A late start after suggesting a nice gentle short half-day of walking just over the hill to the next village to Nick and Katie and then facing our soggiest worst weather conditions yet... climbing steep paths to a village in the clouds, pre-lunch refreshments at an auberge with happy sunflowers, emerging into gentle rain with collies to guide us on our way, seeking out a suitable spot for lunch, the rain getting heavier, deciding "suitable" meant a soggy spot under the nearest tree as the rain began to pour and the path turned into a stream, Nick uttering the words "well at least that thunderstorm in the forecast hasn't hit us yet" and seconds later boom ! Thunderbolts of lightning! Increasingly soggy feet, negotiating muddy quagmires and Gavin's boot sinking totally under the mud, cresting the col and heading down through ferny moorland, zigzag paths overlooking the village as the rain finally died down, excellent hanging baskets to cheer us up as we entered the town seeking warmth and shelter and finding a cosy B&B for the night and an excellent restaurant for dinner.
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We stayed in a lovely Chambres d’hôtes, Les Noisetiers which was warm, cosy, charming and run by a lovely couple who prepared the most amazing breakfast the next morning. There were so many kinds of jam and honey, including a chestnut one which was absolutely incredible We ate dinner in a quirky restaurant called Le Chante-Coq They had an excellent wine list and were perfectly happy to prepare us a veggie meal even though there was nothing on the menu.
The Vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 5h51
Peak: 1608m
Total ascent: 781m
Total descent: 621m
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