Date: Thursday, 8 May 2025
Day: 10
From: Conques To: Livinhac-le-Haut
Start Walking: 641am End Walking: 259pm
Time: 5h50m
Distance (Planned): 24.3km Distance (Garmin): 23.5km
Progress: 241.1/765km
Ascent: 788m Descent: 844m
Weather: Cloudy all day with 50 big, fat raindrops. Warming up.
Stayed At: Gite La Fontaine du Chemin
General Comments:
• It took us a long time to leave Conques this morning as we kept stopping to take photos. Almost every building has been lovingly restored and each definitely has its own character.
• Apparently in medieval times, Conques had 3,000 residents! The town would have been heaving as it’s only occupies a small patch of land deep in the very bottom of a hidden valley. Everyone would have been living cheek by jowl, as they did in those days, and I doubt it would have been quite so picturesque back then.
• Another reason for our reluctance to leave Conques was that the trail was going to take us straight UP the other side of the mountainous valley! Ugh! It took us an hour to cover 2km and there was much puffing and panting.
• Once we did see blue sky again and were on top of the mountain range it was much easier going. The road undulated along through wheat fields, past yet more happy and fat cows, and a few piggeries. Eww! Way too fragrant and an incentive to walk faster.
• It’s when you get way up on top of these mountain ranges that you realise how high we actually are and how much climbing we have done. When we can look down on everything and everyone, we know we have achieved some altitude.
• There’s not much different or exciting I can tell you about today. More sweeping views, more cloudy skies and more bloody ascents and descents. 😊Maybe we will hit some flatter terrain soon?
Top Tips:
• There’s not much in the way of food etc on today’s stage without diverting off the track. Noailhac has coffee and a small epicerie. Stock up.
• Tonight’s gite is lovely with very friendly and welcoming hosts. Highly recommended.
Bon Chemin.
Life...one big adventure 
You two are striking along so well. Conquers is a beautiful historical place. We were still smiling when we left, staying just down the country lane. I’m enjoying all your wonderful descriptions and images. So, very enticing to follow in your footsteps 😉 x
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Thanks, Suzanne. It really is an amazing country. Glad you are enjoying it as much as me. Xx
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Pig farms are indeed very pungent! I am grateful that they aren’t farmed in Cornwall on a large scale. The moos are smelly enough! Love the rose.
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Ah, the perfume of agriculture! I did grow up with it, but not pigs! They take a special kind of farmer! 🙃
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Such stunning views. Beautiful place.
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Absolutely. You nailed it!
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Loving these Camino updates! Your descriptions bring the trail to life—especially the “up, up, up” bits that made me feel out of breath just reading them 😅. Conques sounds like a dream (at least visually!), and it’s inspiring to see how much ground you’ve covered already. Hoping for flatter paths and fewer piggeries ahead—Bon Chemin!
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Thanks for the trail wishes, especially for flat bits! 😁 Much appreciated.
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Haha, anytime! You’ve definitely earned some smooth sailing (or strolling!) after all those climbs. Loving following along—your journey’s a mix of grit, beauty, and great storytelling. Keep going strong, and here’s to scenic views and merciful gradients ahead!
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I like the way you think! About to hit some flatter stuff over the next couple of weeks…I hope! 🤞🤞
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Fingers crossed for those promised flat stretches—sounds like they’re well-deserved! 😄 Glad to hear there’s some relief on the horizon. Keep the updates coming—cheering you on every step of the way. Bon Chemin!
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They arrived today! Woo Hoo! 🥳🥳
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I’m so glad it’s warming up for you. Somehow the photo of the wheat crops is very serene and relaxing imagining them blowing in the wind 🙂
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Yes, when the wind riffles across the paddocks it’s very atmospheric. I am having pinch-myself moments every day.
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You’re in such a beautiful area of France right now!
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It almost defies description. So much green and so much beauty. It is a joy to this Aussie’s eyes.
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Yes, lots of green and beauty… and croissants.
But no kangaroos. 😦
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Not that we have seen…🦘🦘 Maybe there are a couple on the loose somewhere. They certainly would enjoy all these lush, green paddocks.
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