Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: Figeac to Béduer

April 17, 2023

Today, our walk between Figeac and Béduer would be a short walk – only 12 kilometers or close to 7.5 miles. The weather is clear and sunny. It’s interesting to note there is a popular alternate route that leaves Figeac called the Rocamadour variant. It detours through the Célé Valley and rejoins the GR65 in Cahors. The village of Rocamadour is situated on a cliff and was a very significant stop for the ancient pilgrims. It is apparently a beautiful route and perhaps one day I will walk this section.

We stayed on our original course and followed the GR65 out of town. The path climbs steeply out of Figeac before leveling off and traversing the countryside. From Figeac to Béduer, there is but one small town that we pass through and we were warned that there probably would be no place to find food along this section. So, we both packed a picnic lunch!

Spring is definitely settling in and the signs are everywhere – spring bulbs and spring flowering shrubs and trees are a welcome site.

About 7.5 kilometers into the walk today, I reached the small village of Faycelles. What a totally sweet place!! It was here that the GR65 made a right hand turn onto the Rue de la Forge. What a pleasant surprise! It is a cobblestone “alley” that climbs up to the main part of the village.

I found a great spot to enjoy my picnic lunch on this narrow pedestrian street. My view took in the countryside below and the town buildings above. And – I was thrilled to be resting nearby one of my all-time favorite trees – a redbud in bloom!! The gardens and ancient buildings along this stretch of the path just took my breath away. I have a vivid memory of sitting on this bench in the warm sunshine basking in the beauty that surrounds me. I can still imagine the fragrance of the blossoming plants, the feel of the cobblestones under my feet and the taste of the refreshing orange I ate while resting on the bench.

After lunch, I continued up the path into the village proper.

Since it was a short walk today I popped into the Eglise Notre-Dame de Nativité in Faycelles. Interesting interior…

I left the church and headed out of town. On the edge of town, I came across an ancient tower. The sign on the tower suggests that it was a watchtower and it was restored in 2001.

As I was admiring the tower, I noticed a walled garden to my left. The sign on the wall said that it was the site of the original ancient church in Faycelles built in 1696 and later demolished in the late 1800’s. The stones of the old church were used in the foundation of the existing village church. The gate into the garden was locked. Too bad I could not see what was on the other side!

Once I passed by the edge of town, the landscape quickly turned back into rolling, green hills with the occasional homestead or, in the case below, an abandoned set of buildings.

After leaving Faycelles, I had about 5 kilometers to go before reaching my destination – the Chambre d’hôtes La Coquille in Béduer.

Planning Tip: I may have already mentioned this but I thought it worth noting again. I secured our accommodations about 3 or 4 days in advance. My preferred method of making a reservation was via email. Email addresses were included in the Miam Miam Dodo guide book. I could use Google Translate to compose my email in French and it also gave me a written acknowledgment in case there were any issues once we arrived. It worked really well most of the time and, even though my email was in French, the hosts could always tell that we were American by the phone number and the quirky way the French language sometimes came across in Google Translate! Many times the hosts would respond to me in English – if they could. I actually preferred they respond in French so that my language skills would improve!

There were a couple of critical turns that I had to make in order to reach Béduer since the town does not sit directly on the GR65. As I drew near to Béduer I kept a watchful eye out for signage. The first sign directed me to turn right to stay on the GR65.

The second sign indicated my detour onto the road D21 and towards the GR651 – a variant that travels through the Célé Valley and connects to the Rocamadour variant.

A short walk after making this turn and I came to a crossroads with a little picnic area that looked to be new construction. I noticed that right across the street from the picnic area was the Chambre d’hôtes La Coquille – our lodging for the night.

Since I had arrived well before check-in time, I hung out in the picnic area for awhile and also emailed our hosts to ask when I might be able to check-in. While I waited, a man pulled up in a car and checked out the picnic area. I got the impression he had something to do with the work being done. At one point, he went to his car and brought back a bag. He was excited to show me what he had collected – mushrooms!! I’m not sure what kind they were but apparently he had just foraged for them and was proud of his accomplishment.

Eventually, I heard back from our host and she let me know that our lodging door was unlocked and I could go ahead and settle in. We were to use the ground floor apartment in the cute cottage behind the main house.

One of the things I most loved about this journey was our lodging and, often times, being surprised by the quality and attention to detail that our hosts exhibited. We paid 55 euros each for this beautiful apartment complete with a kitchen and dining area. This price included dinner and breakfast. What a deal!

I settled into our spot and proceeded to hand wash some clothes and take a shower. We had some time before the evening meal and took a walk to explore the “Château de Béduer” next door. According to the website, this ancient compound has been around since the time of the Crusades. Most of the buildings that stand today date from the 13th century. Le Château and La Grange are both available for vacation rentals and special events today. Since it is privately owned and walled, we could not access the grounds or explore the Château. Bummer!! I encourage you to visit the link to the website above to get a sense of its glory today.

After wandering around, we headed back to our lodging in anticipation of a good meal! Our host brought our dinner over to us. She had prepared it in her home and it was delicious! It was a chicken dish, a pâté
of some sort?? and a nice big salad. Of course, a bottle of wine was also included! Excellent!

I can honestly say that walking every day for much of the day gives one an appetite and also makes one very thankful for a good, comfortable bed! I slept good most nights! 🙂

Tomorrow we would pay the price for a short walk today – it would be a 19 kilometer trek to the town of Cajarc. Until next time!