dimensions we took shelter in somebody's open doored garage. There we were joined by an amiable grizzled Alsatian bitch who - Clare, and indeed the rest of us, was relieved to note - didn't seem too territorial.
We also met again the 'contrarian walker'
so we summoned up the courage to ask him for an explanation of how and why we met him each day walking in the opposite direction! It is simple when you know how - he is just doing the walk in reverse! He is walking by himself and sleeping in a camper-van. So he CYCLES the route each day on the nearest road, leaves his bike at the end of the stage and walks back along the route to collect his van which he then drives to the bike to spend the next night.We arrived in Navarrenx by 4pm and found our hotel at the far end of town. Money has been found to fully restore a medieval gem known as the ’First Fortified Town in France’.
It is another place with a history of Cagot 'untouchables'. The Hotel du Commerce is very much in the pilgrim business. Our rooms were on the top floor of the annex across the street, rather like the arrangements in Estaing. We had a cold drink under the heavily pollarded (i.e. mutilated) plane trees in the square while we waited for the taxi which would take Geoff and Sue back to Maslacq to collect their camper van. The idea is that they will use the local campsite in Navarennx tonight and but will join us for dinner at the hotel ( @2x11 euros!). Des, Clare and I then strolled round the ramparts of this well preserved medieval town although it is hard to imagine that the minimal economic impact of seasonal pilgrims justifies the remaining commercial activity about the place. This stag beetle was also buzzing!Our final supper with Geoff and Sue was preceded by what is becoming Clare's annual treat of "champagne-to-celebrate-Man-U.". And very nice it was. It has been good to have the Todd's company - even if they do seem to attract the rain!
