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PROPER PILGRIM
Home to Santiago – Day 12 Bonneval to Cloyes-sur-le-Loir: 32km Eva Maria is ready with breakfast at 7. She likes to work at night, she tells us, getting inspiration in the dark, and painting. It’s a spiritual process. She’s keen that Denis and I leave together. And so we get booted up in the courtyard…
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How Do You Walk in 38°C?
Home to Santiago – Day 11 Saint-Loup to Bonneval: 20 km It is forecast to reach 38°C today. And how do you walk in that? You don’t. As negotiated the night before, to ensure an early start, I’m up at six for breakfast at 6.30 and, for once, I’m actually on time. Breakfast is in…
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THE MAGNIFICENT TWIN BAR-TABACS OF LÈVES
Home to Santiago: Day 10 Berchères-Saint-Germain to Saint-Loup: 32km My reason for leaving late today is my unexpected love affair with one of Floriane’s chickens. The big, white, non-exotic one has been following me around all morning as I pack up the tent. I feed it a few oats and from then on it just…
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BATTLING WATER SHORTAGES
Home to Santiago – Day 9 Muzy to Berchères-Saint-Germain: 39km Monday 27th July, first week completed. I have breakfast with Catherine, who has crumpets, which excites me greatly. She gives me a postcard with a piece of her art on it. I have pears from her garden and a cucumber to eat en route. She…
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NICE DAY FOR IT
Home to Santiago – Day 8 Évreux to Muzy: 35km I’m loath to leave my beautiful room in Évreux, but it’s getting a little late. Time to visit the cathedral, get the stamp and go. But it seems that Évreux has an issue with stamps. I go to the cathedral first, and I’m very happy…
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A PALACE ON THE PLAINS
Home to Santiago – Day 7 Saint-Cyr-la-Campagne to Évreux: 38km I wake up at 6.30 after a great night’s sleep. Celine’s husband, whose name I will never know, is already up and sitting in the garden. The dogs bark in excitement when I appear. I’ve heard them sniffing around the tent already this morning. And…
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LOST IN THE WOODS
Home to Santiago – Day 6 Rouen to Saint-Cyr-la-Campagne: 30km I spend longer than planned in the outskirts of Rouen looking for a charging cable, and am so annoyed about having to do this, I indulge in visits to three boulangerie-patisseries en route. It is nearly midday before I leave the city. I am walking…
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GETTING SOMEWHERE
Home to Santiago – Day 5 La Bucaille to Rouen: 27km This morning, as I’m running around the garden, spinning and flapping my arms with a tent on my back to dry it out, looking as if I’m taking part in a birdman competition, Benjamin’s mother pulls up. I remove the tent and go over…
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COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
Home to Santiago Day 4 Saint-Maclou-de-Folleville to La Boucaille: 27km Last night I had a brainwave, and this morning I am woken up by an alarm on my phone telling me to remove my underwear from the bread oven. Drying laundry while walking leads to many improvisations Buoyed up by a morning chat with Daniele,…
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NO TROUBLES AT THE MILL
Home to Santiago: Day 3 Offranville to Saint-Maclou-de-Folleville: 32km In the early hours, I realise I’ve packed for the heat, but not for a pleasantly mild spell in Normandy. I zip up my rain jacket over my legs, put on a hat and disappear into my sleeping bag. This is the first and last time…
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WHEN WALKING 