After a fairly late night we awoke to another misty morning. Breakfast started at 7:15am, so we managed to get away reasonably early, just before 8am in light rain/scotch mist which was lovely after the heat of the last few days and which lasted for most of the morning.
Vers was off the GR 36, which is the path we follow into Cahors, so we had to backtrack a couple of kms to the crossroad at which the GR 46 joins the GR 36. Fortunately we were not covering old ground because this was the section we got ride past yesterday – once we got to the crossroads it was obvious we cut closer to 6km out yesterday, so really lucky we took the ride.
After following the Lot for a bit, we headed uphill to get to the crossroads, which was a fairly poor track. You can see the size rock that has been dumped on it to prevent erosion of the path – it is bloody hard to walk on!
We zigzagged around the hills between Béars and Galessie-Bas, mostly through oak forest with the occasional cut through paddocks, before rejoining the Lot where we had a break and some morning tea.
We followed the Lot all the way into Cahors, taking a variant that meant we didn’t have to cut uphill and away from the river for about 5km to pass a church and then return to the river! The walk along the Lot was very pleasant, mostly in shade, and wedged between fields or market gardens and the river. We got some great views of the village of Laroque-des-Arcs across the river from us, and before too long arrived on the outskirts of Cahors.
The river meanders around the town, so it is quite a long walk from when you can first see Cahors to the bridge on which the GR 65, which we now rejoin, crosses into the town.
This marks the end of our excursion along the Célé and the Lot valleys and we return to the main route. It’s been a bit of a mixed bag, partly due to the weather and too the problems with Al’s eye and has certainly been much more isolated and rustic than I expected.
We sat down at bar in Cahors at about 1:30pm, so we were on the road for about 5 1/2 hours for 20km and now 351km in total. We’re in a nice new hotel overlooking the western part of the river and just a step away from the route out of town. Rest day tomorrow then back on the track😎.
steelewalking 