Wednesday, 5 October 2022

OCTOBER 2022 : FRANCE : STEVENSON TRAIL : Day 8 : Le Bleymard - Le Pont-de-Montvert : 21 kms



[Enlarge map to find where we are]



Stage seven
Le Bleymard - Le Pont-de-Montvert 
21 + kms (44,306 steps)
Forecast : 17o and sunny



Breakfast at 7.15am and picnic lunch with breakfast leftovers



Our lovely French amis 



Starting out. We walked through the centre of Le Breymard 



Early steep ascent on a forestry trail 
At the top we were in the ski fields.
Husky kennel nearby



Followed the path, cow pastures and then we lost our way..
We followed a forestry path but became less certain of our way. Then we decided to cut our losses and follow the road to the next town, Finiels.



We emerged from the pine forest into a different world. A rocky moon landscape and villages way down on the valley floor.



Hallelujah! In Finiels we rejoined the GR70 and had lunch with some of the Belgium walking group and our German girls ..and 3 chooks and a blind Labrador.



Just out of Finiels there were two cows preening each other on the narrow path. I thought it was hilarious as walkers tried to squeeze past.



Quite a different landscape. Huge boulders teetering precariously. Then the path changed from a grassy path to a perilous danger zone for about half an hour - steep and constant.



I watched walkers below and prayed that Mark behind me was safely descending.



Amazingly he appeared unscathed. 
Our hotel is non-descript. We think we are the only guests tonight. They have put us high on the second floor (no lifts), so quite an effort to drag our bags upstairs. I’m expecting a Basil Fawlty experience as we haven’t met any staff yet.
Best thing is the town!! Quite a lot of life by the river, which we have enjoyed since showering and recovering.



As we arrived at the bar, a fellow had a huge box of mushrooms, freshly picked. Looking forward to having some on our menu soon.


Drinks with the friendly Belgium group. They were a group of 12 but in just 3 days one of the women has hooked up with a Frenchman. Now they are 11.


 
Our hotel



Dinner
Vegetable soup 
Tomato and avocado salad
Fish (maybe cod) and veg
Chestnut tart




M&M

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