Le Puy Camino – via Podiensis: La Romieu to Condom

May 1, 2023

Today’s walk to Condom would take me 14.5 kilometers through yet another muddy trail day! It was an easy route except for the delays when I had to scrap mud from my boots!

There were a couple of highlights along the Way today worth mentioning. In Castelnau-sur-l’Auvignon, I passed by a unique war memorial with some interesting albeit sad history. On June 21, 1944, a battle took place here between multi-national resistance fighters and troops of the German occupation of France. The out-numbered resistance fighters were forced to evacuate and suffered the loss of 19 heroic freedom fighters. This memorial commemorates their bravery in the face of insurmountable odds.

A short walk from Castelnau-sur-l”Auvignon, through a countryside filled with vineyards, I came upon the Chapelle Sainte-Germaine de Baradieu. This lovely 12 century Romanesque chapel is all that remains of an ancient monastery. I took a break here and walked around the grounds and inside the church.

Above – inside the church and the entrance courtyard…

After leaving the church, the GR65 runs alongside the Lac de Bousquetara for a short distance. I noticed some “boondocking” campers on the shoreline.

I enjoyed the company of a couple of gentleman pilgrims for part of my walk today. They were from Paris and one of them had studied at New York University and spoke very good English. They informed me that during the trail tomorrow there is a section that should be avoided due to very steep, muddy terrain and provided me with a detail of an alternate route. I very much appreciated this!!

When I arrived in Condom, I found a nice spot to have a cold beer and rest before finding my gîte – Gîte d’étape Le Réconfort. The gîte was okay. My only complaint is that there wasn’t a real good system in place to wash and clean boots! I ended up having to take a dishpan with water to the back alley and scrub them with a brush. I admit to being in a very ugly mood for a bit that night!! My boots needed to get dry and stuffing them with newspaper did not help matters. It would prove to be an issue in subsequent days.

I spent some time in the evening trying to plan out the rest of the trip’s accommodations. With the Victory Day holiday coming up, some gîtes were closed. As with much on the Way, it all works out in the end!