Aroue to Ostabat – 28 kms

Today it rained. Hard!

A couple we had been following for days were still having breakfast when we left the gite this morning.

We were all rugged up in our rain gear when 1 km down the track it stopped raining. We stopped, took off all our rain gear, and it started raining again.

It was a brutal walk with lots of uphills, but we knew there was a shortcut coming up.

We hiked it up over a big hill overtaking everyone in sight. When we got back to the road we noticed the couple that were having breakfast when we left were up ahead of us.

How the hell did they get ahead of us, be both exclaimed. Dammit, there must have been another short cut we didn’t know about that missed that big arsed hill.

The rest of the day was spent walking in rain, and stopping every five minutes to check we hadn’t missed the shortcut.

We arrived at a haybarn just as it pelted down with rain. This gave us a half hour break and enough time to establish the short cut which would shave 45 minutes off our time.

So we ignored the walking path signs and put our trust in google maps. As we wandered along the firm tarmac, we congratulated ourselves on avoiding the muddy tracks, and the fact we’d be beating everyone to the gite.

25 minutes later the tarmac ran out and the path turned into a muddy overgrown mess. Dammit Google!

So we backtracked. Instead of shaving 45 minutes off our day, we added 50 minutes to it!

The rest of the day was spent being soaking wet and walking through ankle deep lakes.

We arrived at the gite tired, wet, and grumpy. Oh well, only one more days walking.

Maslacq to Navarrenx – 21 kms

Another day, another walk. The Pyrenees are getting closer but we still haven’t decided whether we will climb them yet or not.

Today we reunited with my sisters and we drank too much with dinner.

Not much else to report so here is a little story I wrote, based on a true story.

The Stingy Nettle

Once upon a time there was a stingy nettle called Nettie. She lived on the edge of a pilgrim path with her older brothers and sisters.

Nettie spent her days watching her much older siblings having fun by stinging pilgrims as they walked by. Nettie would loved to have done this too, but she was too short.

Then one sunny day, a large bum loomed over Nettie, emitting the most disgusting odour. Then some foul smelling water poured over her and she shrank away from it.

Then her brothers and sisters cried out, Nettie, here’s your chance. Reach up high, do it, do it.

So Nettie did exactly that. She stretched as high as she could and stung that bottom with all her might.

The human jumped up yelling and screaming. Nettie was so elated by the reaction she had caused, she barely had time to register what happened next.

The human turned around and stomped poor nettie until she was just a pile of green mushy pulp.

But at least Nettie died fulfilling her nettle destiny.

The End.

Uzan to Maslacq -24 kms

Yep we’ve been walking for 5 weeks now and it sure feels like it.

When we left out gite this morning, thunder clapped all around us as if celebrating that we managed to get away before 8.30am.

Five minutes into the walk it chucked it down with rain. I put my raincoat on followed by my poncho, then it stopped. I walked for the next 90 minutes in my rain gear, too scared to take if off in case it rained again, but of course it stayed dry.

Then I started overheating as we climbed a hill towards the town. There had been no rain for 90 minutes and the skies looked clear. I whipped off my wet weather gear and had just finished stuffing it in my pack when it started pissing down again. Unbelievable!

Tonight we are staying in a nice big house all by ourselves. It’s really nice and has a great outdoor area.

The owners have stocked the fridge with food for us, and a big carafe of rose. Yum yum. And our room has air conditioning!

Big house just for us:

Pimbo to Uzan – 24 kms

A hilly walk today despite the book saying it was flat. I took the gel insert out of my shoe today and foot seemed much happier.

Mike’s sticks were talking saying ‘garlic bread’ over and over as they clicked over the gravel road. Mike reckoned they were saying ice cream but it was definitely garlic bread. Mike agreed with me after a while. Really the sticks were saying ‘click clack’

We stayed at a nice gite with our own room and double bed. We brought out the emergency supplies of macaroni, cheese, and parma ham, and cooked up a feast.

Today we had a much needed rest day.

We had a sleep in and late breakfast then wandered around the markets.

I bought some cortisol cream for my bite, then sat and had coffee, followed by lunch down by the river, followed by an afternoon nap.

At dinner we met two young guys we had been passing on the trail over the last two days. They also had a rest day here. Neither of us could speak each others language but we communicated by pointing to our sore bits.

I feel like I have had enough of walking but we’re only about 1 week away from st jean pied de port so feel we should at least make the effort. We’ll see how it goes.

Nogaro to Aire sur l’adour – 28km

Another long day today, but there wasn’t much choice of places to stay in a shorter distance.

It was a nice walk for most of the day, through forests and farmland until something bit me on the bum! Well it was on the back of the leg but close to my bum. I flicked it away and it was certainly bigger than a mosquito.

Then it started to hurt, BAD! It reminded me of the horse fly bites I got a few years ago that I am allergic to.

Mike took a look and there was a huge welt on the back of my leg. I popped an antihistsmine quick smart and the pain started receding within the hour. Phew.

The rest of the day flew by, but the last two hours dragged on as we walked along long straight roads in the hot sun, no shade in sight.

Fighter jets roared around the clear blue skies, teasing me. We could hear them, but couldn’t see them as they were too high.

After a while, a much needed tree appeared, so we plonked ouselves down and ate a packet of biscuits. While we sat there, a eurofighter jet buzzed us quite low, giving us our own private airshow. Magic.

We were absolutely shattered by the time we arrived in Aire sur l’adour. We checked into our lovely airconditioned hotel overlooking the river.

After a shower and a little rest, we managed to drag our sad feet into town to meet up with Lynda and Susan, who are staying at a gite.

We are having a rest day in Aire sur l’adour, so not sure when or if we will catch up with Jenny and Lynda again and Susan has headed off on another adventure.

We ate dinner in town and yet again, the restaurant meals don’t live up to the gite meals.

lamothe to Nogaro – 28 kms

Wow, we’ve been walking over four weeks now.

Today we planned a short walk of only 18 kms, but then we found out breakfast was at 6.15 non negotiable. Seriously, 6.15? We’re not ever up that early.

The first town we arrived at was Eauze, pronounced like Ooze, just after 9am. Eauze had been having a party for 3 days and the streets oozed of urine and hangover. In fact, the entire town smelt like a big toilet.

We stopped briefly and had a juice, then continued on.

We arrived at the gite we had chosen to stay at, at 12 noon. The gite didn’t open until 4pm! So we continued on to Nogaro where my sisters are staying.

The afternoon was hot and our pores oozed with sweat. We took every opportunity to dip our hats in cold water to cool ourselves down.

Not much of an exciting walk today. Lots of forest trails, lots of mozzies and flies.

We are staying at gite communal where the wine is 2 euros a bottle. We cooked up some macaroni, tuna, garlic, and camembert for dinner. Was yummy.

Larrasingle to Lamonthe – 20kms

Today was an easy mostly flat walk. We stopped at Montreal for an hour and drank coffee with sister Susan, then continued on and still made it to our gite by 3pm.

We’re staying at a nice gite in the middle of nowhere. Lynda would have liked it as the menu was completely vegetarian. We had the most delicious lasagna and I didn’t realise there was no meat.

We stayed with 4 other guys we have met on the trail.

A pleasant evening watching the sun set.

La Romieu to Larrasingle – 21kms

I’ve been living in an up down world. Yep, the tracks have been going up, then down, the back up again, all day long.

Today was a real drag after the previous days 30km. There was more mud. The Trees of Shade, which were once a haven from the heat, have now become the Trees of Mosquitoes.

I dread walking into a shaded area knowing we’re about to be viciously attacked by flying monsters.

We passed a stream that had hundreds of freshwater crayfish, then along the path were many carcasses and shells of them where something had eaten them.

After about 16km we arrived at a town called Condom. It’s true, it’s really called that.

I was about to give up for the day and check into a hotel, but Mike talked me into going the extra 5km to a fortified town where my sisters were staying. After a coffee, a juice, and some lunch, I perked up s bit, snd the extra 5km was a breeze.

We had a wonderful dinner at the gite and enjoyed thw best sangria ever.

Castet arruoy to La Romieu – 30km

Yep. That was the phrase for most of the day. The rain last night caused us grief on the path today. At one stage I’d gotten a boot full of mud, then I walked on some straw, and next minute I had a straw pattie on my foot.

Today I saw a yabbie walking slong the path. Not sure if he was doing the dame walk as us.

It was a crazy 30 km walk today so we went out for dinner where our feet ached so much, we neefed wine to kill the pain.