Le Puy Camino: Labastide to Montcuq

April 23, 2023

Today’s walk was very rural, quite soggy and long – 22 kilometers. It was a very pretty day, though, through agricultural lands that were bright green with the spring rains.

The day started with a pretty sunrise at our lodging in Lasbastide.

Much of the day the sky was cloud-covered and I rarely shed my rain gear! Along this section, I started to see more open fields of vineyards.

The route today alternated between minor paved roads, dirt roads and narrow dirt trails. Even though I did not see the sun, it was a good walk and very peaceful.

After about 12 kilometers, I entered the small village of Lascabanes. From a distance, the steeple of the Église Saint Georges stood out.

My Miam Miam Dodo listed several options for lunch and I landed on a small market that had made-to-order sandwiches. For a mere 5 euros, I enjoyed a delicious veggie sandwich on fresh French bread. The market – La P’tite Pause – catered to pilgrims and I came across numerous other pilgrims taking a break here.

After resting and satisfying my appetite, I continued on my way. The weather took a turn for the worse and just when I was starting to feel very damp, I came across the Chapelle Saint-Jean le Froid. The small chapel sits right on the GR65 and is a popular rest spot for pilgrims.

The interior was pretty sparse with some benches for sitting and resting. I was not the only pilgrim who was dodging the rain here!! There was a table inside where pilgrims left various items. Legend indicates there is a small spring near the church. The water flowing from this spring supposedly offered relief from rheumatism.

I hung out inside the chapel until the rain subsided and then continued onto a dirt pathway along the edge of some fields.

I was rewarded with some wildflowers blooming along this stretch of the walk! Since it was raining, I did not bring my camera out for these photos and I apologize for the blurry cell phone pictures! It was damp and I snapped the photos in a hurry!

I arrived in Montcuq and was anxious to find my lodging for the night. I needed some dry clothes and a place to warm up! I had trouble finding lodging in this town as all of the places either did not return my email or they were full. We got a line on lodging from someone named David along the way. It was a new place that was not listed in the Miam Miam yet called the Garden Lodge B&B. At 35 euros each for the night, it was a bargain. This was by far one of the most unique places that we stayed during our six week journey!

Our hosts, Jenny and Olivier, were extremely friendly and greeted me upon arrival – showing me the outside cabinet where we could leave our backpacks, wet boots, etc! They had recently renovated the old “wine cellar” into a living space and I believe we were some of the first guests that they welcomed. I loved the attention they paid to detail and some of the unique fixtures.

The only downside to this lodging was that it did not offer an evening meal typical of most gîtes. We were given a normal French-style breakfast but we were on our own to find dinner in town. This was a slight problem as it was Sunday and many places are not open. We wandered around town in search of an evening meal.

We ended up at the one bar that remained open that evening and were able to get a beer and some pizza slices. It was a very local crowd and the guy who had recommended the Garden Lodge to us, David (from England who now lives in Montcuq), was there!

Our evening at the B&B was very comfortable and I totally experienced one of my best night’s sleep here! On our way out the next morning, Jenny and Olivier and Stanley, the dog, wished us well and said good-bye from their upstairs window!