April 25: Lonely as a cloud...

Last night we had our first taste of “aligot”, a regional staple, best described as a cheese fondu thickened with mashed potato. It was, apparently, developed by the local monasteries, who needed something to feed the many pilgrims to whom they offered hospitality. Typically made with the local tomme cheese (a heavy cow’s milk cheese that gives that stringy, gooey texture), the arrival of the potato in the 16th Century finalized the recipe. It certainly is excellent fuel. We were completely stuffed after a relatively small bowl of the stuff.

Knowing them mainly as garden bulbs, I had not realised just what marsh plants wild daffodils are. Today, we alternated between rolling heathland studded with rocky outcrops and marshy valleys, which were full of daffodils. I said to Carey that today felt like walking in the Yorkshire Dales, but perhaps, the Lake District was a more apt comparison (a la Wordsworth, wandering “lonely as a cloud”).

The line “all at once I saw a crowd” was doubly pertinent today. It’s Saturday and, not only were there daffodils everywhere, there were also noticeably more walkers, as well as more cars (on the roads), clearly touring the rolling views and meandering rivers. We are saying this every day, but it truly is beautiful country here. It isn’t “spectacular”. There aren’t soaring cliffs or raging waterfalls. Instead, it is sweeping, productive, pastoral and yet also a place for solitude, “free” if not “wild”: verdant and full of life.

The higher land looks like “sheep country” to me, but isn’t farmed. It teems with green hairstreak butterflies, which really only thrive in very clean air, and which I have never before seen for myself. Lower down, I saw clumps of striking purple pasque flowers, which I also don’t remember ever seeing before. We were also stepping over caravans of freshly hatched caterpillars crossing the trail nose-to-tail in what I can only call “clumps”, in search of food and shelter – another new phenomenon.

Today was also my first (ever) camino day in shorts. Having slathered myself in Factor 50, the burn quotient is fine (maybe a very slight pink). Even the bite count is low. We walked 27km today, which took a little under 5 ¾ hours – plenty of time to burn as there was little shade. So, I’m very satisfied. I did spend part of the day walking in shorts and gloves, but we all have our quirks.

Our hostel this evening is about 2km out of town, so we will have to head back in shortly to find food. We checked in at a local bar behind the church and were simply told to let ourselves in. So, we did. It’s clean and comfortable, but it’s just a bit odd – wandering behind the empty desk to take a room key. The communal nature of French hiking culture is evident again. It’s very much an honour system. I had to stop random strangers twice to find the building, but we got here successfully.