Walk Day 10 - Cahors river loop

Sunday, May 31, 2009
Got the walking bug now so, on my last day I decided to explore the GR36 which runs along the Lot River out of Cahors. Left at 8am and walked to Laroque des Arcs and back -- a nice little 9klm round trip and back by 10:15.


As on the GR65, there's the familiar red and white marker on the lamp post on the right.

A garden alotment.

Scullers and fishermen.

Laroque des Arcs -- half these buildings are built right into the rock.

Walk Day 7 - Cahors to Lhospitalet

Thursday, May 28, 2009
There was no clothes line at the hotel last night so since I was in a fair size town decided to find a laundromat to dry everything off and promptly melted a pair of polyester undies! This meant I started late this morning, leaving the Pont Valentré at the edge of Cahors at 10:30am -- took wrong turn-offs twice today (daydreaming!) -- and arrived in Lhospitalet at 4:30pm about 13 klms later.

It was a clear hot day with a fair amount of ups and downs so I was grateful for the cool spring breezes. Stopped every 90 minutes or so for a rest and, in the heat of the midday, actually stopped for an hour and read my book in the shade. Feeling stronger and no longer need to use ice packs at night.

The Pont Valentré built in the early 1300s. A German man I walked with told me that the yore of the bridge is that its builder did a deal with the devil in which the devil would get the bridge when it was finished -- so the builder never put the final stone in.

A couple of days later someone told me about this little devil at the top of the west tower so I went back to photograph it.

View leaving Cahors. The hill on the far right is the one I descended yesterday on the way in to town.

Just outside Cahors, one of the rare places the trail was near a highway.

Next to the gite at Les Mathieux.

Church at Labastide-Marnhac.

Labastide-Marnhac -- roses. As usual, all windows are shuttered against the heat from about 11am to 4pm.

Coming in to Lhospitalet. The woman from my B&B came and picked me up at the church tower ahead. Most of the B&B's more than 500 metres off the trail offer the same service -- but you need a mobile phone to take advantage of it.

Church in Lhospitalet -- and that's Joan of Arc on the right.

My bedroom at Les Tuileries. Another wonderful homemade meal tonight: salad composé with duck paté and radishes followed by duck legs on a bed of beans flavoured with tarragon followed by a plate of local Rocamadour cheese and homemade tiramassou. And bought a sandwhich for the road the next morning before being driven to the church in Lhospitalet.

Walk Day 3 - Cajarc to Mas de Palat (near Limogne-en-Quercy)

Sunday, May 24, 2009
A later start again today at about 10am. I'd heard the stores didn't open until 9:30 but it turned out a bar/café opened at 8am (and it also had internet). Blazing sun all day but met great pair of Swedish men and walked with them for several hours which takes one's focus off heat, blisters, leg pains, etc. Did about 15 klms and arrived at La Hulotte B&B just before Limongne-en-Quercy just before 3pm.


View leaving Cajarc after a short, steep ascent out of the river valley.


The hills ahead in the photo are where I'm headed.

Cajarc is back behind the near hills.

The forest here, and on most of the coming days' trails, is oak and the underbrush is wild boxwood.

Morning snack stop in the woods. The forest is lined with old stone fences which indicate this was all cleared fields relatively recently, as does the forest in which the trees all look the same age and not that old.

Delicious foie gras and cornichon sandwhich for lunch.

After refueling, get the gear on and carry on....the two Swedes I lunched with kindly snapped this for me.

Wild geraniums.

My two charming Swedish friends who spoke perfect English, as most Scandinavians I've met do.

The courtyard of La Hulotte, my B&B for the night.

My bedroom.

Walk Day 2 - Beduer to Cajarc

Saturday, May 23, 2009
Left Pech Ibert near Beduer at about 8:15am -- coolish, clear, sunny morning shifting to cloud (which kept things cool), and arrived at Cajarc on the River Lot at 2pm for a total of about 19klms. Ouch. Didn't realise I wouldn't be able to pick up any lunch or snacks along the route and arrived at Cajarc very hungry and with legs a-screaming.

Had a giant steak and salad and limped to my Chambres d'hote (B&B) run by Cécile Pons -- a lovely little apartment with two bedrooms in the old medievil section of this small town. Iced my sore parts with cubes in one of my ziplocks from the fridge's little freezer. As became my daily ritual, immediately washed my day's clothing and hung it on the outside clothesline, which every pilgrim-stop has, and changed into my clean clothes for dinner.


These stone "igloos" dot the landscape all along the trail that I walked. Some housed wells, some were quite small -- perhaps a shelter for a shepherd? I was told they were built as first shelters before a proper house was built, and then used for storage, barns, etc -- but I've no idea if that's true.




Entering town of Gréalou -- note red and white trail marker on the hydro pole.


A field of sweet peas.






Another wonderful dry-stone wall -- look at those huge end-stones.

The first vinyard I came across. I was told this was most likely a plot for personal use as the main Cahors wine region was in the River Lot valley, west of the town of Cahors.

Typical signage along the trail where there are dividing paths.

Long path heralding the descent into Cajarc.

Town of Cajarc.

The last steep descent into Cajarc in the River Lot valley was painful for me -- watch out for those big toe blisters and sore muscles.

A beautiful wrought iron balcony in the ancient centre of Cajarc.

Medievil Cajarc.

My bedroom.

Walk Day 1: Figeac to near Beduer

Day 1: May 22, 2009
Left Figeac rather late, at 10:30am, stopped for lunch in Faycelles as the clock was striking 1pm and arrived at my destination at about 3:30, a walking stop (Rando-étape) called Pech Ibert about 1/2 klm from the town of Beduer. Total walked was about 14klm.

CLICK on any photo to enlarge.



Figeac train station. Arrived yesterday from Paris via Brive-la-Gaillarde.

Leaving my hotel (Best Western Le Pont D'Or) in Figeac.

If you enlarge the photo you can see the red and white trail marker on the fence post. If there's any doubt, about 25 feet down the wrong direction there's usually a red and white "X" marked on a tree or post -- very helpful confirmation.

Wild honeysuckle everywhere.

Approaching town of Faycelles.

Bought the sandwhich in Figeac in the morning, there was no store or café along the trail or in Faycelles -- which I found was the case almost every day.

Alot of the trail is on stoney tracks like this one, and littered with wonderful old, dry-stone houses, "igloos" and walls.

Approaching Pech Ibert, my accommodation for the night. A wonderful campground with a few small wood cabins and a couple of trailers. Very clean facility with new shower/toilet/hand-laundry sinks on the property. They'll provide a simple dinner and breakfast if you pre-order it -- definitely a good idea unless you're carrying your own food. There's nothing open in Beduer.

My little "cabane" for the night.