day 16 – draft
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Moissac to Auvillar Saint Antoine
30 km today - 445 km to date

Rather than take the more direct route from the gite I deliberately go through the town centre before heading west out of town for some more photo opportunities in the early morning light, and seem to get a good crop.

I am soon on the pathway: here it is on the left bank of the canal I walked along to the east of Moissac yesterday. And it goes on for 16 km with the railway from Toulouse to Bordeaux and a major road on the other side.  It is very relaxing with the pathway between the canal and large tall trees: my guess is these trees help stabilise the embankment on this side.  Not long after starting I pass a young woman from Paris: This is her first day.  After a while there is a very light drizzle but the trees soak it up and none hits the pathway.  But a younger man who had passed me while I had slowed up looking for a loo stop, stops to put on his wet weather gear.  He starts slightly ahead of me but I soon pass him.

At the 16 km mark the path crosses over to a village on the right bank: as it is time for a break I look for a bar (as they do the coffees) but nothing I pass is open.  So back over the Two Seas Canal a short way on and then continue on the same bridge over the mighty River Tarn and head towards my target of Auvillar about 4 km ahead.

The drizzle begins again in earnest and just as I decide to put my poncho on, an elderly car stops beside me (I am on the right hand side of the road) driven by an elderly man who asks if I would like a ride to Saint Antoine.  I know this is a town on the way after Auvillar and accept quickly.  We cross the mighty River Garonne (which is soon to be joined by the Tarn and some distance on pass Bordeaux on its way to the Atlantic Ocean).  The driver is a gem: rather than just go straight to Saint Antoine he deliberately circles around the (restored) around medieval covered market place and other parts of this town.  My driver is known to the gite manager at Saint Antoine and all is made smooth.

Some considerable time later the chap who I had passed arrives and has a place in the same dorm as me: his name is Damien.  He, I and two middle aged women staying in the gite have a pilgrim meal together in a restaurant 50 metres away.  Towards the end of the meal a British couple join us as they have been told there is an English speaking pilgrim wearing a kilt is there and we talk about Britain leaving the EU: they don't want it to happen as they have lived in France for more than 20 years.

And so to bed.