Le Puy Camino: Pilgrims Depart

It's a leisurely start to our first day as pilgrims. Today is the shortest of our walks, at only 10 km to Labastide-Marnhac and our bespoke hotel, Le Clos de la Fontaine Maison d'Hôtes de Charme & Spa. We head back to the old town of Cahors for one last wander around the historic centre. It's a Sunday and much quieter than last night's bustling atmosphere.

Les Petits Producteurs looks too good to pass up, so we stop in for a cheese platter and a glass of Malbec. It's a tradition of Le Puy that you must start your pilgrimage with a glass of Malbec (yes, you guessed it, there's no such

tradition). We've taken a liking to that inky black wine. We leave Les Petits Producteurs and Cahors at 12:30 and finally commence our walk. We take the long route around, rather than cutting across the peninsula, then turn at the Pont Valentré. As we head across, we notice a brass scallop shell set into the path, indicating we are on the right track. Once across the bridge, we are confronted with a steep climb up a cliff. The steps cut into the stone cliff face are irregular, and many require long strides to reach. It seems odd that this is what awaits on the other side of that magnificent bridge. We take our time navigating these stairs, and once at the top, we take a break to remove some layers. The day has quickly gone from seven degrees to the high teens. We are in no hurry and saunter along the track. It's a gentler incline along a pebble path once we've ascended the initial cliff face rock steps.

The path to Marnhac alternates between pebble tracks and roadsides quite regularly. We only see one other pilgrim on our walk, even though we saw

many crossing the Pont Valentré this morning. There is something magical about walking through the French countryside. The trees are starting to display their autumn colours, and scattered along the paths are a variety of small wildflowers. We pass through a few small villages, but everything is very quiet this Sunday.

We stop occasionally to drink some water; other than that, we continue on at a very slow and deliberate pace. We finally arrive at Le Clos de la Fontaine Maison d'Hôtes de Charme & Spa at 4:30pm. Our host, Didier, greets us as we arrive. He is extremely welcoming and friendly. We tell him how difficult the cliff was just after the bridge. He then tells us the history of the bridge and why it seems to go nowhere in particular. It has to do with a battle of egos hundreds of years ago between the bishop and some local businessmen. The bishop had the cathedral built with a huge dome based on the Hagia Sophia, which he had recently visited in Constantinople. Not to be outdone, the businessmen built the bridge and ensured its high towers were taller than the cathedral's dome. Its function as a bridge was simply unimportant. What was important was that the bishop would see it whenever he left the cathedral. So it simply didn't matter that it led to a cliff. During the Hundred Years' War, it was the only bridge not to be destroyed on the Lot due to its lack of strategic positioning.

Didier shows us to our room, where we have time to relax and then get ready for dinner. "Aperitifs downstairs at 7:30," he says as he leaves us to unwind. The hotel is purpose-built in French provincial design (I'm guessing), I check with Didier, "no there is no style, most important is just that people feel comfortable". Comfortable it is, and decorated with a range of antique curios. It's a very homely space. Our room faces east with a view over the village of Marnhac. Didier promises a spectacular view in the morning at sunrise. When we come to the open living and dining room for aperitifs, there are promising aromas wafting from the kitchen. Didier is cooking our dinner. There is one other guest in the house, Michele, a music industry executive from Paris. He is also walking Le Puy. Didier offers a white Malbec for the aperitif, then we sit for dinner at the large country-style dining table that could cater to ten to twelve guests. Entrée is a pumpkin, cheese, and hummus dish layered with filo pastry. That is followed by duck magret served with potato gratin and zucchini. All the produce is regional and fresh, and it’s served with a selection of Cahors Malbecs. It was a wonderful

and intimate dining experience.

In the morning its a typical French breakfast around the table. Crossaints, homemade, jam, homemade yoghurt and coffee. We introduce Michele and Didier to vegemite, as we never travel without. Their reactions are varied and hilarious, Michele mimes that he could now hop like a kangaroo, and Didier spends the next 15 minutes cracking jokes about how bad vegemite seems.

Next stop Montcug.....