Via Tolosano Week 2

Day 1 Morlaas to Lescar 20 kms

 All flat today, not surprising that Pau has an airport and a race course. I thought I would have a coffee in Pau but the path took us through a wood and almost all around the race course and then out of town again, I never saw a bar or a cafe.

A sign in the wood.

The race course!

There were different signs.  Some were very annoying as they put a time between 2 towns but didn't put a distance, Jacky reckoned that the national group who control the paths in France reckon people walk 4 kms per hour, I was sure that these signs were expecting people to walk 5 kms per hour.

 

a combined sign but without the time.

I was tired and wanted to get to Lescar quickly, in order to get a rest, so I put my theory to the test. I had to walk very quickly, the signs said 4 hours, I did it but only because it was flat, to expect pilgrims with back packs to walk 5 kms per hour every day is rubbish. I got very cross with the signs.

This sign is guaranteed to confuse anyone used to walk caminos in Spain. It lead in the wrong direction and had nothing to do with the camino/chemin.

I noticed a new smell today, last week the predominant smells were; a flowery smell that I could neither identify nor find the cause of and figs. The figs could be smelt before being seen as they are falling and rotting on the ground. today the smell was mint though I also identified what was producing the flowery smell, though I don't know what it is.

a very small but very smelly flower (pleasant smelly!)



The outside, not much to look at but plenty of room.



outside seating area.

The Refuge in Lescar is super, very well equipped, not what I would describe as a 'refuge' at all, just an unattended Auberge. There are 2 rooms and 2 sets of showers and toilet, so I had a room to myself, with 6 beds and an en-suite.

When I arrived I went for a little look around, and a beer, then had a siesta. I don't think I slept but it rested my feet.



Jacky didn't turn up till 4. I thought he must have gone on, though that would have been a very long walk, but he walked through Pau. He said it wasn't worth the 10 kms detour!!

We seem destined to continue together for a bit longer. It's nice to have some company. We don't walk together, just pass from time to time and meet in the evenings. It should be improving my French but I am sure it is getting worse.



Me, resting my feet a moment!

Day 2 Lescar to Oloron Ste Marie  32 kms

I looked out of the bathroom window, in the morning, and saw some clouds, then I heard rain, so I looked again - rain!  I looked out a couple of times over breakfast and it continued to rain, so it was a wet-gear day. When we left the Auberge it had stopped raining, we thought our wet-gear might have worked the magic, but no such luck. For the first hour or so it kept drizzling and then stopping, then it started more heavily. Once again there was a shortage of places to stop for a break, nowhere in the first village, then, in La Commande, I found a little sheltered spot, by the church, with a big plank of wood to sit on, then the heavens opened, a real thunderstorm. I decided to wait a little to see if it would pass over but it didn't take me long to realise that it wasn't going to.

A photo of rain falling!

It poured from then on. The walk was up and down, through woods, the paths had streams running through them. Do we always choose water courses for paths or does water like to choose paths? It just got wetter and wetter. I even saw a tree with water just flowing down the trunk. I wanted a loo but there was no chance. There was no way I would even take off my bag and put it down, let alone any of the other necessaries, next time I'll come back as a man, I'm sure they have it better all round.
I had planned to stop for lunch at about 1.30, but there was nowhere to stop. For once there were some nicely placed tables and benches, lovely on any other day, but not today. In the end I gave up on eating, until I remembered I had an apple in my pocket and I ate that. I continued happily and was on the last 11 kms. I think I had walked 4 or 5 when I found myself on a road. I trundled along singing happily to myself; 'Show me the way to go home!!' Fatal! I had missed a sign, I had no idea where I was. I asked a man in his garden, he was stacking stuff on a trailer, he told me that I should have turned into a wood but that, if I turned left  and followed the road down I would come to some signs. I followed the road, then another man, in a car, told me to turn right, walk to a house I could see in the distance, turn left and I would follow a tarred road, parallel to the route through the wood, which would be very muddy, so off I went. With hindsight, a truly excellent thing, I should have retraced my steps till I found the sign, but I went off the track. I walked to the house, turned left and followed the tarred route ... and ended up in someones drive. I retraced my steps to the road but I had no idea which direction I needed to take, so I walked further back, to a house with a big lorry parked outside, with it's hazard lights on.  eventually I attracted the attention of some workmen who kindly invited me in, out of the rain, but by that time I was so wet that it didn't matter. They pointed me back, in the direction that I had first come from. I was to go to; 'the blue church then turn right.' I suppose to the lorry driver the blue church didn't seem too far away but I had no idea where it was, I certainly couldn't see it.  I was getting worried, it was only 4ish but seemed very dark and I was lost. Then a white van drove from a farm, the driver called something to me but I didn't catch it, he was joking about me and the rain, but then he offered me a lift and I accepted. for the first time, on any camino, I accepted a lift :(  Very naughty but I was very grateful. I worried about accepting as I was dripping but he said 'no matter'. He dropped me by the station in Oloron so I went into the station to get out my guide book, so I could phone the gite but my guide was so wet the pages were stuck together!
When I left the station another man offered assistance, he said he had done the camino 11 years before and now he liked to help pilgrims. He showed me the way to the cathedral and pointed out the direction of the gite, I assumed that I would find signs for the camino by the Cathedral. I found a lovely square and a tablet for the Chemin d'Arles but no direction signs.

So I returned to where I had started and walked in the direction of the gite, then I found signs and a map, it seemed to indicate that the Auberge was back by the Cathedral, so I started back, eventually I gave up and went to the Tourist Office, where I was given instructions on how to find the Auberge and the code for the door.  I was so wet I decided just to dump my bag and go shopping before I removed any of my wet clothes. On the way back to the Auberge I got behind a woman walking extremely slowly so I stepped off the pavement to pass her but I got a severe pain in my heel so I stepped back! 

Eventually I get settled in, showered and with dry clothes. There was a drier for drying wet clothes. My papers were mostly a lost cause, though I managed to save some. When I looked at the map I discovered that I had been right by the route when the man in the car sent me on a wild goose chase. I only had about 5 kilometres to walk.

All around Oloron is a lovely smell of chocolate, I had looked in a few bars to see where I could get a hot chocolate but I couldn't find one. The hospitalero said the smell comes from the Lindt factory and is a sign of bad weather!

Day 3 Oloron to Sarrance 20 kms

Wet!! It rained all night and was still raining. Damp clothes, wet boots. I planned to walk to Bedous but in a wood I stepped up to avoid some flooded mud and had an excruciating pain in my heel again.  My heel had been painful for several days, but nothing like this. I had to make the decision not to attempt the climb up the Pyrenees, and curtailed my days walk. When I caught up with Jacky I told him I would be stopping.

All in all the days walk was diabolical. I managed to miss a turn early on, I was too busy thinking about how I would plan the next few days, so I had to back track, adding at least 1 extra kilometer. Several times I had to backtrack because I couldn't believe I was on the right track. Once because there was barbed wire across the path, this could be folded back, like a gate but I wandered around for a while trying to work out where I should be. Once because I was walking down a fast flowing stream, almost a waterfall, I had visions of ending up in the river, so I went back to check, it was right, so I carried on down, paddling. At the bottom of the hill half the water went straight ahead, half turned onto the camino, I followed the path and came to 2 really deep, fast flowing streams, apparently I was supposed to cross them both, no way. I don't think I could have at any time but with a back-pack and a dodgy foot! I gave up and paddled back up the stream and back to the road, from there I continued on the road. Escot had a lovely little shelter, where I had my lunch, there was even a toilet, but as it was a hole in the floor I passed on that. I had had a coffee break earlier and discovered that re-adjusting cold wet trousers isn't pleasant.

My walking got slower and slower, at one point I tried to speed up but my heel became more painful, so I reverted to the crawl. Eventually I arrived at Sarrance. I walked towards the church where I was met by a lady who took me to the 'Sanctuary', it is attached to the church and run by a monk, altogether a bit of a strange set-up but very welcoming. There was an English man here but no Jacky, he must have continued to Bedous.  I was useful in translating.

I phoned the Albergue in Canfranc Estacion, it is closed but the lady there suggested I continue straight on to Jaca as there is a lot of water in Canfranc, she said there are plenty of buses going down. All in all I think it would not have been a good moment to continue walking even if my foot had been OK but my foot helped me make the decision. In fact I made the decision that this is perhaps the time to stop walking altogether. So.. here endeth my Via Tolosano!

It didn't end the adventure though!

Bernard and I had both opted to join the priest/priests for the evening meal, this was quite an expensive option, especially as I was carrying food. The meal was mediocre but there was a young man there whose family are wine producers in Bordeaux, he had brought 2 bottles of wine, excellent wine. The table was set for 11 so he opened both bottles, in fact we were 6 but we had to finish both bottles once they were opened, there was also an excellent cheese, a present from someone else! Altogether it was an interesting evening.

Sunday, 21st October

The bus journey down was interesting too, it was possible to see how high the rivers were flowing.

The Auberge is in the building at the back, with the smoke!





Driving into Etsaut the road was blocked by fallen stones and the driver had to reverse back onto the road. When we got to the tunnel we heard that the road down to Jaca was closed to buses and lorries because of flood damage, that concerned me a little but there was a man on the bus who reminded me that there is a train. In Canfranc Estacion I did a recce, there was a train at 18.15! Then I spoke to the Guardia Civil, they said not to worry, as the bus company would probably find an alternative in some way. There was a bus parked there but no sign of a driver, then a mini bus turned up, the driver said that he would be leaving at 13.10, so all was well. There were loads of tourists and TV people, all taking photos of the damage, the town had been flooded the previous evening, apparently there had even been suggestions that the people should be evacuated! On the way down we saw that half of the road had been washed away!

In Jaca I had great problems finding the Albergue, I kept wandering near it but never quite finding the signs were I expected them, in the end someone gave me directions and I found it, just as the hospitalera arrived at 3pm. There was no problem about me staying, even though I had bussed the last bit. I was the first but was soon joined by 2 others, a young Spaniard, just starting, and a Dutch man who had walked from Monserrat to Huesca, then taken the bus to Oloron and walked back from there, he had made it over the mountain! In the evening I had something to eat then was going to lie down and rest my foot but the 2 lads invited me to go out with them for a glass of wine, I was going to decline but it was very sweet of them and it takes a lot for me to decline a glass of wine! 

The Albergue started to get busy, there were 2 American lads who had walked to Monreal and just returned for their luggage and 3 Germans, just starting. The most pilgrims I had seen in 10 days! 

Jaca Cathedral

Jaca old town

The cuidadella

Monday morning I got the bus to Pamplona and was going to continue to Burgos and visit Sto Domingo de Silos.

I bought my tickets at Pamplona station and sat in the bar waiting for the train, then I put my hand in my pocket!!! I had lost my camera, I was frantic. I had taken a taxi from the bus station to the train station so I thought it must have fallen out in the taxi. I asked the taxi drivers outside and they broadcast a message to all the taxi drivers, then I realised that if I left Pamplona I had no hope of getting it back so I cancelled my ticket and resigned myself to 2 nights in Pamplona. An expensive 2 nights because, of course, I went on a spending spree. I needed a bag, and an umbrella, and a nightie and food!!

The next morning I went to the bus station to meet the bus from Jaca and the bus driver had my camera, so all ended well.

As I left Jaca I saw pictures of San Juan de la Penya, I really wanted to go there, it's on the route from Catalunya, the Cami San Jaume. I fancy that, maybe if I finish the Via de la Plata in spring that will be the next.....! Did I think I had stopped?
For some reason I really enjoyed this camino, more than any other I think, but I think I am resigned to not crossing the Pyrenees, I will leave that to those younger and fitter.

Via Tolosana Week 1

Day 1 - to L'Isle Jourdain (about 24kms)
Toulouse to Pibrac by train and bus!! Cheating but avoiding the endless out of town walking. I got to Pibrac about 08.15, the bus was late, the rush hour traffic was incredible. The bus stopped at the station so I had to find my way to the church to find the camino. In fact there was a church and a basilica so it took a bit of sorting, then finding the right signs and making sure I was walking in the right direction. The shells were facing the 'wrong' way, eventually I got it sorted.
I thought it was about 10kms to Leguevin and then 14.7 to L'Isle Jourdain, but it was less for the first leg, though I did manage to get lost once! I had a coffee in Leguevin and got a bit lost there too, I went round in circles trying to find my way out.  From there it was a short walk to the Fôret de Beauconne. My guide said that I would find a wide forest trail and I should follow this for 1 km. I followed it for 1 and a half hours! I then lost all further faith in my guide.

the forest trail

out of the forest!

When I left the forest I had cramp in my toes and the next 6-8 kms were agony. I got to L'Isle Jourdain at the time I expected so the overall distances must have been right. I went for a beer and took my boots off, after that I wore flip-flops, it was much better. I went to search for the Tourist Information Office, where they had the key to the Auberge, it started all right, then I couldn't see a sign where I thought there should be one, so I got lost. I asked some men who were playing petanque, they said: 'It's by the lake.' My response was, 'and where is the lake?' They pointed me into a caravan park, I looked around but I could see nothing, not even an exit. I phoned the Tourist Office, they said to walk around the rugby pitch and cross a bridge, as I walked around the rugby pitch I asked someone if I was going the right way for the lake, she said 'yes'. I walked along by a river for half an hour, it was very pretty but there was no sign of a lake, so I started back, by now we were having a thunderstorm. The men from the petanque started giving me more instructions, by this time I was so pissed off I was ready to put my boots back on and walk the next 16 kms, though I might have found this difficult as the route out was by the lake! I followed the new set of instructions and found the lake and the tourist Office and the Auberge, it is lovely and there are 3 of us, a lovely Flemish lady and a French man.

The lake (big enough to see)!

The tourist Information Office

The town was very nice and the instructions weren't really that bad, it was my interpretation of them. The other 2 had gone to the Town Hall and been given a map!

Day 2 - L'Isle Jourdain to Gimont 24 kms
I slept well and woke up at 7, we were all awake so got up to make some breakfast. I had thought that the next Gites were at 16 and 32 kms but Jacky had found info of a new one at Gimont so we decided to go there, it balanced the days out much better.

I started about 8. It was a lovely walk, just the right temperature for walking. Not far from L'Isle Jourdain I passed a large traffic island with bits of an Airbus parked on it!

I stopped for a coffee after 9kms in a little village called Monferran-Saves. Bars are infrequent on this route and this village had no bar but it had an 'up-market' restaurant. The Restaurant owner, very kindly, made me a coffee and then let me use the toilet!



The Restaurant in Monferran-Saves

 A kind lady then gave me instructions for a short cut, I decided it would not be a good idea as I would probably get lost, so I followed the road, only to discover that her 'short-cut' was the route I should have followed, I had to walk it backwards to find out where I should be! Once again it was a lovely walk but we had a thunderstorm and as the ground was mud it became quite slippery. I could have done with a stick but my sticks were attached to my back-pack and I didn't feel like taking it off again. Gimont is a lovely town and this Gîte is super and, at the moment I have a room to myself, with an en-suite! and there is a computer.



The old market place in Gimont

Day - Gimont to Auch 31 kms 

I slept well and got up at 7.20. There was breakfast 'on-site'. I left with Jacky and got some bread from the bakers next door, then we set off, he had remembered the way back to the chemin, I would never have found it. When we got back I thought we should turn off, he reckoned we should go straight ahead as we had turned right to get to the town and now the instructions said 'turn left'. The sign was ahead so we went straight ahead, we walked for about 10 minutes and found no signs, so came back, I had been right, but the instructions and signs were not clear. After that things became better, we walked together occasionally, then parted. I don't know if we will continue to do the same stages but we are the only 2 on this stage at the moment, we have lost Mireille. It strikes me that it is useful to have someone around, or will be when we get to the tricky bits, like going up mountains!

It was a beautiful day, cool in the morning and got warmer, but not too warm, the land is undulating, but not as up and down as Galicia. Some of the scenery was beautiful, we went through parkland and woods and passed some beautiful old buildings. The view of the town of Montegut, with its castle and church on top of a hill, was stunning, unfortunately the batteries in my camera are dead and when I put in the spares they had died too, so I have no photos :(
I planned to stop for coffee after 9kms, at L'Isle Arné, but there was no bar, so I sat and rested with a bar of chocolate. I then intended to stop at 13.00 but the route was badly signed in places, someone had nailed shells to the trees in one wood, that was a nice touch, but later the signs were old and led into a field and came to a dead end. You either had to climb through a brambly ditch, like I did, or walk through a ploughed field, like Jacky did.  The outcome was a road with no signs on it, fortunately it didn't take too long to work out how to get back to the marked route, but we had obviously followed the wrong signs somehow. I didn't want to stop until I knew where I was and when I did there was nowhere to stop, so it was 14.30, at Montegut, before I sat down to lunch. I had a lovely piece of bread, garlic cheese and wine: Du pain, du vin, du Boursin! except it wasn't Boursin. From there it wasn't too difficult to get to Auch, though Auch is a big town and getting to the centre takes a bit of a while.

the entrance to the Auberge

The view of the Cathedral from the Auberge

The auberge is a parochial one and right in the centre, a lovely old building, but there is only someone there between 3 & 5. Fortunately Jacky arrived before 5 and I arrived only a few minutes after. Again we are alone, I have a room to myself, with an en-suite. He has taken a room by a window so he can see the illuminated cathedral.  We were in time to shop for a good meal and to get food for breakfast.
Day 4 -Auch to L'Isle de Noë 24 kms

I started about 8, I could see straight away that it was going to be a wet day, there were big black clouds tinged with red, very pretty really.

It rained on and off all day but, fortunately never really heavily until late afternoon when the walk was over. Much of the walk was on tarmac but it was probably the best place to be as it was Sunday and there were lots of hunters around.

An up and down day, but not too steep, with the Pyrenees always in the background, an ominous reminder of what is to come.

entering L'Isle Noe

We are in a family home this evening, having dinner and breakfast with the family, each place we stay is totally different. I managed not to get lost today, right to the end, when Jacky had misunderstood the directions to the gite, fortunately the lady came out and rescued us. It seems that Jacky and I are a fixture together, at least for a while, pilgrim's are in short supply on this route. We did see one other one, at least he said he was, he had walked 4 kms and was sitting under a tree, later he was hitching!

Day 5 -L'Isle de Noë to Marciac 32 kms

 Breakfast 'en famille' and then off. It started fairly flat but I was having a 'slow walking' day. Much of  the walk was on earth paths and they were wet and slippery. After 8 kms I came to the little town of Montesquiou, it was very welcoming, with a statue of a pilgrim at the entrance and a picnic table (places to sit and eat are at a premium, it is really nice to see where someone has had the thought to provide a resting place).

There was also a bar, so I had a coffee, when I asked about the toilet he said: 'You see that wall there ....'  I thought I was being told to pee against a wall, that would be a first, but there was a little door behind the wall..!
I speeded up a bit after the coffee, but not for long, I kept stopping to take photos, also much of the signing was poor and I ended up having to return to check that I was on the right route. Altogether a long day.

The Auberge in Marciac is in an old tower, attached to a farm, the wash facilities, toilets and kitchen  are all on the ground floor. (The toilet is the hole in the ground type that I consider to be French and the French consider to be Turkish.) There were 3 of us sleeping on the 3rd floor and the stairs were old and winding, we were all determined not to get up in the night! We had met up with 2 French women who were walking to Lourdes, they belonged to the French Association of friends of the Camino and had walked many caminos.
The owners of the Auberge lived in a beautiful farm house next door.

The main square at Marciac

Day 6 - Marciac to Vidouze 24 kms
We were told that the walk would be flat but it started with some hills and finished with some hills. The backdrop of the Pyrenees was there most of the day but now they have snow on them.

It seemed hard today, no special reason, most villages seem to have very little in the way of facilities. We went through one village with a school and Town Hall, but no bar or shop! It seems most days will continue to be like this. I hadn't realised so was short of food, I only had some chocolate and a muesli bar, not much for lunch!

The Gite in Vidouze is very well equipped, it is a proper gite during the summer months and available to pilgrims the rest of the year.
We were offered an evening meal, pasta and tomato sauce, yogurt and fruit, we thought it would be prepared but we had to prepare it ourselves, but there was bread, sliced bread, so I was able to make a sandwich for the next day.

Day 7- Vidouze to Morlaas 29 kms
A beautiful red sky in the morning, this has been the third, the first was at Auch, it really did rain, though not really heavily until the afternoon. The second it rained just a little, and not for long, today it didn't rain at all.

The weather was pleasant, the country up and down and the back drop of the Pyrenees getting increasingly closer.

There were lots of different signs and the path was well signed.
The Auberge in Morlaas is by the swimming pool and campsite, 8 beds and 6€ for France it is excellent value, it has a good kitchen, a fridge and a super market right next door, and there was heating, at first I had thought I would be needing all my clothes on in bed as the evenings are getting chilly.
There is an internet place in town but my feet wouldn't go back that far, my heels are hurting, I'm not sure why, it is something inside.
I picked up some walnuts during the day then couldn't crack them. I didn't want to buy a nut cracker as they are heavy. I saw something similar in the supermarket, for cracking claws of lobster etc. it was plastic and very light, so I bought one! Not a good idea, it broke on the first nut, so I ended up on the floor with a stone, like a cave man!

the journey begins!

I had put my alarm on for 5am then a wonderful friend phoned to say he would take me to the station:) I would have caught the bus, I have done so before but the 3kms walk to the bus stop, in the dark, is not top of my list of pleasures. he saw me to the station, that was nice too. The train was late, I think RENFE, the Spanish train system, is like British Rail, trains generally arrive but may be unpredictable.
I had not foreseen the number of French pilgrims there would be on the train, all about to be looking for a bed for the night, but I got to the hotel first and got a room. One hotel was shut, not sure about the other, I think some people went back to Irun to the Albergue.
It had been raining in Northern Spain but it was warm in Hendaye, so I sat outside with a snack and experienced a bit of France.
My room was next to the bathroom, a mixed blessing, but I did know when the bathroom became vacant and could grab! I got up earlyish, had breakfast and went to the station. My journey was via Bayonne, I passed some beautiful towns and beautiful scenery, I am looking forward to seeing some of them better on the way back.
We had our ID's checked on the train. 2 men came into the compartment, one stayed down the other end and one walked through mumbling something, I heard the word 'security', but not much else, I must have looked very puzzled and very English because when he got to me he said: 'passport, please.' They weren't in uniform they just had armbands that said 'police' but they looked very mean, not the sort to argue with. I'm not sure if they were looking for someone special or just for illegals.

When I arrived in Toulouse I had time to look around, and to get my credencial and to get some more info on the camino.

Toulouse cathedral.



The basilica of St Sernin



The way out, over the old bridge and by the first Pilgrim hospital!



The first arrows!

The morning had been beautiful, ideal walking weather but the afternoon got very warm and sultry.  There was a political demonstration when I arrived, good to see the French aren't happy either.

In the evening, a rather strange man took the bunk above mine, he walked around all evening in nothing but a towel and he snored!
It was a noisy night, we left the window open as it was very hot. I was afraid to use my earplugs in case I didn't wake up in time. I got up at 6.15 and planned to get beakfast on the way to the station but I got lost instead and only just made the train.Today is a day of searching for my past, or my family's past. I had an intereting morning in Septfond, being driven around by the mayor! He is very proud of the town's history.
The day started clear in Toulouse but soon became misty, I had an 8 kms walk to Septfond, down the side of a busy road and without anything reflective, still I made it. The afternoon is warm and sultry again.
I lost my 'Ventolin' somewhere today, probably the Mayor's car! I was a bit worried but the pharmacist had no problem selling me one, that wouldn't happen in England!
At Montauban station there were 8 SNCF staff checking tickets as we got on the train, shades of 'Orient Express' but not so polite! They were backed up by 3 security guards, very strange.
Tomorrow it all starts properly, another early start as I will take the train to the edge of town, beyond the airport etc. Here we go!