I managed to move between two towns without hyphens. That makes typing a blog post on the phone a whole lot easier. I also took the direct route between the towns as the vf/GR145 does a big two day loop, which is not very enticing.
It did make for a big day, but by following the relatively minor D122 for most of the day, it was easy to make good time. I have come to the conclusion that I prefer to walk on the roads. They are smooth underfoot and you can maintain a good, regular pace. The GR route on the other hand, is often on farm or forest tracks, which requires you to pay attention and to vary your stride to avoid any hazards. These include the gnarly lumps of rock which often pass as gravel – if you step on these you can feel them through the soles of your boot. Maybe that is an issue with my boots, but that is another blog post!
So it was a long day without too much of note. I passed through many sleepy villages, often only a few km apart. And I think they are inherently sleepy – the fact that it was Sunday had no bearing on activity levels.
I did encounter a couple of roadside treasures (?). A Stanley knife in the middle of nowhere, and an antiquey looking key. See attached pic. The symbol of the via francigena is two crossed keys, so now I’ll need to keep my eyes peeled for another -preferably a matching one. The Stanley knife I left in the next town. Someone will have a use for it.the other roadside things today we’re both bugs. A praying mantis which I spotted when thing up my boots after a water break, and a cool dragonfly (roadkill, sadly). It had square wings, which I’ve never seen before.
Tonight I’m in Champlitte – the first town that seems to have embraced the vf. They have a giant logo on the tourist office (see other pic) and on other buildings in the town.
You may notice that I have skipped a day. Day twenty-eight is missing ‘cos there are two day twenty-fours. I need a good proof reader!
Daily km: 39.4
2saunter 