Chasing After Jess

Today was exceptionally challenging and undoubtedly my least favorite day of this trek. It started well but quickly went downhill and we walked far further than what we were supposed to as today was only supposed to be 29km in length.

Knowing we had a 29km journey ahead, we woke very early and set off at first light. The dawn weather was cool with recent rain, and lightning crackled overhead. Feeling optimistic, we decided to forgo our rain gear and set off into the hills. After a few sprinkles, the dark clouds passed, leaving the day overcast and cool.

However, the track was relentlessly hilly today. As soon as we reached the top of one hill, we quickly descended, only to start climbing the next, with farmlands and vineyards as far as the eye could see. We passed a mix of old stone and more modern farmhouses, interesting way markers, churches, and crosses.

The track passed through the interesting village of Castelnau-sur-d’Avignon, nicknamed ‘Castelnau of the wolves’ for its 13th-century castle with a square dungeon tower, and a second castle, consisting of a round tower built in the 14th century.

We made good time for the first 14 kms arriving at Condom around 9 am, just as the sun began to peek out. After a quick coffee and a visit to the beautiful Saint Pierre Cathedral, we set out again, confident that the remaining 17km were well within our capabilities.

But things took a turn for the worse. We passed lovely wall murals as we left Condom, and the track followed the river for a while, lined with beautiful trees and old mansions were seen on the outskirts of town. We were so caught up in conversation that we missed a key marker and ended up on a cycle track, hemmed in by steep banks, trees, and thorn bushes. By the time we realized our mistake we had gone too far to backtrack, so we continued towards what seemed to be a cut-through road ahead that looked to link up to the GR65 when looking at it on the map. Sadly, the road passed over us on a bridge with no access up to it due to the steep banks. We decided to press on, finding a less dense spot to thrash through the trees and thorns, then had to trek back to the bridge on a farm road. This little detour added 4.5 kms to our already very long 29km day.

Our troubles seemed to multiply from there, but I suppose you can’t have rainbows without rain. The track descended into a low valley, followed a lake, and climbed and descended numerous times through wet, muddy forests. By this time, it was oppressively hot and incredibly humid, and negotiating the mud and stream crossings was slow and difficult. Swarms of thousands of gnats and insects made it hard to breathe and, despite applying DEET twice, we were covered in little gnats, some making it into our eyes and noses. There was no breeze, and the heat and humidity in these forested areas added to the very unpleasant conditions. There was little to see and no towns along the way to distract or motivate us, and our water supplies dwindled rapidly as the hours of walking across open vineyards in the midday heat accumulated. To add to our predicament, a passing tractor sprayed us with fertilizer pellets lol

At around 2 pm the situation seemed dire. Due to the missed turn, we also missed the opportunity to buy food or fill up with water, meaning we walked 20km with no where to stop for these. We had walked 27km, exhausted our water supplies, and still had another 6.5 km to go. Thankfully, we stumbled upon a tap outside a cemetery and after a much-needed drink and filling our bottles, we sat on the cold graveyard steps to cool off. Funnily enough we found all graveyards have water taps. We reluctantly set off again in the oppressive conditions for the final slog into Montreal.

At 3:35 pm we finally arrived at our overnight stop – covering 33.5kms with 8.5 hours on our feet, we were beyond exhausted. After a shower and several glasses of water, a quick visit to the cathedral, and a stop to get supplies for tomorrow, we returned to our B&B for some much-needed foot cares and rest.

We stayed the night at Les Chambres du Montreal et l’Hotel particulier which can be booked through booking.com

Despite the hardships and setbacks of this very challenging, tedious day, there was an immense feeling of achievement and reassurance that with perseverance and determination, we are capable of much more than we think. Of course, getting up and going on in the morning might prove interesting 🧐

Jess