Haven’t posted a walk for a couple of weeks, tho’ have been walking a fair bit here and there - we did almost 20kms one day in Bilbao en route to the Guggenheim, albeit due to getting lost after I authoritatively said, “We can just go down the next street instead.” Later, this was compounded by the other half of the party navigating with her phone the wrong way round. Eventually we realised the street pattern wasn’t a grid system, but radial…
As for the Guggenheim - the triumph of architecture over art - much preferred its much smaller forerunner in Weil am Rhein
Closer to home, last week we did a new walk in a bit of the southern Cantal, but I was so busy recounting our Spanish adventures that I forgot about taking photos until we were halfway through the morning and by that time there seemed little point, though in my defence it was all a bit flat and boring - fields and cows stuff, so nothing noteworthy apart from a rather sad, dried up little lake.
Then on Sunday morning, we resumed our habitual walks along the Lot to the auberge in the next village, and although the day warmed up later , when we set off it felt like autumn had finally arrived…
Gigi deciding if it’s really worth bothering with a chestnut when there’ll be apples or walnuts further along the path
An autumnal glimpse of chez nous on the far bank
Don’t recall including a jogging photo before., To their left is the Rodez to Figeac railway embankment (1871) one train an hour plus the 22.15 overnight sleeper to Paris (more attractive imagined than in reality).
A slower mode of travel, perfect for a Sunday morning
There’s Badger and there’s Bodger…
Sunday morning…
Of course these Sunday strolls to the auberge aren’t proper randos cos although it’s 10kms, they’re just an undemanding stroll along the river, whereas this week’s proper walk was a bit more demanding, being a few hundred metres above the Lot rather than alongside it.
It was also a tad more shambolic as the weather forecast seemed to be changing by the minute between orages, rares averses and just dry. Secondly the new system of sending a GPS meeting point by Signal failed because the area around the meeting place didn’t have cell phone reception and so there was lots of driving up and down lots of those cliff side tracks where you dread meeting an oncoming vehicle and where there’s nowhere to do a five or seven point turn.
Nevertheless eventually everyone made it to the starting point and off we went (though Lupo had doubts about the right direction…)
Soon we came across a strange gate, whose purpose remained a mystery -
By now we were about 400m up and every so often there’d be a break in the forest with a glimpse of the Valley
And yes, it was raining.
Fallen trees are very common because the slopes are steep and the soils are shallow - some folk go under them and some go over: long-legged Laurie is one of the latter…
The only local architecture, but a very satisfying little building that’s still in pretty good nick
The path’s getting fainter and narrower - and not always that easy
Al the time we’re going up and down, above and below the 400m contour line but eventually we emerge on the plateau and can look back on our route. Someone with a more sophisticated watch than mine gives our altitude as 462m, whereas mine just tells me it’s well past lunchtime.
And then we head down by another chemin and eventually pick up the one we started out on. Here the hillside is too bare for trees and you can get a glimpse of what’s underneath the layer of forest
Lower down now and the weather’s picking up. the grey blob in the middle of the photo is the chateau at Vieillevie on the north bank of the Lot
Gigi’s not featured much on this walk, but she’s been ever present, so here’s one for her fans -
And soon after, after nearly four hours, we’re back at the start -
Followed by a very late lunch…
