Monday 30th and Tuesday 31st October 2023

Rocamadour to Orleans

Up before the sun, bells and sparrows to get ready to start another transition day. We tried unsuccessfully to book an early breakfast, which when we went to bed last night was what we agreed.

Arrived in reception to head off to get our taxi and the on-duty staff member said ‘ are you not having breakfast?”. Trying to explain the previous nights arrangements fell on deaf ears and they billed us for a no show.

With a 3 kilometer taxi to the station costing 40€ it was an expensive start to the day. Still can’t fathom how the Tourist Office thought you could walk there with all your luggage.

We wound our way out of Rocamadour and headed to the station where we were the only cold souls on a railway station where you crossed the tracks to get to the right platform.

Our 2 carriage 757am train arrived on time and it was packed. A 40 minute ride through the valley had us in the beautiful town of Brive. Jumped off and found a breakfast spot whilst waiting for 2nd leg of the journey. Thankfully most of the larger stations have elevators making luggage transport a breeze.

The 14 carriage train on its way to Paris arrived and we were soon in our very comfortable seats ready for the 2.5 hour journey. The French do railway travel marvellously.

The trip ran though mostly farmlands, with the occasional whistle stop station. The mid Pyrenees were still evident with the gently rolling hills and then the occasional big bump and limestone cliffs. There had been plenty of rain and the rivers and streams were flowing quickly.

Covid has delivered two things to Europe – a great lift in tourists and a bigger lift in the population of kids under 2- there are families with 1 and 2 little tackers in prams or being carried around in various sorts of harnesses and contraptions all over the place.

Two little fellows next to us were marvellously behaved all the way , listening intently to Mum’s reading, playing games and building Lego. Seems both kids and dogs are well behaved here.

Vierzon was the next stop and it was the opposite to Brive , dull, grubby and lifeless. It probably reflects the fact it was a big industrial area before WW2 and was completely razed by both sides. Not much imagination had gone into its rebuild.

Not good news on the next train connection to Orléans , train was 30 minutes late and with not much protection it was a cold wait.

Another trip on a two carriage local train which stopped at around 6 tiny towns where hardly a soul got on or off.

Arrived in Orléans – made famous by Joan of Arc in 1400’s – in cold and drizzly weather and managed to catch a tram across the Loire River with its main stream and an even wider flood plain making it one hell of a river.

Little Miss Maps soon had us out in the burbs looking for our red and white fronted Air B and B “apartment superior’. Pretty sure it was self rated.

Found it but no host and his Lebanese restaurant next door had closed for the day. Thankfully , we rang and he was able to guide us how to get in- the old key is above the door trick.

Compact, but comfortable, is probably best description. One bonus a washing machine and chance to give the walking gear a good wash. It was a good wash indeed because instead of 315 being the time of day on the machine it was length of the cycle.

We unpacked and then headed off for a walk around the new part of town. It was full of high rise apartments, courtesy of the population growth and fact it had 20000 university students looking for digs.

Walk took us a little longer than expected and with impending darkness and rain upon us we sought refuge in a Tabac which is somewhere between a bar and a lottery outlet. The place was full of characters and the beer was fine.

Walked home just in time to strategically hang the washing around the room before heading into the old city across the same bridge the tram had travelled earlier.

The bridge was busy with joggers and the odd fisherman heading off to try their luck,

Being a Monday the town was quiet and many of the bars and restaurants closed. After some grocery shopping we managed to find one and enjoy another meal which can only be another picket in the fence of fatness being built post the finish of walking.

Could not dodge the rain on the way home and by the time we arrived home ended up like the clothes hanging around the room – damp and lifeless.

Day 2 of Orleans

Awoke to a little brighter weather and morning started with a dash across the square to the bakery to collect breakfast and come back to a coffee not topped with Chantilly cream. I am sure France has the world supply of cream dispensers.

Saw our owner on the way out and made arrangements for dinner at his place in the evening.

A bit of a drier walk back into the Old City aimed at the Tourist Office. The main target was to get a map and see if we could get a game of golf tomorrow. Both missions successful, just got to hope weather holds up between 11-3 tomorrow.

First port of call was the main square where the Joan of Arc statue held prize position . She and her steed shared it with several other steeds – two pulling a wagon and a plethora on tne merry- go- round. Could this be Jane’s last chance to fulfill that childhood ambition and ride a horse that went up and down? . Not today at least as it was inactive and by observation just getting onto one might be a feat in itself.

Next it was off to the former Town Hall. What an amazing building, still furnished in period style , but now only used for civil functions and weddings. The degradable confetti love hearts down the front stairs confirmed that latter fact.

Some of the walls were decorated in what looked like wall paper, but they were actually perfectly symmetrical paint jobs. Each Mayors name is painted on a wall at the end of their term.

Just out the front was an impromptu Halloween decoration in time for tonight’s celebration. Apparently 20 odd local suburbs do the same each year.

Next we were off to the Cathedral with its 3 spires and lots of scaffolding helping them with the 15M€ restoration currently underway. Will be slow work if it is just the one bloke we saw dangling from a rope. Must say the sandblasting is very obvious on the walls already treated.

Inside was what you would expect in a European building , the biggest in CentralFrance. Marvellous architecture, sculptures, paintings, stained glass and of course a huge pipe organ. It was nigh on 130 metres long and 30 metres high. The size of the front door gave an idea of its scale. It even had a scaled model and a map to guide you to all the mini chapels.

Think we found the first edition of the Pope mobile – a little hand carried shade arrangement.

Outside the cathedral were 3 odd sculptures which belonged to the Modern Arts Museum over the road- seemed a weird place to put them.

Did a bit more wandering around, along with shopping and then off to lunch.

Had a couple of hours roaming around the Old City with its great architecture, narrow streets and all presented in a very neat and tidy way- some cities just seem to care that much more.

The rain managed to get us just as we headed home across the bridge. We saw the owner who confirmed dinner and the fact that taxi was booked to take us to golf tomorrow.

A quick pre- dinner drink lead to a takeaway dinner and an unsuccessful fight with the two remotes to get some entertainment. So a night of browsing the internet looking for the next holiday was the pre-sleep routine.

Sunday 29th October 2023

Rocamadour

Woke up with a slight time dilemma, due to us not realising DLS was over and the clocks had gone back an hour, so we were an hour early for breakfast.

Nobody could complain about what was on offer at the breakfast buffet, it had all nations covered. With no walking planned I tried to be a bit circumspect with food intake – I thought not having a croissant was a suitable sacrifice.

After breakfast we headed downhill to follow the Pilgrims route out of town and take in the scenery.

It was another neck craning exercise looking up the hill to the chateau and sanctuary where again you got a different perspective. It was the same on the other side where the road which climbed the mountain was supported by viaduct looking structures.

The bottom of valley was home to an old mill and an artisan’s home who dabbled with steel sculptures.

Along the Camino trail was the famous fountain, which was used by ancient Pilgrims for drinking and bathing. It was a whole lot bigger than expected.

Whilst we thought the trail might follow the valley floor, within 300 metres it was climbing steeply up the mountain, so in our sneakers we decided to retreat to tourist duties.

Getting back into town was a bit easier and I don’t think a shop went unvisited, as the crowd started to thicken.

Another walk halfway up to the church to buy a souvenir for home, which hopefully fits in the case and survives the baggage handler shot put.

Ventured up further for more pictures in church, but it was closed for mass, so it was down and more Main Street shopping or at least looking and some photo snapping.

We had an early lunch and then headed to the top of the hill to research where train station was, after mixed reports of being able to walk or alternatively catch a cab for about 3kms and for around 40€.

Irrespective of the distance, the first 1km up hill with luggage and a backpack , proved it was a hill too far to consider, so organising a taxi later was the obvious decision.

Being at the top we decided to try and find the animal park where they are working on a program to grow the dwindling population of the Barbary macaques.

It was another kilometre out of town, but the walk was really worthwhile. It was one of the few zoo type places I walked away from not feeling sorry for the animals – it was marvellously managed and had acres of space.

It was an up close and personal experience with animals roaming about uncaged and within touching distance. That said you were under strict instruction not to touch.

Unlike monkeys they have no tail, but there behaviour is very similar. There was a mix of fully grown and babies, interestingly the males look after the young. It wasn’t unusual to see two adults nurturing a young one.

The young are just like kids, climbmg up trees, performing death defying leaps and teasing the hell out of each other.

We saw two separate feeding sessions and there was some fierce competition for the fruit, vegetables and grain on offer. How they differentiate between pebbles and pieces of grain is baffling.

The park is huge and there is a tall boundary fence to keep them in – with how they are treated it’s hard to imagine them wanting to escape.

On the way out we struck a few giving themselves and a mate a good going over looking for lice, which is apparently a favourite food.

After a couple of hours wandering around we headed off back home taking the high road back and getting a different perspective of town as the sun started to go down.

It being Sunday and last day of the school holidays, the crowds thinned quickly and the shops were quickly preparing for a winter break.

By 700 there were very few people and only 3 eating oportunities. By the time we finished dinner and wandered home we had the streets to ourselves with only the floodlit hillside as a companion.

Back home we confirmed our 720am taxi for the morning , with a cost of between 30€- 50€ , depending on what rate he wanted to charge. Also got news our friendly desk man had not been able to negotiate an early breakfast – given our recent food intake a missed meal will be good for us.

Packed up ready for a 3 train trip to Orleans as we get into our last week in France.

Friday 27th and Saturday 28th October 2023

Souilliac and Cabes then Rocamadour

Well the laziness didn’t take long to settle in after stopping the walking and the body seemed to know, as a sudden wave of lethargy swept over me.

Thankfully first day of tourism 101 imvolved a late breakfast then a 40 minute drive to some replication of 20,000 year old caves at Lacaveau.

From a brief explanation in the brochure the 100 km strip of mountains in the region is a speiliologists dream with a mass of caves and attefacts

Went through some magnificent territory on the way, again with several majestic chateau’s. Unlike foot travel it was difficult to snap a photo out of a moving car.

The cave experience was interesting with the guide having a very rich imagination in his interpretation of the hundreds of wall and ceiling paintings . They were done by the local inhabitants who shared their lives with 6 metre long cave lions, reindeer , cows and long backed horses, who all featured prominently in paintings.

There were many moments where blank faces were the order of the day, as he went through his patter.

Unfortunately, an embargo on photos meant it was not an experience to be shared without paying the freight.

Historically enriched we headed to town for lunch, ducking under awnings as the rain started. Found a nice place with the Steptoe and Son escapee next to us,sucking on his mussel shells , enough for Jane to say ‘ I will have what he is having’.

When it did arrive he seemed to vicariously enjoy it again,watching Jane’s every mouthful through the glass divide.

I was completely satisfied with my burger and beer.

The rain worsened and we were sodden getting back to our pick up point. We huddled under a wooden structure for 15 minutes before our transport guy picked us up and dropped us back home in the late afternoon.

Had another wander around town taking in the highlights, as well as knocking into 3 young blokes smoking a bong in a tree covered family nature reserve. Was not sure whether to say “ Hi or High”.

The town with its big austere church, white limestone houses, babbling brook and a mix of derelict and well preserved houses had a different vibe to many towns visited previously.

Dined again in our hotel, with food of the usual high standard and mine host Mrs Fawlty fully in charge. The poor trainee waiter was having a hell of a night under her watchful eye – unable to remove the wine bottle wrapping, spilling wine when pouring, knocking over menu when delivering food and forgetting the soup spoon. Hopefully our supporting smiles helped.

Day 2 was another late start followed by a 20 odd km drive through winding mountain roads passing more chateaus and riverside Michelin Star restaurants before reaching what is now my favourite town on tour – Rocamadour.

The town is built into a mountainside from tne valley floor to the Chateau at the top of the hill. It is accessed via a narrow tunnel and then a winding road to the village. Once there it’s all one way traffic loops and foot travel is the norm.

There is no parking in town and you would love to have the parking franchise, there must be more than a dozen at the top, plus valley roadside spots.

it’s another place where a thousand photos could not do it justice. I remember when doing a walk from Lyon about 10 years ago I was going to divert here, but pushed on, thankfully I chose to revisit.

Our hotel was a beautifully converted old medieval home looking across the valley.

Could not wait to get out and explore this three level town where you either tread the stairs or take the lift – we chose the former and worked our way through the Old Town, up to the sanctuary/church and then the chateau.

Each area was great and provided some wonderful photo opportunities, if you could avoid the throng of tourists.

Some interesting shops including a Lolly shop with a ‘treats tree’, a shop specialising in swords and knives and an ice cream shop with unusual flavors.

The church is f great significance to pilgrims and many visit here when doing the Way of St James. The devout follow an ancient tradition of going up the 216 stairs on hands and knees. Whilst we walked, there were times when the ancient method was appealing.

The church is famous for its symmetrical organ and the carved wooden Black Madonna.

The church is on the centre level and it’s another steep ascent to the chatuea, which is privately owned and lived in. The trip up followed the 13 Stations of The Cross ,for those religiously literate, finishing at the tomb of St Amadour after whom the town is named.

The surrounding ramparts are open to the public for a fee. We both paid and scuttled our way up a couple of very steep stairways taking fleeting glances into the chateau’s backyard. Whilst the sights were great it was with great trepidation we headed down, as we both lived our repeating dream of getting stuck at the top of a high ladder.

Must say we both sighed with relief at the bottom.

We made a contribution to the renovation fund by buying a pin and hammering it into a ‘thank you’pole.

We chose to walk the top road on the way back and stop for lunch at the Belvedere Hotel. Great view and found a new delightful beer Xmas beer- unfortunately waiter could not explain the origin of the name.

Thankfully it was a steep downhill run into town and we passed many puffing tourists heading up the hill to collect their cars. Think the street sign said it all about navigating your way around town.

Back in through the gates with the crowd growing to do some more town touring before a siesta.

Dinner was in our hotel restaurant which kept up the great food trend and gave us a chance to try a new aperitif and the famous Black Wine of the region.

I managed to snap a couple of night shots of town after dinner and looking for the sunset money shot if weather holds tomorrow.

With no bars etc showing the RWC (French have totally lost interest) we headed home to watch the officials spoil yet another game of football through over zealous tule interpretation and gift the game to South Africa- NZ was gallant in defeat.

Just one more day here and then off to Orleans , home of Joan D’ Arc, to celebrate Halloween.

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.