Gobble Up Turkey

Thursday 26th October 2023

Near Carzac to Souilliac

Woke up for our last day of walking and the rat tat tat on the window answered the question on the weather forecast. No use bitching it was only 22 Kms in the rain, once we were dropped off at the starting point.

Today’s walk spent a fair amount of time on the old railway- now bicycle track – that we trod late yesterday.

Started in a pretty town called Aillac which was again a village of medieval homes or themed homes set in a little dip in the valley. Getting on the track meant a bit of back tracking, but nothing like yesterday’s access point.

Started at the bridge which sat under the eye of an old watchtower and meandered along , often with a tree canopy arching over the track.

The rain was not as heavy as predicted, but steady enough to have you pretty wet within the first hour- a period in which we again saw nobody.

About an hour and a half in we came across a tunnel which was about 500 metres long. Unfortunately, the taggers had been through ( even left all of their spray cans in an alcove) and sprayed a lot of it. Engineers had also been through recently installing reinforcement hoops. Jane got good value out of the poncho she bought yesterday.

The track broke out into open ground with a view over the river and there was another mountain top chateau to view. A track too far for us to travel, instead we looked at an old barn in a restored farmhouse.

Despite the weather the flat track allowed us to make steady progress and reach the town of Roufillac where we actually started our walk on the first day in the Dordogne.

The bridge and river looked as lovely in the wet as it did the dry. None of the cafes or even the tourist office were open, with a 1030 pizza the only offering. We were hoping the tourist office was open to see if we could try a longer waterside route that would allow us to miss some parts described as dangerous after rain.

We pulled up the Maps.me App which had been our friend when lost and determined our own way forward, which included a detour to a pretty village called St Julien de Lampon . It had the whole package- pattiserie, deli and a cafe. There was also some helpful old ladies who confirmed our planned route was fine, albeit a bit longer in even more persistent rain.

Warmed up with a coffee, the pack now stacked with a bread stick, ham, cheese and a little pastry for lunch further down the track we were ready to go.

We took off – who wouldn’t be comfortable after settling on a route based on hand gestures and some broken English instructions from two old ladies.

Not far out of town a smart farmer had obviously realised there was more money in real estate than corn and had sold off a great tract of land for a very much in theme housing estate.

Little old ladies didn’t tell us about the 1.5 uphill bit, but , we were going forward and didn’t worry. Came to a beautiful old farm under reconstruction with a paddock full of horses- not destined to race the Arc de Triomphe Classic

Finally found a bit of downhill and headed back towards the river which seemed to be flowing even faster after all of the recent rain. We walked through some spooky mossy forests where you expected a Troglodyte to jump out at any moment. The only thing to emerge was a tiny mouse who walked right up to us – perhaps he smelt the cheese in the backpack.

It got to lunch time and we got that hungry we sat on a table and chair next to the river and road , in the rain, and had an impromptu picnic. Got some deserved weird looks from passing motorists.

The picnic ended up a moving feast as we were getting soaked. If only we had waited another 20 minutes and we would have run into a camping site with seats and a bit of shelter abutting a walnut farm where there were plenty of nuts for the picking.

We picked our way along between river and road before coming to a one lane bridge, right next to a magnificent , lived in chateau, which meant the ladies were right- we could cross the river and head for home.

The bridge crossing signalled we were closing in on home base and no level of saturation was going to stop us upping the pace into town for the last couple of kilometres.

We passed a big soccer/rugby park before wiggling our way through some back streets to end our odyssey at the front door of our hotel.

After a bit of a delay in registering, apparently due to a toilet seat malfunction, we flopped into our room.

Different room configuration this time and Jane was mightily amused at my 3-4 attempts to find the toilet No matter how many times I looked in the bathroom it was not there- after a lot of giggling she directed me to the tiny cupboard near the wardrobe.

After 22 kilometres we sat and reflected on another walking holiday full of ups and downs, misadventures, great food and plenty of laughter.

Finally dry and looking presentable we enjoyed a celebratory G snd T before another nice dinner including a mug of Capuccino from the Land of Lilliput.

Tomorrow is a ‘proper holiday’ with a visit to La Cave – a reconstructed Prehistotic cave system. The boots and walking parephenalia will have to sit around and dry before we pack them away at the bottom of the suitcase.

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 –

Tuesday 24th October 2023

Domme

Getting absolutely lazy with another rest day to take a good look around Domme and let the gear dry out. We know the latter won’t last long as the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday has not improved, if anything it’s rainy all day not just parts of the day.

The day was cold and the valley full of clouds, at one stage we may have been above the clouds.

Enjoyed the most organised breakfast on tour , sitting down and being served the entire set menu. Glad we did because I would have eaten my cereal in what turned out to be the coffee cup.

We did a great self guided tour of town, soaking up the history, architecture and that view. It seems that many of the medieval houses are still being lived in and renovated. The retail shops are aplenty but dont really open until 1030, bar a couple of cafe’s.

The most amazing renovation was the conversion of an old windmill into something that resembled an air traffic control tower with the full 360degree view through the Dordogne. It sat next to a fully restored real one.

The local church had an unusual facade and all internal lighting seemed to be provided by the huge windows- unless they were saving on electricity. It was very austere inside and out.

The restoration works continue here with hundreds of thousands of Euro’s being spent to repair town ramparts and parts of the old chateau’s— there appears to be a great pride in preserving history in Southern France.

One fascinating sculpture really needed an explanation of its background – a half human, half skeleton, breast feeding a rabbit with a snake around its neck.

The crowd certainly thickened as the day went by and we enjoyed the company of 20 or so, including dogs and babes in arms , as we spent an hour in some impressive caves.

At the finish it was either an elevator to street level or the 100 stairs- who could resist the latter. It was a couple of seats in a creperie which also sold a boutique beer in a unusually shaped bottle.

When wandering up in the main square we heard a bit of chatter and noticed the area had been roped off for the local boules event. About 15 players and spectators were taking it all pretty seriously and were still there playing and sipping wine about 3 hours later.

On the way home later in day I passed what I call a ‘French Resistance car’, ironically it was parked next to a plaque honouring a local hero.

Dinner was in our hotel in a very formal dining room . It ranked best on tour. The 3 course set menu was interspersed with little taste treats – it was truly the gift that kept on giving. The truffle soup was unbelievable, as was the duck.

We are looking to be ready to go early tomorrow to try and minimise the weather impact, so other than the bathroom kit everything is packed and ready for collection by the baggage man.

I must say the day off regenerated both body and spirit and ready to go tomorrow on our second last day of walking.

Monday 23rd October 2023

Beynac to Domme

Without mishaps today should have been about 14 Kms, with a deadly last 1 km to the top of the hill into Domme.

Pretty clear skies greeted us as we headed off along the over, whose only companion was two canoeist heading down with the flow.

It was another morning under the watchful eye of castles as we left RTL to his own devices and fell under the scrutiny of the much smaller chateau at ground level on the other side of the river.

We meandered along, against the flow, on a tree covered path passing the camping area, with its sole customer, before reaching the double bridges.

What we hadn’t seen the previous night was a newer bridge under construction which meant a kilometer diversion around the construction area to gain 50 metres.

Whilst calling it a construction area not much activity had taken place for a few years. This area was badly affected several years ago by floods.

On the diversion we went through one of three more large camping areas , again empty, but you can imagine how busy it must be in the high season.

The riverside track gave filtered views across to the chateau on the other side of a river which changed character as it wound its way down the valley. It was a strange place to spot a few swans on an island in the middle of the river.

Farms, again with unharvested corn crops, were on the other side of the path. The path was littered with streamers ‘intersport’ , pink dots and signs CAB, which suggested a race of some sort had taken place recently. – perhaps it was part of Cancer awareness month. We got caught up with following them and missed a turnoff, but thankfully a local farmer redirected we two bemused travellers back onto a track.

It was a track but not the right one and it had us negotiating a water crossing which we managed with relatively dry feet.

We broke out of the forest then popped under a bridge below another chateau under renovation and could see our next destination La Roque Gageac – another riverside town built below the limestone hills.

After some traipsing through more paddocks our track and the main route came together and we headed into town.

Some beautiful buildings sat below the cliff faces, with large boulders in the backyard.

It had a much more vibrant feel than Beynac and the river had 3 cruising boats, not full but at least active. Being Monday not many shops were open and lunch was a coffee in the only bar open.

The town was also home to more, unpopulated camping grounds and a selection of canoe hire kiosks. The “lunch” stop did us no favours weather wise with rain squalls belting down as we took off.

Reading paper maps and instructions in wet weather is no joy, even with a protective cover, and we were soon soaked, asking a passer by for directions.

No luck, she was a tourist and further up the road we struck 2 American’s who accidentally pointed us in the right direction.

Finally on a wet and rocky track we were enjoying progress through a mossy forest looking back down on some beautiful homes in the valley.

We popped out onto a gravel road and came across the first walkers of the day- a similarly wet UK couple heading in the opposite direction. Was a virtual crowd when we then met two inappropriately dressed French ladies and their dog just down the road looking for directions. Given our misfortune we smiled and pointed towards the road sign below and hoped it might help.

We glided down the hill with great views all around and turned a corner to get a glimpse of Domme , our home for the night, sitting proudly on the hilltop.

Followed a main road and popped back over the river into Cenac which was at the bottom of the kilometre climb to the top. We went into the French equivalent of a PubTab and had the menu of the day – roast rooster and chips, washed down with a little beer and wine to help propel us up the hill.

The way up was on a tarmac road and the beautiful view took away the pain in the legs. Reached town, again a fairytale city from the 12th century , and entered through the gate which formed part of the old ramparts around the town. The climb up continued through the town with its beautiful medieval buildings until we reached our lifeless hotel perched on a cliff mtop overlooking the river and valley- it was postcard stuff.

Greeted by the matriarch of the family, in her mid to late 80’s, who beckoned the next in line to the throne to process registration . Room allocation was fine but she had no idea where bags were, which meant us sitting around wet until it arrived. The view out the window did make it more bearable.

No call to say it arrived, so after 90 minutes I popped back downstairs and there it was sitting next to the Queen who was folding table napkins, oblivious to its arrival.

Finally got into clean dry clothes before heading off for dinner on the other side of town. It was a League of Nations given it was the only restaurant open in town. A few loud Saffies boasting about rugby and a Kiwi lady sitting with us smiling in anticipation of spoiling their party.

Had a nice pizza before heading home, with a day wandering around the city in store tomorrow. Fine weather tomorrow and then about 2 inches of rain predicted for the final 2 days of walking.

Sunday 22nd October 2023

Sarlat to Beynac

Today we were headed for Beynac recognised as one of the best historical towns in Dordogne because of its riverside setting and being a one time home of Richard The Lioheart (RTL)

It was predicted to be cold and a chance of rain and the cold part was right with it around 8 degrees when we left. The lovely downward trail of yesterday was taken in reverse this morning and it had the lungs pumping.

Breakfast was with a room full of touring artists and a bunch of Yanks, whose trials and tribulations of overseas travel have to make you laugh.

We were quickly up into the hills, with a great look back into town, but not as good as the crew in the hot air balloon which soared overhead. No bird noises but lots of trail bikers and baying hounds.

We soon came across the hunters, who owned the dogs, in 3 vans that seemed to zoom past us but not fire a shot within earshot. The further we got into the forest the louder the barking became. Out of nowhere a deer arrived and tried unsuccessfully to hurdle a 6 foot high fence several times, before bouncing back onto the road and heading off.

Next it was a wild boar and not sure who was most started to see one another- we froze and he reacted like the deer before successfully burrowing through a hole under the fence.

It all happened in a matter of moments, with another startled boar just ahead of the hounds in the woods. Not sure if he was smarter or dumber than the others because he butted open a gate and then turned around and ran down the road.

Within minutes the baying hound with their GPS fitted collars arrived and ran straight through the gate – was it subterfuge by the pig that put them off we wondered.

After a few minutes out they ran and guess who had a ham croissant in their bag- they gave me a sniff and took off again, not to be seen until later in the back of the hunters van looking rather forlorn and bark free.

Looked like it was Prey 1 Hunters 0 this round.

We passed a whole lot of unhunted animals after that in paddocks and heard some hounds in another directions and a bit of gunfire and that was it. The motorbikes were still off in the forest roaring about.

Wound our way out of forests snd steeply into St Andrade which had a beautiful church and a remarkable cemetery . Many of the graves were covered with rememberance ornaments rather than flowers, with some desgned to represent the departed’s interest – one was obviously a keen outdoors person. Several graves were of prominent French Resistance fighters who had made great contributions to the cause,but paid with their lives.

We made pretty good progress until some slight confusion with the instructions, map and App had us doing an unscheduled 3 km detour. We finally found our way back after seeing some nice countryside including quite palatial homes/ chateau’s and equally derelict and deserted ones. We found out that many families choose to leave them derelict rather than transfer ownership after someone’s death to avoid inheritance tax. Can also imagine cost of upkeep would have something to do with it.

On the track and making better time we were soon at the magnificent Chateau de Beynac.

What a history this place had. It was home to Queen Eleanor the mother of Richard the Lionheart , wife of a French and English King ( Louis VII and Henry II) as well as being one of the most prominent women of her time.

The chateau itself perched high above the Dordogne changed hands many times but was primarily in French hands. The river at one stage was the unofficial border between England and France. England had a slightly less grand chateau not more than 3 Kms away on the other side of the river.

The Beynac one has been revamped beautifully over the last 50 years and it’s counterpart is currently being renovated.

It was a fascinating visit to a building that was more about defence than opulence. Not much ornate work, though the bedrooms of Queen and RTL had been restored, along with the kitchen and dining room.

Dining room was interesting as the table had scabbards attached to the table so the knights etc were not too far from their weapons.

One interesting point about those Crusade times was that RTL went to recapture Jerusalem- some sort of hike on a horse.

It was hard to believe that such a strategically placed chateau high up on the hill and surrounded by twin moats and several drawbridges could change hands- just walking down the cobblestone steps was a chore. We passed one poor lady who was totally chuffed after about 200 metres and looked a likely candidate for the strategically placed defibrillator that was about 100 metres further on up the hill.

Our hotel? just off the river, was small and we think there may only have been us and several others staying.

We changed and went for a drink in the waterside bar, owned by our hotel. Several boats were doing river tours on the swift flowing Dordogne whilst two ballon’s we’re giving people a Birds Eye view.

We had plenty of time to kill so went for a stroll along the river. Tourism is obviously big here based on the number of hotels, restaurants and camping grounds. That said one major hotel was obviously abandoned but the number of camping sites more than made up for that.

The camping ground had every possible option with powered sites, glamping and mini homes. The season is obviously closed with only one motor home in the entire park.

Abutting the park wete huge fields of corn with unharvested plants about 2.5 metres high. Not sure if it was a lazy farmer or if they were saving it for stock feed.

Wherever you went the chateau was keeping an eye on you and it must have been a distraction for any goalkeeper at the southern end of Beynac FC ground . Hope they were more successful than depicted by its sscoreboard/dressing sheds and food stall – all looking a little worse for wear

Being so close to the river you can imagine a few errant kicks drifting away with the current. Maybe one of the canoe hire places has a ballboy afloat on match day.

Just beside the field were two bridges, one in a state of disrepair and permanently open to boat traffic and the other a beautiful arched structure with an amazing reflection off the river.

Headed back to town through the corn fields and then detoured through the walnut field before a pre-dinner drink in an outdoor bar.

We enjoyed a riverside dinner and headed home to our mini room to rest up for tomorrows walk to Domme, yet another historical cliff top town. Just hoping the weatherman gets the forecast wrong,

Saturday 21st October 2023

Sarlat Town

No walk today, we took an extra day in Sarlat to take in the famous market. Weather forecast not great, but rain not expected until lunch time.

Market activity started about 330 in the morning so we were well and truly awake to have an early breakfast and undertake our own city tour before the tourists arrived around 10am,

There were so many amazing places of historical significance to see with some dating back to the12th century. As usual the cathedral was magnificent and the coveted market with a floor to roof metal door were highlights.

There were also a couple of smaller sites of interest including a secreted away fountain and a garden that had been converted into a cemetery.

The town is full of numerous connecting narrow laneways that inevitably lead you to a bar, restaurant or simply another medieval building. There are some great old and new statues around the place.

Abandoned the tour for a while as the crowds gathered and started our journey through the farmers market section which snaked through the narrow streets before flowing out into the main square.

Aside from the fresh food sellers there were many vendors with tinned foie gras , confit of duck and goose , plus cassoulet. I must say it was not as vibrant as the farmers market in Freiburg . As Jane commented there was not ne person selling fresh flowers.

Interestingly there was only one vendor selling food you could consume on the spot, it probably cements the view that fine food eating is the domain of Dordogne and most people chose restsurants. We decided to buck the trend and try their fare which looked delicious, but was rather passé – we should have dined out.

As usual plenty of people took their animals to market and at a quick glance I thought I saw a wolf on the prowl,

We went up to the Main Street where the merchandise lmarkets stretched out for as far as the eye could see. Did a bit of shopping for Xmas decorations and found a shop with a real penchant for Halloween selling a range of truffle products which we could not ignore.

Heavy rain drove a lot of merchants away early and most people headed for food or a drink – we chose the latter.

Once the rain stopped we continued the city tour seeing some more amazing historic homes and also doing some reconnaissance on tomorrow’s route.

The heavy rain arrived about 300 and drove us home.

The demographic here is very interesting with very few people in the 13-25 bracket. Almost all the tourists were 40+

Thsnkfully rain abated and we had an early dinner in a restaurant we randomly selected. Food and wine again good. Looks like all the tourists didn’t go home because the place was packed when we left.

Went home a watched RWC with a very unbiased view on who we wanted to win.

Friday 20th Octbet 2023

Around Sarlat

A peek outside and forecasters seemed to get it right with broken cloud and light winds. Still no sunlight till after 800 so a slow breakfast was the order of the day before our 14 km circular tour, which from looks of the map had plenty of up’s.

First part of trip was through the suburbs and there were lots of stunning houses. After a pretty flat start and a map malfunction  we headed uphill,  mainly on tarmac roads with diminishing views of the city as we headed into forested  territory.

Very different forests here with much smaller trees many are deliberately cropped so that they grow thin and not too tall – good for log burners once harvested.

Got a lovely surprise after about 4 kms at the top of the climb- a bar / cafe that was selling as much wine as it was coffee. We chose a coffee, whilst it was mixed pickings amongst the dozen or so locals who passed through.

It seems that the local store which abuts it is the initial calling point for bread, cigarettes and the newspaper, with bar a “reward station’. Given the welcome they gave each other it seems to be a ritual rather than a chore.

Like their meteorologist brethren in Aust the locals got it wrong and at about 1115 the drizzle started and turned into solid rain until we walked into the outskirts of town at days end.

With most of the walk on tarmac it was ok and with recent lack of rain even the paths through forests and paddocks were bearable, more importantly not slippery.

At one point we reached a sign which we interpreted as “beagle house”. It was more than Beagle House, it was a full blown minding kennel with a Heinz collection of dogs. Most barked a welcoming hello as they rushed to the gate. 

We were soon at another chateau, which would have been grand in its day. Whilst the barn had been restored and yards had been maintained the outside still remained untouched and looking through the windows, it had been left in a state of disrepair.

Apparently visitors come to look at the barn and are afforded use of a building with WC on it. Whilst it resembled a toilet it was basically unusable. 

We circled the chateau via a grassy track between a couple of fields with a low electric fence , all under the eye of a bull under a tree- just hoped he was enjoying the shelter. 

Back into the forest and through more farms all with freshly ploughed fields, and in one stores of corn – perhaps  for the piggery we passed later in the day. Just on pigs the guy at the market with the expensive ham only breeds black pigs and only feeds them acorns.

Found our way back to a tarmac road for all of 200 metres, but could not find the track. Wandered up and down before taking the first  one we thought was right and walked through paddocks before ending up in the right spot- at the bottom of another climb, albeit with nice views. There were plenty of cows  and fractious bulls eying us off during the journey.

Had two options for way ahead and selected what appeared to be shorter. Unfortunately, didn’t predict fact it was overgrown with blackberry bushes. We scratched our ways along for about 400 metres before rejoining the long route.

Still plenty of rain about as we headed for 3 Kms of tar surface, with plenty of traffic having us stepping onto the verge and giving you a little spray with the amount of water running down the road.

Came to a roundabout about 3kms from town and had a hallelujah moment thinking it was all downhill. As with most walks there are always surprises – this one a steep climb for about a kilometre. 

Finally reached some flat ground in a pretty affluent part of town with some beautiful homes looking back down the valley into Sarlat- some even had swimming pools which seems an indulgence in these parts.

Closer to town we slipped down a narrow lane, sometimes with a tree canopy,to reach the outskirts of the old town.

A little zig zag through some narrow lanes had us in the Main Street where we grabbed some lunch and then sloshed our way through the foyer of the hotel.

Spent some time trying to work out the jig saw puzzle of laying out clothes and gear to dry before a siesta and then a late afternoon visit to the laundromat.

Dinner was at a restaurant at the other end of town and with wet weather gesr on we headed over in steady rain. We had the menu of the day as part of our package.

Language barrier only got in the road with entree where Jane’s Beef Carpaccio was actually beetroot, which looked more like a dessert than an entree.

Not the best meal on tour but nice. No idea how this meme got there

Dinner over it was nice to go to bed knowing no walking tomorrow and weather can do what it wants. After 2 days of walking I was a bit sore- probably 5 day break and the food and drink intake.

Thursday 19th October 2023

Soulliac to Rouffhilac to Sarlat

A late start today with sunrise about 800 and not due to be briefed until 900, so it was a pack up, leisurely breakfast and a cheerio to the crew we met last night, before a transfer to Rouffhilac.

Starting point was right near the swift flowing Dordogne River which we got a great view of from a bridge decorated for Breast Cancer Week. It also provided a peek at the hill we were to traverse for the first hour or so of the morning through beautiful forests.

Luckily the rain predicted for today did not materialise and walking conditions were perfect. A bit of bird life and got buzzed by a very big bird in the shape of a Police helicopter. We mustn’t have looked too threatening and it continued it’s low sweep of the valley.

We passed some majestic homes, old farm buildings and large farm houses sitting on the mountain tops and in valleys as we ‘undulated “ our way forward.

Worked our way down into Carlux where there was a pretty and well preserved ruin of an old castle.

We spent a fair bit of time on paths cutting in and out of pastures and forests , often passing close to the barns of farms, many full of recently gathered fodder for winter- neat stacking was not a necessity.

Whilst there were still heaps of beautifully preserved houses it was tragic to come across a grand chateau which was razed by Nazi’s in WW2.

Thankfully as part of a national pro to restore many historical buildings, this one is earmarked for renovation.

Lots more forests to negotiate and a log in the middle of one proved an ideal lunch spot. Lunch caused a little bit of brain fade and along with little or no markings we spent a while testing paths to find the right way forward. Even after a 45 minute push up hill to a road we were still uncertain – thankfully the app , not the notes, confirmed our location.

We were soon back in the forest where major logging of small trees was clearly evident by the swathes of denuded slopes and stockpiles of timber destined for a logburner.

As we worked our way out of forests Sarlat came into view and it was very different to towns we had visited , it was as though the world stood still in the 1500’s, with little sign of modern buildings.

That said there were new buildings but built in the old style.

We were soon making our way down a steep roads and avoiding oncoming cars, unlike the car which backed out into traffic and got collected by one just adjacent to us. We didn’t bother to stay and wait for the discussion of who was at fault.

Soon arrived in town and it was magnificent – you were waiting for a knight to ride up the street on a white steed. Even the light outside Gendarmerie had a chandelier.

Aftet 6.5 hours and 19 kilometers in our proverbial saddle we arrived at yet another great hotel, with a lift.

Typical small but well presented room, adjacent to a lovely sunroom looking out into the square.

Left early for dinner and the ambiance of the medieval town was simply amazing. Cobblestone paths, little alleys leading to quaint houses and restaurants and enough restaurants to satisfy the needs of anyone visiting the town to test it’s “food”heaven reputation. A quiet drink in a local bar was a nice entree.

It was no surprise that the food at our restaurant was superb yet different- who could imagine a foie gras spring roll. The fish and pork mains were yummy.

The recommended wine was pretty good as well, along with fabulous service. Interesting one waiter was born and bred here and never travelled- guess that happens when you live in a time cspsule.

Walked home past a few art shops and reckon I found the next cup for The Everest – will need to send PV a note and he can organize a Research Tour for ATC and NRL executive.

Home to check out weather for tomorrow and looks mildly positive with rain not predicted until noon.

Wednesday 18th October 2023

Toulouse to Souilliac

From the news received late this afternoon we got out of the big towns at the right time with both Toulouse and Strasbourg airports , along with other airports and train stations across the country, locked down over bomb threats.

It might have explained the presence of police on our train this morning, all after me helping a Muslim woman put her bag up onto the luggage rack.

A bit of a slow morning before heading to the train station and hopping on the fast train to Soulliac. Thankfully the platform steps dropped us right at our carriage , the last one on a 12 carriage train.

Pretty sparse crowd, including the 2 police who eyed off every traveller and piece of baggage before jumping off as we left.

Train was quickly out of the city and burbs into the counter dry ploughed fields were the order of the day. Mostly crops, with the odd vineyard. Interesting that apple orchards were planted in exactly the same fashion as grapes.

Up until a major industrial town of Montuban the train tracked a canal which had the odd boat plying it’s way towards the harbour in that town.

The train rattled along stopping several times without dropping off passengers – why I don’t know. We stopped at Cahors a town familiar to me , as on a walk across France we stopped there and I was selected to do the pilgrims reading at the Cathedral.

The on again off again stopping continued the last one with an announcement about a security incident – sure it was just another fare evader like we had in our carriage, not a bomb threat.

After about 15 minutes we were off again and finally arrived at Souilliac , in the pouring rain- with exit right at the front end of station. A couple of wet and bedraggled walkers fell into the back of the tour company van for the short trip to our hotel.

Winners again a lovely place with a nice room and only one set of stairs to haul our bags up.

Another mix up with 1600 and 600 pm saw us miss the briefing with guide, as we left around 430 not knowing she was late.

Despite the rain we did a quick wander around town which was basically deserted probably being mid afternoon closure and end of tourist season. Again the Cathedral and cute houses were the picks of the tour, though we will get a chance to revisit when we finish tour here and use it as s base for a couple of days. Our hotel was right on the river which used to drive the now abandoned huge mill.

Went for a drink and ran into an Aussie and US couple who had finished the last day of the tour and they created great expectations for the next week.

The Dordogne region is renowned for the food and wine and the 3 course meal with realistic sized portions and great taste was to die for.

Off to bed pretty excited about tomorrows trip through the forests snd hsmlets, hopefully with less rain than predicted.

Tuesday 17th October 2023

Toulouse Town

Hard to handle these days without a backpack and some dirt under your feet, but there is always good food and drink and today was no exception.

French breakfast, bread, croissant and coffee was plenty on a day where our main activity was a 3 hour food tour of the Victor Hugo Covered Market, which was a 1000 start.

Did a bit of a wander around the area and ran across parents taking kids to school in there various contraptions – there was no line- up here of SUV’s and traffic wardens.

Worked our way over to the starting point and met the lady with the wicker basket who would be our guide.

She was an American and its a sideline for her as she and her American husband both work in jobs associated with aerospace – not unusual in the city which is Capital of the industry.

Five others on the tour, 4 Americans and a German vegan who was unlikely to get fat on what she could consume at the market. The market is huge with one market floor, a second floor full of restaurants and several floors of paid parking atop.

Got a good rundown on the history of the market and one particular qualification people who work with their hands can earn. It’s pretty tough going to earn one and failed participants have to wait a further 4 years before applying. It was called the MOF or Meilleur Ouvrier de France.

It’s a title which goes with an individual and they take it with them wherever they work – it’s not like a a Michelin Star earned by restaurants.

The operator of the boulangerie whete we tasted bread and a chocolate infused croisssnt had one. Both samples were nice and a good starter for the day. We passed several other bakeries where amazing varieties of bread were sold including huge loaves that would last a week. Interestingly law says traditional baguettes must be sold for €1.30. You can charge what you want for others.

Next section was the fresh meat which was sectioned off into animal type and cuts, including every limb, ear and gizzards. Onebshop specialised in offal. Tomahawk steaks sold for near on €70 per kilo.

Next we were off to the pastry outlet which specialised in infusing crystallised violets into their products – it was a delightful taste in crystal form and as an additive in the cakes designed especially for the famous local cycle race – hence the shape of the cake. We sampled a couple more later in the tour.

Next we had a breeze through of the seafood area , which we did not sample. It had a great array of oysters and other fish.

The French are big on cured meets and the next stop was a third generation producer of aged hams. He was a MOF and after assuring himself we were neither South African or Kiwi rugby referees ,after France’s demise the other night.

He proudly talked his way through his process, array of famous customers (including Lionel Messi and King of Spain) , plus skited about being European champion producer.

When a guy can sell ham that has been cured for up to 4 years for €270 a kilo who was not prepared to listen. Some hams sold whole for €1025- can’t imagine taking one of those home from the Xmas raffle.

We got to taste a bit the size of your finger nail and it was delicious.

Next it was off to the cheese producers. What a selection. We were fortunate enough to taste 5 later in the tour.
Their selection and presentation was amazing.

Aforementioned oysters below.

Ran into a few Aussies staying in Toulouse for the entire World Cup – the market had become their favourite haunt.

Next it was outside to fruit and vegetables. The mushrooms were plentiful and even at €22 a kilo had heaps of people carefully running their eye over each one before buying.

The tour culminated with a wine tasting complemented by the fare the guide had collected along the way.

There was a group of 3 men who apparently frequent the bar everyday to eat, drink and solve the problems of the world. I am sure I spied Tony Simon’s twin nearby

Tour over we did a bit more sightseeing, including booking tonight’s restaurant – a 1 Michelin Star joint famous for producing the best version of the local favourite cassoulet.

Nearing home we passed the same old man from yesterday, must be in his 80’s or 90’s.He was sitting in the middle of path on a rickety old chair in a dishevelled state – but still breathing. Today he was in the shade yesterday the sunlight. Must be a pretty lousy existence.

After a little siesta we went in search of the railway station where we leave from tomorrow heading to our next walking destination Soulliac. Looking at weather forecast we are in for wet bums for the next week or so.

Walked through an area where many shops had Sex in the title and footpaths had a few girls standing around looking glamorous – not sure we haven’t been living in the equivalent of Kings Cross.

We found station and then embarked on another canal walk which again meant playing ‘dodge the bike’.

Still not much boating activity just a few moored and a punt mowing edges and pruning trees. The canal experience is still a bit underwhelming- other than an enormous fish mural. A few more of these might enhance the experience.

Ventured off the water into a beautiful park which had been themed for the Rugby World Cup with team plaques around a fountain and a statue of guys doing the kaka- could not help but to join in.

We wandered further through town where they are extending the Metro, with one station directly underneath a monument they have gone to great lengths to protect. The statuen next door looks to have averted the rail route.

Nearing home we got closer to Jane fulfilling her dream of a carousel ride – only to find it closed for the day.

We headed to the bar where we watched the RWC the other night and there is not a sign of televisions, posters or bunting- seems with France out it is now a non event- except the whining about refereeing.

Later in the evening we went to Emerley restaurant and enjoyed the famous cassoulet and a nice little Rose. The place was packed with locals and a few tourists and business people.

Was then home to bed for the last sleep in Toulouse which is a town that seems to have lost a bit of its soul – not too many smiling people, streets are dirty and not much love with buildings- was a bit surprising given it was one of the RWC host cities.