Poudally to Cahors - Saturday 19th September

Le marquers sur la portes:- we walked 19.5 km or 12.2 miles. Over the day we went up 277 m and down 315 m.

After a wonderful meal we then spent an hour on the Internet, catching up on our mail etc. We then decided to go to bed, our roommates, a couple in their late seventies who we had seen on previous days on the camino,were up reading. (earlier in the evening when fellow guests had asked if they were touring the area they received a most short and offended answer of no we are on the Compostella!). After good nights we turned the lights of and as all was silence and dark I felt there was no need for precautions and so went to bed. at about 2:30 I was awakened by an erupting volcano, it was missure, producing the a series of crescendo snores. The ear plugs went in and I slept like a log until gone 7 am.

After breakfast we bade Poudally a fond farewell and started on our way. The weather wa a bit overcast but soon warmed up, the terrain was still the Causse and after nearly three days we were a bit fed up with and longed for a change of scenery.
About an our into the walk we came across a group of Austrians; with vehicle support whom we had met before, they had just been dropped off and were walking on the wrong side of the road to rest of us, this caused major problems with cars as they swerved to avoid the Austrians and headed straight for us, the problem was more exacerbated when we caught up with five of the six Canadian women (the sixth one having decided to travel with the baggage car on account of her bad feet).

At eleven we stopped for Chocolate and morning prayer and shortly after the heavens opened and we cowered under a tree until the worst was over, we then started walking again gradually going upward all the time and at last leaving the Causse as we emerged onto a ridge, by then the sun had come out and so we were able to shed our rain gear. We then started looking out for Cahors which was suddenly spread out before us, surrounded by the upturned U of the river Lot. Following a steep descent we entered the town crossing the Louis Philepe bridge, the first building we came to was an official welcome for pilgrims with Coffee, biscuits, pilgrim stamps and maps and information about the town, in return for our vital statistics, about where we came from, where we were going, our start and hoped for end etc.


Following the map so helpfully provided we then headed for the town's Youth Hostel, where we were staying, we were shown into a twin room; that also had its own loo, basin and bidet. (not things you would get in your average British youth hostel room!). However, because of its location etc. my hunch is that the hostel in in an old seminary; hence the posh rooms.


After showers and washing, we headed for the town, and after a walk looking at many of the fine buildings an a visit to the Cathedral for evening prayer, we stumbled upon a fantastic indoor market, were there were stalls selling proper veg with soil on it and veg of odd (non-supermarket) shapes and sizes, there were stalls selling Cheeses of all sorts of hues and colours and I would guess ripeness and smelliness! There were purveyors of fine meats both raw and cooked along with pre-made meals (French style of course) and wine including a litre bottle for 260€ I could have spent hours there and if I had had a car to bring it home, spent a fortune. It was in some ways a super Larners food hall.

Seeing all this culinary delight made us hungry and so we went looking for food, we pith agreed a break from French cuisine would be nice and so we plumped for a pizza!

If the spelling etc. is worse than usual its because I am using a French Keyboard which has all the keys in the wrong place.

From the Camino in France