Date: Saturday, 10 May 2025
Day: 12
From: Figeac To: Espagnac-St-Eulalie
Start Walking: 646am End Walking: 222pm
Time: 6h31m
Distance (Planned): 25.7km Distance (Garmin): 26.1km
Progress: 293.2/765km
Ascent: 524m Descent: 547m
Weather: Clear and warm to start, and then clouds brewing. Our weather luck is about to run out
Stayed At: Gite Communale
General Comments:
• It turns out that there are French hoons who love nothing better to fang about the streets of Figeac on Friday nights. It turns out that our postage stamp room had a front row seat for the street races and the doof doof music. I must be getting old.🙃
• All that didn’t stop us from getting on the road early although we were tempted to linger and observe all the delicious fare being set up for the Saturday markets. Perhaps we will score a market or two more before this walk is over.
• Yep, you guessed it – straight up a mountainside to start the day and once we got that out of the road, the walking was positively pleasant. Through old villages we went, down through leafy forest valleys, up a bit to pop out on pretty backroads.
• Today I wanted to take more photos of some of the lovely old villages we walked through and share some gorgeous old stone houses. Yes, some are in the renovator’s-delight category, but the majority have been lovingly restored and lived in. I guess that is the difference between Spain and France. In Spain, so many of the villages are completely deserted and their homes are crumbling back into the earth. Here, the villages may be deserted, but the homes are still cared for, even if just for weekenders or Summer holidays.
• Today has been one of our most enjoyable walking days so far because the scenery changed significantly. No longer were we walking on top of the World, instead we dropped down (after about 11km) into the Cele Valley and followed the river for the rest of the stage.
• It’s a wonderfully lush area and the plowed paddocks looked like thick chocolate, such was the richness of the topsoil. No wonder the crops are so thick and healthy.
• It felt nice to be walking in the protection of the valley, in some places only about 300m wide. On each side of the valley are soaring cliffs which apparently are full of caves once inhabited by prehistoric man. We will see a bit more of this in a couple of days, which I’m really looking forward to.
• Unfortunately tomorrow they are forecasting rain all day, so any fine-weather wishes would be gratefully received. ⛈⛈⛈
Top Tips:
• Today’s big highlight and tip is staying in a monastery built in 1160! Can you believe it? It blows my little mind. We are in a share room tonight with two others and will enjoy the communal dinner at 7pm.
Bon Chemin.
Life...one big adventure 
Oh, it all looks delightful. I love the stone houses and that monastery. Enjoy your dinner! I might start complaining about the lack of pastries though…
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Don’t worry, Jude. We have definitely had our fair share of pastries in the last couple of days including a massive slice of flan this morning! Delicieux!
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That goat with his beard!!! Too cute!
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She was very insistent that we should feed her, but I’m always reluctant to feed animals human food. I have seen a few signs beside the track asking people not to feed the cows, horses etc, so it must be a problem for the farmers. Goats may be a different story though with their cast iron constitutions!🐐🐐
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Fabulous, Mel, good choice of direction and accommodation. Though as I tend to be a snorer when tired I might opt for a single room 😉
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If that’s the case, I’m definitely not sharing a room with you!🤣 I already have to contend with one snorer!🙃💤
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Apparently I snore too. Who would have thought it 😴💤
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Ok, that seals it! I’ll share my croissant with you, Jude, but not my dorm room! 🛌🛌🙃
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Hahaha 🙂
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💕
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The deal is sealed 🤣
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🥰
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Fabulous digs and a gorgeous day! Always good to get the uphill out of the way first. Good luck for tomorrow xx
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Ta. It turned out to be an ‘interesting’ day!⛈⛈
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looks wonderful & that monastery!! Glad you had enjoyable day. Hope the bad weather doesn’t eventuate
we still have a few weeks before we set off. But starting to pack &get excited. Xx
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Ok, sounds like I had my dates wrong again!🙃 Happy packing and I trust all goes smoothly with endless blue skies. Xx
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Oooh, staying in a monastery? Cool! Enjoy!
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Way cool!😎😎
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What a fabulous day! xx
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Absolutely. Every. Day. In. France!🥐🥐🇫🇷🇫🇷
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Wow, what a privilege to stay there. Hopefully it was free of what you wonderfully call doof doof music. 😂That would have driven me NUTS!
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Definitely no doof doof music and no snorers either. The Gods were definitely smiling on me! 😴
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When I saw the photos of the goats, I immediately knew there were hills to climb (because that’s what goats love to do) 😁. Beautiful photos … and you slept in a monastery that was built in 1160 – mind blowing!
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Yep, almost every day had held a mind-blowing moment. What a country!? What a path!?
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Loving the photos of the villages you’re passing through. Cheers
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They all had their own special character. So different to what we have here in Aus.
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