St Jean de la Blaquière to St Guilhem le Désert , 23.4km
One of the toughest days on this camino, and while the kilometers are not outrageous, the hills are a challenge. Being my day 30 meant it wasn’t perhaps as bad as for those who started in Arles who are facing the climbs on day 6. Rather than wait for the village cafe/epicierie to open at 0830, I headed out with only a gîte coffee and a couple of biscuits for fuel. I knocked off the first 300m ascent in good time – despite the fact that an early morning shower left the rocks rather slippery.
The first village, very cute with a nice chateau, promised a cafe. Sadly said cafe had an extensive wine and beer list, but not much more than a Nespresso machine. Bar or watering hole would have been more appropriate. I prevailed on the less than welcoming proprietor to make me a coffee (didn’t even dare ask for a cafe au lait) before heading to the next village, which obliged me by having a really good bakery. Breakfast, morning tea and lunch nailed in one stop (even if it was 19 minutes off route!)
The trail today was beautiful (maybe the forest fire section being the exception). Scruffy forest in what was, for the most part, a very harsh landscape. Lots of rosemary and thyme growing wild, two types of stunted oak and countless other shrubs I didn’t recognize. One section had interpretive signs, but only having French and latin botanical names didn’t help me too much! At the end of the second climb (each more than 300m/1,000 ft) the trail dropped rapidly into a canyon – for want of a better description. One of the most spectacular sections of any one day in all my caminos. The area is popular with day hikers: it’s just too bad that they chatter constantly, denying everyone else the solitude that the location merits.
Arriving in Saint Guilhem was a shock to the system. After several weeks of quaint, anonymous villages off the beaten path, I was catapulted into a tourist hot spot within 200 m of the trail. Outdoor restaurants and shops selling “local” wares, and crowds who looked unlikely to be taking on any day hikes. Most eateries offered crepes, which leads me to conclude that Saint Guilhem is the patron saint of crepes. Having said that. I ate at a restaurant for the first time in France (there’s no shop selling ‘normal’ food products for the cook it yourself pèlerin) and scoffed down a crepe normandie for dessert. Lots of apples, cream and an unidentified flaming liqueur. Yum. No negative calorie count for me today!
I’m staying with the nuns tonight, as they have traditionally housed pilgrims for hundreds of years. St Guilhem is a so-called sanctuary abbey. It’s in a location you wouldn’t stumble on by accident!
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