Day 14: Stage 11: La Souterrain

34 km, Sun & hot, 29°

Lingering By The Mills

I didn’t quite make it out the door at 6:30 this morning, but I did get out before 7 o’clock. I fuelled up on yoghurt and boiled eggs knowing that I had a long day ahead of me.

Last night I had plotting my own route to reduce the distance down to around 27 km. However, when I woke up this morning I changed my mind and decided to walk the full distance. My writer friend Ken has often told me that if you go and experience something, then you have a story to tell. So with that inspiration in mind, I decided to walk the whole stage. And I’m so glad I did.

One thing that didn’t change today was the heavy mud and pooled water on many of the trails. This has become a continuous theme, and I wish it would go away!😑 i’m really pleased that I brought mid height boots because I stepped into some deep spots today that almost went over the top.

I almost focussed this blog post on the cows along this walk, and I even wrote a haiku about it. Things have a way of changing and perhaps I’ll use that in tomorrow’s post. And yes Kelly, I’m still sending videos of cows and the other critters to my grandchildren most days. Those three little ones have surely changed my Camino experience!

Two of my new friends! 😉

The next stop were the ruins of Crozant. I’d forgotten about these, and they made my decision on which direction to walk a little easier. Though they were closed when I arrived it was still good to be able to see where this fortress city once stood.

The fortress was surrounded by water on three sides, making it almost indestructible. At least that’s how it looked to my eye!

Of course I arrived early and it wasn’t open, but I’ve seen it videoed from a drone so I knew what it was all about. I wouldn’t have had the time or the energy to walk the site anyway.

I climbed up out of the River valley to the town of Crozant which was quite nice. A final look back.

I started walking up the Sédelle River valley, and this is when the stage really became something quite special. No music was required today.

A number of artists painted their canvases in this area over 100 years ago, and they are remembered along the lower valley. Once I started walking I could understand why. I kept telling myself to pick up my pace because I had a long way to go. I failed miserably here. And frankly, I was completely comfortable with that!😊

And then I came to the mills and I stopped for a while to write and take photographs. Do you ever wonder why I walk? For moments like these.

Mill on the river 
The water hurrying past it 
The mill endures 

Today, this was all I needed. It was perfect.

I eventually pulled myself away and continued on. I still had some serious distance to walk!

The route continued on small country roads and extremely wet trails. All of it was good. Well, most of it was.😬

I came to a little village and found the church open. A quite unusual experience on this way.

Inside I again discovered what sunlight and stained glass windows can create.

By this time it was getting pretty darn hot on the roads. I suspect as the day wore on that it was over 30° where I was walking. this called for a change of strategy. I’ve had my cycling sleeves on all day to protect my arms, but now I added sunscreen to my face and the back of my hands. Lastly, I added my dorky, but extremely effective sun hat! A day like this can be really hard on the skin.

Another thing that I observed today was a change in some of the church steeples. I don’t believe I’ve seen this type of steeple before, and it may be specific to this part of France.

Some people just know how to grow flowers. Clearly there aren’t many deer here!🤣 At home we have such a deer problem that 90% of this beautiful rosebush would be gone.

And that’s largely it from today’s walk. There are some beautiful trails;

Some time wasting;

Some god-awful trails;

And for the first time on this walk, there were lots of pilgrims. Lots in a manner of speaking. I caught up to nine people today, and I had a small word with all of them. I had expected to see more pilgrims with the two variants joining, but I was a bit surprised at the numbers.

And then I was into town and I met up with a woman from Paris, who will stop walking in three days. We were both in need of an extremely cold drink! We also met the local representative for the local pilgrim association. I was able to get a really nice stamp in my credential in the main church, and I completed the fairly detailed survey at the same time.

I am staying in a quite rustic small hotel tonight. The wallpaper in the rooms is to die for!😂 My daughter Erin pointed it out to me. I was too busy trying to get rehydrated to notice! My dinner and breakfast will be provided in the restaurant. I guess I better find out what time dinner is as it’s already 7 PM here.

Another great day of walking with some unexpected surprises and delights.

Bon chemin!

Geoff☀️🌞🍷