Philip's Blog

Thursday 31st August

Breakfasted on five different types of honey. The gite owners are renowned throughout the area for their honeys and sell them daily at local markets. Set off for the dramatic Roche de France, a craggy peak on the French/Spanish border. On the way we stumbled upon a once-ruined farm that eemed to have been taken over by hippies. As we passed by we got into conversation with a 20-something blonde girl who turned out to be English. She was on an assignment for the World Organisation for Organic Farming and what looked like an illegal squat was actually an organic farm. But it was in the middle of nowhere. The nearest road was more than half an hour's slog away! After another hour or so of climbing we reached the peak and took an hour-long lunch break gazing at distant views of the Spanish Pyrenees disappearing into a heat haze 100 miles away. Just before it was time to set off again a group of Ospreys flew overhead, a rare and thrilling sight. The beech forest on the French side of the border ridge was simply majestic. We met up with two German lads, Toby and Fabian and walked in to Las Illas, a small village with two Gites d'étape and a restaurant. Afet some beers with the German lads we checked into our gite before having a well-deserved restaurant meal.