Day 20 - Coincidences and Conversations : Rocamadour to Labastide-Murat

This morning we shared a communal breakfast in the little attic room under the roof of Lou Cantou, and then set out on GR46, headed for Labastide-Murat. It was a beautiful walk down the valley again, with the sunrise lighting up the town of Rocamadour and the side of the valley. It was a steep climb out of the gorge, but it was shaded with trees and not as long as we had expected.

There followed a relatively pleasant walk along shaded dirt tracks through countryside.

 

At one point we arrived at another detour to GR46, which actually ended up being a short-cut off sorts (we think). Instead of walking approximately 3km of roadways, we cut across a bend in the road and took a nice shaded track alongside a newly logged area.

When the alternate route ended the trail passed under a very busy highway, and we had to climb a very steep, very bright, gravel path up a large hill. By this time it was very hot, and we took a break in the shadow of a field stone wall, largely to feel sorry for ourselves. The views from the plateau we had climbed up to were nice, but the lack of shade was hard.

 

For most of the rest of the day we walked along asphalt roads, which were hot and completely without shade. It seems that some days provide many interesting sights and experiences, but today we were unable to find inspiration, either in ourselves or in the landscape. It was many kilometers of walking in the sun.

We did pass through several small villages along the way, but none of them offered any amenities. This is something we have been wondering about since we began our hike, but especially since we left the GR65. We pass through many villages each day, which are neat and tidy, have houses with wonderful gardens and sometimes laundry drying in the sun, but we never see any people. The houses and businesses are usually shuttered and closed, and there seem to be no stores. This can be quite vexing for North Americans who enjoy a cup of coffee every 10 km or so, but more than that, it is puzzling to us.

When we finally reached the town of Montfoucon, we stopped at a picnic table beside a lake. There were signs for a bar, so I hiked up the hill into town to investigate and also look for the water fountain indicated on our map. The bar was closed from 12:30 to 3:30, and the only water I found was a garden hose. I returned to the lake and we ate one of the nut cakes we bought in Rocamadour and had some warm water with it. It was a nice break, followed by another 5 km of walking along the road, some of which was newly paved.

The approach into Labastide Murat was along another small lake, and then up into the town. Although Labastide Murat is not a large town, it managed to be quite confusing coming from the direction of the GR. We managed to find the hotel where we are staying, and checked in. The cold shower was one of the best things ever. After that we visited the bank, the bakery, the grocery store, and a shop with postcards. As we were exploring we ran into several other pilgrims wandering around looking for their gite, which proved hard to find as well.

Once the chores were done we sat in the shade on the patio outside our hotel and enjoyed a cold pint. As we sat there several others we are hiking with joined us. On this same patio we met Bill, who is from Guelph, Ontario, and who is walking GR46, among things.  He is in a similar field of work to us, and is involved with Hike Ontario, a trekking organization we are a part of at home.

We ended up eating dinner with Bill and Corinne at the hotel, which involved good conversation and good food (vegetarian burgers where the bun was replaced with zucchini fritters followed by strawberry tarts).  What are the chances of meeting up with someone from another small town about 200 km from your home when you are halfway around the world?  If nothing is coincidence on the Camino we can only speculate about what today's lesson was.
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Practical Information:
 

Distance: 25.8 km
Max Temperature: 22˚C

Accommodations: Hotel-Restaurant La Garissade