What we didn’t really realize is that this region is so sparsely populated. It was not always easy to find a place to sleep or to eat. With the exception of a few hotels we slept mostly in Chambre d’Hôtes, were people also cooked for us. Remote places and we were always the only guests.

We slept in a Chambre d’Hôtes in a farm, run by Audry, the daughter of the family. We agreed to have breakfast at 8 o’clock in the morning. But when we got in the dining room the next morning, everything was still dark, there was no one to be seen. A car drove up and Audry got out with paper bags. She had driven to the bakery for us, about 18 km from there, the closest place to buy bread.

Further along the road we passed Capvern les Bains, an old place with thermal baths. The town consisted of hotels and a few cafes, but everything was empty and abandoned. Our hotel was located just outside the village and was fine. Fortunately, they wanted to cook for us in the evening, and again we were the only guests.

There were no catering facilities along the way and there was actually no way to find a place to rest. We passed through villages where even the Marie (the town hall) was only open for a few houres a week. There were houses, but the shutters and the gates were closed.

There were just a few towns where we slept and were we ate in a restaurant among other people in the evening. But no other hikers.

Still, it surprised us, because the surroundings are beautiful. It is mountainous, many flowers bloom and there are regular views of the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees.
We saw many Red-Kites soaring through the air. And once we saw a flock of Vultures flying from the moutains to the meadows.

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We traveled by train to the medieval town of Carcassonne in the Midi-Pyrenees and from there we went walking via the Chemin de Piemont, which largely coincides with the Gr78. It is a Camino to Santiago de Compostela, wich was used by Italians in ancient times. The route runs along the Pyrenees and via a few old towns, through Lourdes and then on to Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Carcassonne, Cabieure, Ambroisie, Mirepoix, Pamier, Montegut, Mas d’Azil, Saint Girons, Juzet-d’Izaut, Saint Bertrand-de-Comminges, Montrejeau, laBastide, Bagneres-de-Bigorre, Lourdes

We walked to Lourdes and took the train to the coast, to St. Jean-de-Luz. From there we walked to Spain and walked a few sections of the Camino del Norte to Bilbao.