day 26 – draft
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Navarrenx to Uhart-Mixte
29 km today - 713  km to date

At breakfast I meet a couple who arrived yesterday from Lourdes. They are spending  a week going the other way. Their first two days will be about 15 km each.

And I encounter Marlene again. As her intentions for the day don't match mine and as she is stopping at Saint-Jean we farewell one another.

I make slow progress to Aroue, about 18 km from Navarrenx. All the churches I pass are locked. Even at Aroue, despite the Angelus bell ringing the customary pattern at midday this church is also locked.


I catch up with the GR65 pathway near Olhaiby Chapel.  The way goes through remarkable changeable country. At ons point I encounter a mob of about 100 sheep, both rams and ewes. They look as though they have been recently shorn but seem very light weight although bigger than lambs would be at two or three months. They are curious about me and turn to face me as I approach, and even push forward a bit.  I take my leave and continue up the hill.  At the top I encounter a mob of sheep in a paddock and I stop to observe them. They have some wool but it seems to stop naturally halfway down their sides. Again, as soon as they notice me they saunter down to the fence line, curious as were the others.

Time is marching on and I check where I am: I am not on the GR65.  Using the marvellous feature of my offline mapping app, I make my way towards where I want to be, Ostabat. All up I have walked more km today than indicated.

There are two of us in the gite tonight. Christian is from near Nuremberg in Germany. He has cycled from his home and by the next night expects to be in Pamplona, about 120 km away.

And so to bed.