Our fellow guests decided to get up at 6:30 and as they were quite noisy with door banging etc. we woke up as well. After a DIY breakfast (everything was provided but we had to fix it ourselves), we set off.
We are getting a reputation for fast walking as the Swiss lady in the gite, when she said goodbye said "you will probably pass me later as I have heard you are fast walkers" we said "possibly" but that we were like the hare in Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare as we also have lots of stops!
Our route took us through more rolling countryside with long smooth hills and then long descents to the valley bottom before rising up again to another hill crest. On the hill crests we had our first glimpses of the Pyrenees (they certainly look big, but I guess if Napoleon could invade Spain with a whole army, following our route over the Pyrenees, we should manage it as well)!
Large parts of the route were also through forest and we would occasionally glimpse men with long sticks, hunting for ceps, looking extremely furtive.
At midday we had reached the town of Navarrenx where we bought lunch, had an Orangina and unsuccessfully tried to post yesterday's blog. We also stopped by a gun shop. As I think we mentioned before, our friend Seb has a hi vis hat to stop him being confused with a rabbit by drunken hunters. I thought a hi vis hat might be good for misty mornings when walking beside roads. I am now the proud owner of a hi viz (orange) beany hat from the gun shop.
On the way out of town we got a bit confused about where we should go, and as we debated a plummy voice echoed across the street "can I help you?" it was a British ex-pat from London now living in Navarrenx, kindly offering assistance to his fellow countrymen. He told us the way to get out of town, but being a driver rather than a pilgrim he showed us the direct route rather the route up to and through the ramparts.
After lunch we stopped for a rest at a pate factory which has a rest area for pilgrims, we looked at the visitors book and the last entry was from Seb & Anne, who we last saw four days ago. As we rested I idly played with my iPod and discovered they had an open Wi-fi connection so was able to send my post.
After our rest we headed for our accommodation which for the first time was a Chambre de hote, a superior sort of B&B. After being shown our room, we were invited to shower and use the pool which I did, (I have the photo to prove it for those doubters). It was a bit bracing but once committed I had to upkeep British honour.
At 6:45 our hosts invited us into their living room for aperitifs. We then moved to the dining room for a bit of a feast. We started with charcuterie, this was followed by roast pork in a gravy, accompanied by a mix of vegetables. The cheese course followed with a selection of four very flavoursome cheeses, and to round off the meal was a very nice apple tart.
At table were ourselves, two Norwegians, the Swiss French lady (Carol) and our hosts (the only French people). Conversation was in a mixture of French and English and our hostess regailed us with hilarious tales of some of their guests. This included a tale of how at 6:15 that evening they had been phoned by a couple still in Navarrenx (about 2 to 3 hours walk away) wanting a room and meal that evening. Our hosts had told them that at that time of night they should stay in Navarrenx instead! It also transpired that the Norwegian couple were a retired Lutheran pastor and his wife. The difference between us was that Lutheran pastors have to be t-total: thank God for the good old C of E. Our hosts then told us that in their area one priest was covering 46 churches, even in North Norfolk we are not that desperate yet!
After a great evening we retired to our beds, ours being a double on a mezanine floor above a living space.
On the Camino in France
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