Date: Tuesday, 6 May 2025
Day: 8
From: Estaing To: Golinhac
Start Walking: 713am End Walking: 1137am
Time: 3h53m
Distance (Planned): 18.8km Distance (Garmin): 14.6km
Progress: 195.7/765km
Ascent: 606m Descent: 271m
Weather: Cloudy and cool to start, then wearing every item of clothing I own to keep warm.
Stayed At: Gite Bellevue
General Comments:
• Well, today didn’t work out as planned, but it still worked out well and it was a pleasant day’s walking.
• There was a certain amount of reluctance to get moving and pack up this morning after a very relaxing rest day. Yesterday, just not having to get up and be somewhere other than horizontal in bed made a very nice change after 7 days on the trail.
• Today was a different story though and it was time to pull on the backpack and head back along the Lot River and up a few hills.
• There were two options or two different paths you could take today and we chose to stick to the official route – the GR65. Reading the descriptions in the guidebook it is hard to know which is best and by now, we feel that there is no best. We will see some very pretty scenery, whichever path we take.
• We set off on some quiet back roads under old oak and chestnut trees, and there was little traffic to make us fear for our lives. Across the other side of the Lot River, huge trucks were negotiating bends at high speed and it made me wonder how these old roads and, especially, bridges handle all this modern traffic? Obviously excellent craftsmanship to start with.
• It was a grey old day as we started the ascent and I started to realise just how cold it was when my breath started coming out in white puffy clouds. Yep, that’s getting a tad chilly.
• Unfortunately the heavy cloud cover and dim light was not good for photos today. Apologies.
• And then we saw a sign that said ‘Golinhac – 10.5km’. That can’t be right, we thought, as we reckoned we had at least 15km to go. Nope, the guidebook had confused us thoroughly with two different descriptions of the route with two different distances. It’s no biggie, it just means we will walk a few extra kilometres tomorrow.
• The only downside of this much shortened day was that we arrived at our accommodation way too early and had to sit outside in the freezing cold for 2.5hrs. Boy, that hot shower was good once we did get inside.
Top Tips:
• Pack a down jacket or something similarly compact, light and warm for days just like today!
• Pack snacks for this stage as there is nothing on the trail to sustain you.
Bon Chemin.
Life...one big adventure 
It’s weird how at this time of year the temperatures vary. My daughter says she is often walking the dogs early in the morning and her breath is visible, then during the day it reaches 20C.
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I guess that is Spring. It’s not sure what it wants to do, but the gardens sure are loving these milder temperatures.
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It even looks chilly in the photos.
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Yep, and I tend to run hot when I’m walking, so it must be cold!❄❄
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Hi Mel
So glad you have survived your first week. The countryside looks so gorgeous. You seem to be making great progress. Don’t forget to stop & “smell the roses”. XXXX
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I smelt some roses, just for you today and included a few photos in today’s post. Just stunning! Thanks for following my madness yet AGAIN! Xxx
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I’m surprised it’s not warming up there. Here in Minnesota we’re having unseasonable warmth – it’s been in the 80s, which is quite warm for this part of May. I see they’re even forecasting a 92F in the coming days. That kind of heat is usually reserved for July/Aug. I wish I could send a little of it your way! Ah, yes, I’d send you heat and you’d send me croissants… 🥐
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That’s a fair trade although it has warmed up a tad today. I could always send you warm 🥐🥐😁
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Absolutely loving accompanying you on this one Mel. So many fascinating and beautiful images make me nostalgic for la compagne française, especially since I never did get quite that far south.
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So glad I can show you some new sights although my sights are no where near as quirky as your recent Japanese adventure. It positively tame here!😁xx
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always have food in your bag..I still recall exactly how I met our friend JJ who complain that the restaurant were closed and the store too ( it was probably 2 pm and lunch time)..I offered him a banana..!! We are still friend now after 6 years. He lives in Paris, has read all my books and we facetime from time to time.
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Ah, bananas are the solution for World peace!🤣😁
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