St Paulet to Abbaye Sainte Scholastique, 36.2 km
A day of two halves, with the first half a very pleasant wander/weave along the feeder canal which provides the water for the canal du midi. Nice paths – i.e. not paved – and plenty of interest. I met a total of 11 pilgrims going the other way, and all the early ones I stopped to advise them that the path was completely blocked and they would need to take the road for a brief section. Because I am going backwards, I came across the barrier right at the road junction. Going the other way they would likely have to backtrack along the canal as there was no impediment until it was too late.
The second half was rather more grim walking on small country roads, all paved. Arriving at the Abbey was quite spectacular as it is very well maintained – especially compared to the monastery I stayed in earlier near the Pyrenees. The nuns were friendly (both of the ones I interacted with!) and the room was fantastic. Unfortunately the food offered didn’t measure up to the dietary needs of anyone who has walked 6 hours or more to get there: thin soup, followed by boiled potatoes and very over-cooked broccoli. No protein in sight. Breakfast was DIY coffee and bread with jam. Before the dinner disappointment I discovered that I’d left my adapter behind in the socket at the last gîte, so even after using my battery booster pack, my navigation equipment was going to be on life support for the following day. Hence the absence of a daily blog post!
There was a couple having dinner at the Abbey (you eat separately from the nuns) from Quebec, who are volunteering. Unfortunately they are staying in the village, so any hope of borrowing a phone charger evaporated very quickly. They had some knowledge of the Abbey, including that there are now only 28 nuns, and many are very elderly or even quite ill. None of them are young – although the men’s establishment just down the road does apparently have some younger ‘recruits’. One wonders how long some of these establishments can survive. This Abbey clearly is well financed judging by the state of the buildings.
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