Step 7: A Pilgrims Refuge
Day 34, Sunday the 28th of May
Again we got up at 5am, and packed down. The days were beginning to get extremely warm. The nights too were warm and the past two I had gone to sleep without my tents flysheet sheet, and just had the bugmesh to protect me from the outside world.
Us packing down, taken at 5:30am
We walked for 2.8km till we arrived at the village of Saint-Ferme. It had a stunning stone abbey which housed pilgrims. We stopped off at the cemetery there to refill our water before continuing on. We passed feilds of cut grass that had been ordered into rows and in the morning air it smelt amazing! It was quite warm when 7am arrived, and we were already sweating. We walked till we arrived in the village of Roquebrune, 10km from Saint-Ferme. It was 9am when we did stop, and we ate breakfast by the front of the locked church. Irene lit her stove and we made porridge with oranges cut up into it and a kiwi fruit. As we ate, three pilgrims, two bothers and a nephew arrived, one was going all the way to Compostela, while the other two, the brother of the pilgrim and his son, were accompanying him for a couple of days before driving back to the Netherlands where they were from. They had heard about us, the kiwis, we seemed to be the talk amoungst the other pilgrims behind us. We had been leaving notes in the guest books in the churches, and so those who walk fast and manage to catch up with us go "Ah! You are the Kiwis!" We continued on when 11am came round, walking another 10km till we arrived in the village of La Réole where we stopped for lunch in the shadow of the Cathédrale there. The day before had been a big music festival that had been held down by the river edge. So when we arrived, there was alot of young people who were still drinking in the streets and hangover. It was around 1pm when we arrived in the village and didn't leave till after 3pm. We rested in the shadow of the Cathédrale there and then walked down along the river and across the bridge to the south side of the city. We walked another hour before deciding to pitch our tents for the evening. It was around 4pm when we did stop, and we chose to pitch in a kiwi fruit orchard.
Enoch, Irene, and my tent in a row of Kiwifruit
Watching for Lightening
Day 35, Monday 29th of May, 25km Walked
I awoke around 4:40am and began packing up my tent, and was on the road by 5:30am, leaving the others to pack up in the kiwifruit orchard. I knew they would soon catch up and thus my reason for leaving so soon without them.
Irene packing up at 5:28am, 29.05.23
I continued on till the village of Pondaurat and arrived around 6:30am. There I waited for the others to catch up. The church was open and so I walked around it looking at the stain glass windows in the dark space. The sun had yet to rise enough to give light into the old building. I wrote a small note in the visitors book there, stating that four kiwis had passed through that way on the 29th of May. I returned to the street and sat and waited, and fell into a doze where I sat. A car came bumbling up the street and as it passed my in my stooper, it blared its horn and someone in the back passenger seat had wound down their window and had stuck their hand out to try and grab the cap off of my head as I dozed. As they passed me, the shouted and laughed before turning a corner up the road and disappearing. I then got up and moved myself and bag to up the street where the sun had risen high enough to cast its light upon a shop front. I sat against the wall enjoying the warmth after a dark morning. I had only the night before ran out of data, and so had no way of communicating with my fellow pilgrims. As time passed and I sat or laid upon the footpath in the sun by my bag, I wondered where they had gotten to. Perhaps they had been invited by the kiwi fruit orchard owner for breakfast? He was quite a good fellow and the evening before did say he would pop round before we went to bed, however did not. Maybe he popped rounded while they still were packing up and invited them in for breakfast? I dreamt as I lay in a doze in the sun, all the lovely things that they were being served up for breakfast by this wonderful fellow. Meat and cheese, yogurts and fruits, pancakes and butter... I waited in the small village of Pondaurat for over an hour, before managing to make a connection somehow (miraculous) and Irene message me asking where I was. Somehow they had passed by me without seeing that I was waiting there in the village of Pondaurat, and had gone on to the village of Savignac, 39 minutes further down the path. So I quickly picked up my pack and started walking, taking a short cut that took me a more direct route to the village, where as the Way route would have taken 49 minutes. When I arrived in Savignac, I found them sitting infront of the locked church preparing breakfast. Irene had made porridge. It was then decided that Irene and myself would take a short cut to the village of Auros, while the others would take the official route to the village. Irene was tired and hoped for a short rest while we waited for the others. So we all set forth. It took an hour and when we did arrive, the two of us stopped at a boulangerie. I left her there to go and look for internet, as I had run out of money and needed another installment sent to me.
Before I left New Zealand, I had left a sum of cash with my parents, and since leaving to France, they have been sending me installments once a week of $100 nzd which equates to around €50.
My maps told me that there was a office de tourisme in that village, but found none and no internet, so I returned to Irene in the boulangerie. She had brought a pastry that had almonds and custard in it which she halved with me. I managed to use her Hotspot to make contact at home. Before long all was sorted and I brought two cans of Grapefruit swepps for Irene and myself. The day was quite warm and so the cold surgery beverage was well received by the both of us. As we sat Enoch walked passed and I called to him from where we sat inside the boulangerie. The others had arrived and were waiting at the church. We moved ourselves to there before setting off once again. We stopped for lunch in a hazelnut Grove for two hours and then walked for another hour before arriving at a man made lake where people were fishing. Irene really wanted to go for a swim and as we walked along the edge of the lake, we asked a young man who was fishing with two other if it was good to swim. He said no, because it was dangerous. The reason being that there were snakes that can swim and bite you when you are in the water. So we continued on the path and once around the corner of the lake where there was no one fishing. Irene and Enoch jumped into the lake and had a swim while we watched. It was a short dip before we continued on for another 5km and by that point it was close, if not already 5pm. Irene, Enoch, Osgar and Rose were needing water and they stopped and asked at a house, but no one was at home. We continued on till the next house and there was a lady who allowed us to refill our bottles from a tap. We then walked 200 meters or so further up the road before pitching out tents in a field by the roadside.
It was decided that we pitch our tents 5.3km north of the center of Bazas. That night we watched the disney movie Ratatouille (2007) as Irene had not seen it. For dinner we had a meal of asain noodles cooked with ginger sliced up into it along with hot chorizo, olives, brie cheese, and tomatoes paste before turning in for the night. It was around 9:40pm when I placed my phone down and turned over to sleep and knew no more till morning.
Rose finishing packing up from our camp site that morning
The other three waiting to start walking
We slept in till 6am before making a slow start on the road by 7am. The weather had been quite heavy the evening before. We walked for an hour which took us 5km before arriving at Lidl, a supermarket in the outskirts of the village of Bazas. We had to wait 15 minutes for the supermarket to open, as we had arrived around 8:15am and it opened at 8:30am. So as we waited I gave a friend back in NZ a ring and we chatted a bit. Our troop then proceeded after Lidl to the CarryFour which was across the street. There we brought a few more things. I brought oats to make overnight oats to save on gas for Irene. We then walked to the Cathédrale in Bazas which was very beautiful.
Inside the Cathédrale in Bazas
The Cathédrale of Bazas
After receiving our stamps at a Marie we headed to a Tabac/cafe as Irene had been wanted one for a few days. It was lovely. We sat and drank coffee. Enoch and myself had brought raw milk in the CarryFour and so we were mixing our small espresso shots with it, we all were. As we sat a fellow pilgrim arrived. We had been calling him up to that point the French Yost, becouse he looked like Yost from the film The Way. His real name was Anaël but was happy to be called French Yost.
French Yost first on the right
We were there for close to an hour before deciding that we should continue onwards.
Leaving the town south side which took us along a railway that had been converted into a bike trail.
Walking along the old Railway south of Bazas
After walking for half an hour, we came across wild strawberries growing by the way side. They tasted amazing, compared to the ones which we get growing in NZ. We picked a few to put into the over night oats and then placed some into the bottle of Vodka I had in my backpack.
Wild strawberries growing by the roadside
We walked another hour before stopping for dinner which Irene and Enoch cooked by the side of The Way. For the evening we stopped in Captieux to pick up water from the cemetery, and as we passed through the village a lady came out and started to talk to Rose and Enoch. When she heard that we were not going to the Gîte and were instead camping in the woods, she said it was too dangerous, especially when a thunderstorm was thinking about breaking over us at any minute. She invited us onto her lawn and said we could camp there for the night. She also gave us pizza. She also allowed us to use her shower!
Our lovely host Marie
We left around 6am, continuing along the old railway. We walked for 20km before stopping at 1pm for lunch in the village of Bourriot by the church.
Inside the church of Bourriot
After sitting and resting for 2 hours we continued on. We camped 4km south of the village of Bourriot and a thunderstorm came down upon us that evening after we had pitched our camp. We chose to pitch in a picnic spot that looked a little forgotten with the over grown grass under the old oak trees. A picnic table sat rotting and a bin that looked and smelt full and long since composting what ever it held. The rain was extremely heavy and when one is laying down water would fall from the flysheet onto one's face. It was either heavy enough to come through the flysheet, or the force of the water was dislodging the condensation from the inside of the flysheet. We had pasta and cheese for dinner cooked by Ivene, Osgar and Enoch.
The church in Roquefort
On our way out of the village we stopped off at the supermarket to buy the needed supplies to make tea. We didn't have far to go, 8km or so. We arrived in the village of Bostens around 3:30pm and it was absolutely heavenly.
Sitting in the pilgrim refuge of Bostens
It was decided that the next day was going to be a rest day and that we would walk 10km after lunch to the Village of Bougue. Once there we would camp the night before getting up on Saturday morning to walk to Mont-de-Marsan and the market which they hold every weekend. As we sat and drank Twinnings Earl Gray with milk, the woman folk of the town who keep the small refuge going, came in from next door and told us that they would keep the other room open for us. It had two beds and more tables. We thanked them before they left. The village was also preparing for their village Feast which they were going to hold Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night.
That evening we watched Fiddler on the Roof, as Irene hadn't seen it before. I had a bed to sleep in. The first time that I have slept in a bed for over a month, and it was very welcomed. The others didn't want a bed, and placed their air mattresses down in the common room and slept there for the night.
Packing up next afternoon from Bostens
Passed a beehive in a Power poll, south of Bostens
Number of pilgrims through the years
France, the land of plenty
Again we got up at 5am, and packed down. The days were beginning to get extremely warm. The nights too were warm and the past two I had gone to sleep without my tents flysheet sheet, and just had the bugmesh to protect me from the outside world.
We walked for 2.8km till we arrived at the village of Saint-Ferme. It had a stunning stone abbey which housed pilgrims. We stopped off at the cemetery there to refill our water before continuing on. We passed feilds of cut grass that had been ordered into rows and in the morning air it smelt amazing! It was quite warm when 7am arrived, and we were already sweating. We walked till we arrived in the village of Roquebrune, 10km from Saint-Ferme. It was 9am when we did stop, and we ate breakfast by the front of the locked church. Irene lit her stove and we made porridge with oranges cut up into it and a kiwi fruit. As we ate, three pilgrims, two bothers and a nephew arrived, one was going all the way to Compostela, while the other two, the brother of the pilgrim and his son, were accompanying him for a couple of days before driving back to the Netherlands where they were from. They had heard about us, the kiwis, we seemed to be the talk amoungst the other pilgrims behind us. We had been leaving notes in the guest books in the churches, and so those who walk fast and manage to catch up with us go "Ah! You are the Kiwis!" We continued on when 11am came round, walking another 10km till we arrived in the village of La Réole where we stopped for lunch in the shadow of the Cathédrale there. The day before had been a big music festival that had been held down by the river edge. So when we arrived, there was alot of young people who were still drinking in the streets and hangover. It was around 1pm when we arrived in the village and didn't leave till after 3pm. We rested in the shadow of the Cathédrale there and then walked down along the river and across the bridge to the south side of the city. We walked another hour before deciding to pitch our tents for the evening. It was around 4pm when we did stop, and we chose to pitch in a kiwi fruit orchard.
We laid things out to dry and some of us pitched our tents. Osgar and Rose contemplated not pitching their tents and instead sleep outside for the night. As Irene and Enoch worked on the evening meal, a car pulled off the road and into the orchard, followed by someone talking angrily in French that consisted alot of swearing in French. We thought perhaps it was a couple having a domestic, and so stayed quiet and kept our heads down. It wasn't long before the car came round and the driver saw us. He was alone and as soon as he saw us he drove back up a row in the orchard back to the road. Then in the next moment, the sprinklers came on withing the rows. We had all our things out, and I hadn't placed my flysheet onto my tent, and so now everything was getting wet!!! Osgar was swearing, and he was sure that they had turned them on to turn us out from their orchard, we the uninvited guests. I told him that he was being foolish and that it was not the French way, and that the sprinklers were probably on a timer and so came on automatically. It wasn't long before the owner of the orchard appeared. He was a burly of a man that played rugby with his friends. He was in his late 50s and perhaps his early 60s. He apologized for the sprinklers and was happy that we had chosen his orchard. He had kiwis staying amoungst his Kiwifruit! He himself had been to New Zealand and had travel through the Far North. It wasn't long before his son turned off the sprinklers in that section of the orchard. It had been his son who had been the one we had heard swearing over a burst pipe. We talked about New Zealand with the Orchard owner and Rugby, and we asked if he would return to NZ which he did want to. He then bidded us good evening and left us to dry out our things and eat dinner. Since pitching out tents there to begin with, we had been watching as clouds gathered in the south, and after dinner we heard thunder come rolling across the flat feilds followed by such strong winds which did not stop but kept on blowing as the clouds made their way towards us. We watched as lightening striked off in the distance. That night in our tents, it rained till 11:30 before ceasing.
The route inwhich we walked that day
Day 35, Monday 29th of May, 25km Walked
I awoke around 4:40am and began packing up my tent, and was on the road by 5:30am, leaving the others to pack up in the kiwifruit orchard. I knew they would soon catch up and thus my reason for leaving so soon without them.
I walked for 20 minutes before arriving in the small village of Bassanne, 1.6km from where we had camped the evening before. There I filled my water bottle at the cemetery by the church before continuing on to the Canal, only 7 minutes up the road from the village. I passed by and took a photo of the waters as the dawn broke.
Crossing the Canal south of La Réole
I continued on till the village of Pondaurat and arrived around 6:30am. There I waited for the others to catch up. The church was open and so I walked around it looking at the stain glass windows in the dark space. The sun had yet to rise enough to give light into the old building. I wrote a small note in the visitors book there, stating that four kiwis had passed through that way on the 29th of May. I returned to the street and sat and waited, and fell into a doze where I sat. A car came bumbling up the street and as it passed my in my stooper, it blared its horn and someone in the back passenger seat had wound down their window and had stuck their hand out to try and grab the cap off of my head as I dozed. As they passed me, the shouted and laughed before turning a corner up the road and disappearing. I then got up and moved myself and bag to up the street where the sun had risen high enough to cast its light upon a shop front. I sat against the wall enjoying the warmth after a dark morning. I had only the night before ran out of data, and so had no way of communicating with my fellow pilgrims. As time passed and I sat or laid upon the footpath in the sun by my bag, I wondered where they had gotten to. Perhaps they had been invited by the kiwi fruit orchard owner for breakfast? He was quite a good fellow and the evening before did say he would pop round before we went to bed, however did not. Maybe he popped rounded while they still were packing up and invited them in for breakfast? I dreamt as I lay in a doze in the sun, all the lovely things that they were being served up for breakfast by this wonderful fellow. Meat and cheese, yogurts and fruits, pancakes and butter... I waited in the small village of Pondaurat for over an hour, before managing to make a connection somehow (miraculous) and Irene message me asking where I was. Somehow they had passed by me without seeing that I was waiting there in the village of Pondaurat, and had gone on to the village of Savignac, 39 minutes further down the path. So I quickly picked up my pack and started walking, taking a short cut that took me a more direct route to the village, where as the Way route would have taken 49 minutes. When I arrived in Savignac, I found them sitting infront of the locked church preparing breakfast. Irene had made porridge. It was then decided that Irene and myself would take a short cut to the village of Auros, while the others would take the official route to the village. Irene was tired and hoped for a short rest while we waited for the others. So we all set forth. It took an hour and when we did arrive, the two of us stopped at a boulangerie. I left her there to go and look for internet, as I had run out of money and needed another installment sent to me.
Before I left New Zealand, I had left a sum of cash with my parents, and since leaving to France, they have been sending me installments once a week of $100 nzd which equates to around €50.
My maps told me that there was a office de tourisme in that village, but found none and no internet, so I returned to Irene in the boulangerie. She had brought a pastry that had almonds and custard in it which she halved with me. I managed to use her Hotspot to make contact at home. Before long all was sorted and I brought two cans of Grapefruit swepps for Irene and myself. The day was quite warm and so the cold surgery beverage was well received by the both of us. As we sat Enoch walked passed and I called to him from where we sat inside the boulangerie. The others had arrived and were waiting at the church. We moved ourselves to there before setting off once again. We stopped for lunch in a hazelnut Grove for two hours and then walked for another hour before arriving at a man made lake where people were fishing. Irene really wanted to go for a swim and as we walked along the edge of the lake, we asked a young man who was fishing with two other if it was good to swim. He said no, because it was dangerous. The reason being that there were snakes that can swim and bite you when you are in the water. So we continued on the path and once around the corner of the lake where there was no one fishing. Irene and Enoch jumped into the lake and had a swim while we watched. It was a short dip before we continued on for another 5km and by that point it was close, if not already 5pm. Irene, Enoch, Osgar and Rose were needing water and they stopped and asked at a house, but no one was at home. We continued on till the next house and there was a lady who allowed us to refill our bottles from a tap. We then walked 200 meters or so further up the road before pitching out tents in a field by the roadside.
It was decided that we pitch our tents 5.3km north of the center of Bazas. That night we watched the disney movie Ratatouille (2007) as Irene had not seen it. For dinner we had a meal of asain noodles cooked with ginger sliced up into it along with hot chorizo, olives, brie cheese, and tomatoes paste before turning in for the night. It was around 9:40pm when I placed my phone down and turned over to sleep and knew no more till morning.
The route inwhich we walked that day
Day 36, Tuesday 30th of May, 23km walked
Day 36, Tuesday 30th of May, 23km walked
We slept in till 6am before making a slow start on the road by 7am. The weather had been quite heavy the evening before. We walked for an hour which took us 5km before arriving at Lidl, a supermarket in the outskirts of the village of Bazas. We had to wait 15 minutes for the supermarket to open, as we had arrived around 8:15am and it opened at 8:30am. So as we waited I gave a friend back in NZ a ring and we chatted a bit. Our troop then proceeded after Lidl to the CarryFour which was across the street. There we brought a few more things. I brought oats to make overnight oats to save on gas for Irene. We then walked to the Cathédrale in Bazas which was very beautiful.
After receiving our stamps at a Marie we headed to a Tabac/cafe as Irene had been wanted one for a few days. It was lovely. We sat and drank coffee. Enoch and myself had brought raw milk in the CarryFour and so we were mixing our small espresso shots with it, we all were. As we sat a fellow pilgrim arrived. We had been calling him up to that point the French Yost, becouse he looked like Yost from the film The Way. His real name was Anaël but was happy to be called French Yost.
We were there for close to an hour before deciding that we should continue onwards.
Leaving the town south side which took us along a railway that had been converted into a bike trail.
After walking for half an hour, we came across wild strawberries growing by the way side. They tasted amazing, compared to the ones which we get growing in NZ. We picked a few to put into the over night oats and then placed some into the bottle of Vodka I had in my backpack.
We walked another hour before stopping for dinner which Irene and Enoch cooked by the side of The Way. For the evening we stopped in Captieux to pick up water from the cemetery, and as we passed through the village a lady came out and started to talk to Rose and Enoch. When she heard that we were not going to the Gîte and were instead camping in the woods, she said it was too dangerous, especially when a thunderstorm was thinking about breaking over us at any minute. She invited us onto her lawn and said we could camp there for the night. She also gave us pizza. She also allowed us to use her shower!
The route inwhich we walked that day
Day 37, Wednesday 31st of May, 24km walked
We got up around 5am and packed up. Our lovely host Marie laid out a table with cups and coffee and fruit juice along with biscuits.
Day 37, Wednesday 31st of May, 24km walked
We got up around 5am and packed up. Our lovely host Marie laid out a table with cups and coffee and fruit juice along with biscuits.
We left around 6am, continuing along the old railway. We walked for 20km before stopping at 1pm for lunch in the village of Bourriot by the church.
After sitting and resting for 2 hours we continued on. We camped 4km south of the village of Bourriot and a thunderstorm came down upon us that evening after we had pitched our camp. We chose to pitch in a picnic spot that looked a little forgotten with the over grown grass under the old oak trees. A picnic table sat rotting and a bin that looked and smelt full and long since composting what ever it held. The rain was extremely heavy and when one is laying down water would fall from the flysheet onto one's face. It was either heavy enough to come through the flysheet, or the force of the water was dislodging the condensation from the inside of the flysheet. We had pasta and cheese for dinner cooked by Ivene, Osgar and Enoch.
The route inwhich we walked that day
Day 38, Thursday 1st of June, 25km walked
The nights rains had left some tents quite damp, but that didn't slow us down to much as we packed up and was back upon the Way by 6:30am. From the very beginning of our journey, Rose had mentioned of a place that had a church and a refuge for pilgrims that had soft seats, tea and coffee. It was in the village of Bostens, 20km from where we had camped. We arrived in the village of Roquefort around mid-day and stopped at the church before going on to a Tabac/cafe to sit and drink coffee.
Day 38, Thursday 1st of June, 25km walked
The nights rains had left some tents quite damp, but that didn't slow us down to much as we packed up and was back upon the Way by 6:30am. From the very beginning of our journey, Rose had mentioned of a place that had a church and a refuge for pilgrims that had soft seats, tea and coffee. It was in the village of Bostens, 20km from where we had camped. We arrived in the village of Roquefort around mid-day and stopped at the church before going on to a Tabac/cafe to sit and drink coffee.
On our way out of the village we stopped off at the supermarket to buy the needed supplies to make tea. We didn't have far to go, 8km or so. We arrived in the village of Bostens around 3:30pm and it was absolutely heavenly.
It was decided that the next day was going to be a rest day and that we would walk 10km after lunch to the Village of Bougue. Once there we would camp the night before getting up on Saturday morning to walk to Mont-de-Marsan and the market which they hold every weekend. As we sat and drank Twinnings Earl Gray with milk, the woman folk of the town who keep the small refuge going, came in from next door and told us that they would keep the other room open for us. It had two beds and more tables. We thanked them before they left. The village was also preparing for their village Feast which they were going to hold Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday night.
That evening we watched Fiddler on the Roof, as Irene hadn't seen it before. I had a bed to sleep in. The first time that I have slept in a bed for over a month, and it was very welcomed. The others didn't want a bed, and placed their air mattresses down in the common room and slept there for the night.
The route inwhich we walked that day
Day 39, Friday 2nd of June, 20km walked
I slept in till 8:30. The others had also slept in and got up around 8-8:30am. We planned to have egg and onion sandwiches for lunch and porridge for breakfast. I had brought maple syrup to have with the porridge while Rose had brought yogurt. After eating breakfast we began to pack up slowly. Three woman who were biking the Voie de Vézelay arrived and we made them a cup of tea and they talked for a bit while Rose wrote a short story in the visitors book.
Rose's short story
While we entertained the three biking pilgrims, our friend Anaël showed up! He was glad to see us and we were glad to see him! The bikers were soon to be off and we sat and talked to Anaël for about an hour. Coffee was made and drank along with cups of tea. Eggs were boiled and sandwiches were made. Anaël didn't want to stay for lunch and continued on his way. We followed suit after eating our lunch of Egg and Onion sandwiches. While Anaël was with us, he told us about a Donativo Gîte in the town of Mont-de-Marsan, where we hopped to walk to the next day for the Saturday Market. After he left, we talked as a group to come to the conclusion that we would all walk 20km to arrive that evening in Mont-de-Marsan at the Donativo. That would mean we wouldn't need to walk 10km to get to the market on Saturday. So we packed up after lunch and began walking around 12:30 pm.
Day 39, Friday 2nd of June, 20km walked
I slept in till 8:30. The others had also slept in and got up around 8-8:30am. We planned to have egg and onion sandwiches for lunch and porridge for breakfast. I had brought maple syrup to have with the porridge while Rose had brought yogurt. After eating breakfast we began to pack up slowly. Three woman who were biking the Voie de Vézelay arrived and we made them a cup of tea and they talked for a bit while Rose wrote a short story in the visitors book.
While we entertained the three biking pilgrims, our friend Anaël showed up! He was glad to see us and we were glad to see him! The bikers were soon to be off and we sat and talked to Anaël for about an hour. Coffee was made and drank along with cups of tea. Eggs were boiled and sandwiches were made. Anaël didn't want to stay for lunch and continued on his way. We followed suit after eating our lunch of Egg and Onion sandwiches. While Anaël was with us, he told us about a Donativo Gîte in the town of Mont-de-Marsan, where we hopped to walk to the next day for the Saturday Market. After he left, we talked as a group to come to the conclusion that we would all walk 20km to arrive that evening in Mont-de-Marsan at the Donativo. That would mean we wouldn't need to walk 10km to get to the market on Saturday. So we packed up after lunch and began walking around 12:30 pm.
After walking for 10km we stopped in the Village of Bougue to rest. It was quite hot and we rested in the shadow of the church. We also got our pilgrim credentials Stamped. We soon moved on and our route joined an old railway track that had been turned into a biketrack, and we walked for another 10km before arriving in the center of Mont-de-Marsan. For the past week we have passed and have been passed by a handful of pilgrims. Once arriving at the Donativo Gîte in Mont-de-Marsan, we found Anaël along with three other pilgrims, one of which we had met at the beginning of the week. The other two we had not met before. Earlier, Anaël had said that the Gîte had 14 beds, but when we arrived, we only found that it had 8 beds, which four were full already. There was five in our party and so we were wondering if the Gîte operator would let one of us sleep on the floor.
When the operator did appear, she opened a door which led into a whole new wing that had three beds, two showers, and a toilet. After getting our pilgrim passes Stamped, Enoch, Irene, Osgar and myself went out to find a Guinness.
Irene shouted me a Guinness, Cheers!
Rose didn't accompany us on our beer outing, but instead stayed and cooked us a dinner.
A map of the routes through northern Spain to Santiago, on the wall at the Gîte in Mont-de-Marsan
The route inwhich we walked that day
Day 40, Saturday 3rd of June, 23km walked
We got up around 7am, and drank tea and made porridge while we talked to Anaël. When 8am came round, we left to the church across the river only to find it was locked. We returned across the river and headed for the town square where the Saturday Market was being held.
There was all sorts of things being sold at the market, all food. They had melons, cakes, cherries, giant tomatoes, fish mongers, cheese mongers, breads, and spices. The spice stall smelt of such wonders!
After each of us buying 1 ingredient for that nights dinner, we set off, accompanied by Anaël. After walking for 2 hours, we stopped at a small village church to eat lunch together, before continuing on. I left before them after lunch and walked on to the village of Saint-Sever. I arrived around 4pm and headed straight to the Office de Tourisme to get my pilgrim pass Stamped as they close at 5pm, before going on to the Cathédrale.
A window in the Cathédrale at Saint-Sever
I sat and waited there for the others to appear. As I sat, a sound like that of the wind filled the end of the Cathédrale, and I looked up behind me to see the great silver pipes of the Organ. The sound was coming from the bellows and was ready to play. It wasn't long before the organist began to play. I walked amoungst the pillars of the church, listening to the music. It wasn't long before the others showed up. Anaël wanted to take us out for beers as a thank you for the wonderful day of good company. So we went to a Tabac/cafe and had a round of drinks.
Anaël shouting us a round of drinks in Saint-Sever
We then followed him to where he was staying, as the other four hopped to get their pilgrim passes Stamped as they had missed the Office de Tourisme. When we did arrive, we found the other three pilgrims which were at the last Donativo in Mont-de-Marsan there too. The others got their stamps and we said farwell to Anaël before continuing on for another 1.5km. As the path led away from civilization and into farm land, Ivene asked a house if we could pitch our tents on their lawns, which they were kind enought to let us do so for the night.
Camping on someone's lawn for the night
We had a splendid meal cooked by all before turning in for the evening.
The route inwhich we walked that day
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