Day 12: Figeac to Gréalou
- Simon Pollack
- May 8, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 29, 2024
The wind and the rain are mere trifles, compared to the strength of the sun
It beats its heat upon you, it shines until it is done
If you are not ready to bear it, if you think the rays cannot hurt
You’ll shine like a ginger Welsh rarebit, you’ll gasp like a fish in the dirt
8 May 2024, Wednesday
Distance hiked 19.5km (12.1m) | Ascent 770m |
A lovely evening last night in the hotel Pont d’Or in Figeac. Beautiful location on the river on the edge of this rather cute town, and great service in a classic French hotel restaurant. Figeac is famous (I think it can just about use this word) as the home of Jean-Francois Champollion, who deciphered the Rosetta Stone and thus founded modern Egyptology.
We set off around 9am knowing this wasn’t a long walk, just 20km or so, and the weather was set to be sunny. This was quite a change for there hadn’t been a day without precipitation so far (and as it turned out of 33 days’ walking these four days with Cat and just 2 or 3 others were the only completely dry ones). We wanted to get to Gréalou where our next hosts, Sarah and Steve of Mas de Garrigue in Calvinhac just outside Cajarc, would pick us up. I curtailed our route by a few kilometres as Cat said since I’d been walking and she hadn’t she didn’t want to be too ambitious. Well, as ever she is far fitter than me and could have gone on to complete the 31km to Cajarc. But this was one of those strange days for me when I was dogged by a rough walk despite everything on paper being fine: good night’s sleep, modest ambitions, conditions ok. In fact it may have been partly due to the conditions. It got up to the mid-20s Celsius today, and stayed there in the bright sun. Well, hallelujah for the turn in the weather but dammit did I underestimate the need for water! I brought probably nearly a litre, having drunk well under half a litre on my thirstiest day so far. But I ran out in the morning and despite a cafe break I really found myself dehydrated. Tomorrow is planned to be hotter and I’ve already prepared my camel back system (water in a pouch and a tube to your mouth) with over 2 litres!
Other than that, the walking was great fun, although crowded. Cat was struck with how many people were doing the Chemin. She had said that May was the busiest month for native (French) pilgrims seeking to do one or two weeks of it as a holiday, and she was absolutely right. But it’s also the case (this confirmed by several hosts I discussed it with over the whole way) that since the pandemic there has been a surge of interest in the pilgrimage, both of home-grown walkers and the foreign sort. The phenomenon of organised tours which prebook blocked accommodation didn’t exist when we were last here 5 or 6 years ago (or if it did it was marginal enough not to have featured in our consciousness). It all adds up to many more pilgrims on the roads and trails this time round, which is fun for chatting but on balance probably made it feel less special (and certainly strained the accommodation options).
It was wonderful of Sarah and Steve to pick us up, and they’re also going to feed us despite this not being one of their normal two days a week of table d’hôtes. Terribly accommodating and their property is a stunning beauty. Sarah described it as an old “fortified farm”, a concept I’d not heard of before. Well, it was our fault (not theirs: they’re Irish; the English’s fault). The Hundred Years’ War of the late middle ages between England and France was a raggedy conflict and apparently at some point expeditionary soldiers in France weren’t paid. They had to pillage for booty for reward and payment. And of course farms were places of plenty. And so farms learned to fortify themselves.
At dinner there was another couple who joined us, Nathalie and Gilles, on more of a normal holiday for a few days though still quite active driving round to find circular walks to do then dining and sleeping in their comfy room. We compared walking notes and enjoyed their company.
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