Wednesday 25th October 2023

Domme to Near Carzac

One simple question – when will the rain come today? The weather people seem to be changing their mind every hour.

Another full table service breakfast, including a hot chocolate thick enough to clog your arteries, had us fully fuelled for a 16km walk. It was supposed to finish at Carzac, but we ended up to an unexpected finishing point due to our designated hotel cancelling our bookimg . Apparently we we were only guests.

Thankfully local agent found a hotel about 6 Kms away.

A great way to start the day with a 700 metre drop in altitude to the valley floor right next to the river. As we wend our way forward the church and our cliff side hotel stood like sentinels on top of the hill.

Most of the walk was in forests or along country roads, never far from the river. Our first point of call was Vitrac a lovely cliff side town on the limestone cliffs, where camping and canoeing seemed to be their main activities.

As usual no shops or cafes open, so no opportunity to get provisions. Slight track change due to some rockfalls along the river had us road bashing for quite a while before popping over a hill into Monfort with its amazing private chateau overlooking the tiny hamlet.

There must be plenty of money in the town if the huge new homes , built ‘in theme’ are any indication,

The wealth of the town did not mean they could control the weather, as we were soon in the middle of a heavy rain event, taking shelter in someone’s garage.

With no provisions available in town a stolen croissant from breakfast sustained us. Once the rain eased we headed out of town passing there football field with the biggest set of goalpost protectors I have ever seen.

Out of town it was more meandering along the country paths before the weather set in and we had to take refuge under a couple of roadside trees. A long distance photo may have suggested we were doing otherwise.

The field beside which we took refuge had a strange looking crop which we later identified as sorghum.

Our next part of the walk was completed on an old railway track converted for walking and cycling. Instructions had us ‘dropping through a tunnel scrambling up steep ground onto the railway.

Scrambling was the apt word with it being that muddy it was an all fours exercise. Once on top it was simply follow the black tar road. We actually came actoss two cyclists, our first people on trails all day.

After who knows how long we reached the exit path which thankfully was a tar path. No official instructions to new accommodation so we relied on the App for last 2 kms on an uphill journey to a pretty flash hotel

Lady took one look at us and booked us in as quickly as possible and after tidying up – as much as you can when luggage has not arrived – she drove us to the local huge shopping complex.

We enjoyed a burger lunch and Jane did some shopping before the 2 km walk back to the hotel.

Dinner was the usual outstanding quality in a hotel with a bundle of guests, which had not been the norm.

Tomorrow is 22nKm’s with between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain predicted –