Via Tolosana/voie d’Arles day 28: the long and short of it

Lunas to Lodève, 19.2 km

Despite the pleading of my hosts in Lunas, I skulked out of town on the alternative route. While the traditional route is, well, more traditional, the extra two hours of toil did not appeal. Anyhoo, I’m sure the ancient pilgrims used the valley which is now the D35 main road (upon which foot traffic is prohibited!)

The alternative route was pleasant, although I was glad to be ascending on the goat track paved with ‘death cookies’ than descending. Yesterday it was the opposite, and I had several near wipeouts on the rolling stones. Once again I was mystified by pelerins going past me the other way – either they left my destination town in the dark, or they are camping along the way. For me, shared dorms with random strangers is hardship enough. Camping, especially ultralight camping (no stove, maybe no tent) has zero appeal. I need a shower (preferably hot) and a cup of tea (also hot) and ideally a beer (preferably cold).

For the lower picture, the Wikipedia article is quite interesting, especially if you scroll down and expand the ‘in culture’ section.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asphodelus_albus

Lodève is another town that seems to have fallen on hard times. It’s the biggest town for a while, but boarded-up shops seems to be the norm rather than the exception. Clearly it was once very prosperous if the magnificent Cathedral is anything to go by. There are ruins under the crypt dating back to the 6th century.