When I last wrote we were at Happy Coulson, the gite of the Coulson family - Chris, Kate and their children, and Wolfie the dog. We had a very comfortable night there, and delicious dinner and breakfast. The farmhouse is large and in two main sections, and two storeys. The country kitchen (with a gorgeous view to the Pyrenees), dining room, guest rooms (dortoirs et chambres, ie dormitories and private rooms) loos and bathrooms, occupy what was once a large barn. Chris and Kate have renovated the old barn to such a high standard, and decorated comfortably and beautifully with photos from their travels to far flung places.
Chris and Kate, both former journalists, relocated from the UK to the farm about four years ago, in search of a gentler life. The farmhouse and barn were in a poor state and they planned to renovate over time with Chris doing as much of the work as possible. Four years later, they've made impressive progress. Their children are 'in the French system' now, Chris explained, for schooling, sport, etc. To ensure they all become truly bilingual, everything outside the house is in French, and everything inside is in English.
Their road to becoming gite owners welcoming pilgrims was an accidental one - as it was for Edna, but in a different way. Chris told us that they had arrived at the farm in February four years ago, with no thought at all of a B&B, chambre d'hôte or gite. Two months later, on Good Friday, he looked out over one of their fields and noticed some hikers walking by and wondered if they were walking on his property. And then some days later, a few more.
The next time Chris went to the Mairie's office (the mayor's office) in the village, he mentioned it. The Mairie explained that they could be weekend hikers but would most likely be pilgrims walking on The Way. And the path (The Way) runs directly adjacent to Chris and Kate's farm. Like Edna before him, Chris had no idea what the Mairie was talking about. He was about to get a quick lesson in all things pilgrim, pelerin, the Chemin d'Arles and The Way to Santiago de Compostela. Chris was taken aback - he and Kate have travelled extensively and hiked in many countries, but had never heard of the Caminos de Santiago
After the crash course in Caminos and pilgrims, the Mairie told Chris that the village used to have a gite for pilgrims, but it had closed some years before. Perhaps it was something Chris and Kate should think about if they are renovating the farmhouse and barn? After all, their property is on The Way and could be an interesting and good business for them. And so ...
The two French girls - Sophie and Amandine - were also at Happy Coulson, arriving some hours after us. The night before they had stopped about 6-7 kms before us, and planned to do the same the next night but when they got to the town of Maubourguet (a sizeable town) neither the gite nor any of the chambre d'hotes were open! The French and I had stopped there for lunch in the local bar and there was a lot of talk and excitement about a rugby match, so I'm guessing that was the reason for the 'shutdown'. So the girls had to walk on for another hour and a half - so we were four.
We saw Sophie and Amandine again today - they stopped at Lescar, the town before us, but we are all planning to walk to Oloron Saint-Maire tomorrow, which will be the last day of their 10 days of walking. The French and I chose to walk similar distances today and tomorrow. The girls chose a shorter day today and longer tomorrow. But we hope to meet them for an aperitif and Bon voyage in Oloron tomorrow night. They are two of only five other pilgrims we have seen since leaving Toulouse more than a week ago.
Since yesterday morning when we left the Coulson's gite, the Pyrenees have been magnificently back in view after being hidden behind mist and cloud for much of the past week. We are just a few days away from crossing the mountains into Spain, and some decisions will need to be made. Firstly, whether we can cross on foot as planned - this will depend entirely on the weather and how much snow is still on the path. If we are able to make the crossing on foot, the next decision is whether to do that over three days or two. We will be in a better position to decide once we are in Oloron and can get good local advice from the 'friends of the Chemin' association or the Office de Tourismo.
I am both excited and apprehensive about the prospect of crossing the Col du Somport on foot. If it's anything like our Pyrenees crossing via the Napolean Route (from St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles, almost the same time, to the day, two years ago) there's good reason to be nervous. And that was only one day, albeit in bitter wind and rain. The French is of course calm, comme toujours. I think some apprehension is healthy in the circumstances. But, at the same time, I hope the snow has melted enough that we get the chance to give it a shot.
But first tomorrow, nous marchons. We walk.
J x
