2nd August
Phew it is or was a couple of hours back 28 degrees and I feel sleepy and immobilised by heat. It’s Sunday and the nearby(!) supermarket closes or closed at 12. After my delicious breakfast of pain au raisins and a bowl of green tea (so much nicer than my small stainless steel cup for hot drinks) I enquires from the proprietors how long the walk is down to Bourganeuf where the shop is as I wanted to replenish my food supplies. They suggested I use the GR4 footpath rather than the roadside, so armed with their two photocopied maps, water, a snack, my GPS and socks in case my shoes wore out, I set off. Turn right at the yellow postbox in the wall. The route was indeed beautiful, through deeply wooded areas, over hills, but somewhere on the route of course I went wrong and ended up in what felt like a long hot march up a lane. The GPS seemed a little too imprecise to tell me exactly where I was and I had to ask a local in a small village exactly where the path ran. Back on course I left some arrows in stones on the path to remind me where to turn on my return journey (it was needed as I was miles away in thought when I approached them). But I was running out of time and arrived on the edge of the town at ten to twelve so darted into the welcome cool of a Spar supermarket and picked up the few things I needed. My return journey fared a little better and I found the sections of path that I had lost on the way, but I did some improvisation and arrived back hot with aching legs and a blister on my foot. As I was told, my pitch is shady though Belinda gets the heat of the sun and is draped with my towel and other ornaments. I put together a lunch of the baguette I bought this morning from the campsite and some cheese and fresh tomato from Spar. The rest of the afternoon I have spent dozing, reading more of The Old Ways which I have surrendered to enjoying, and planning tomorrow’s route to my final campsite (I think). It is only 57 miles away though the GPS says that will take two hours to get there on the main roads. On the map of the area I have plotted instead a route there all on D roads mostly small and winding through a number of small towns and villages. So a longer journey than two hours and hopefully without Saturday’s traffic queues I will stay cool.

The last site advertises its camping pitches as in the shade of a wood so it could be ideal if the weather stays hot.

in one and a half hours three course dinner is served. I really hope I can do it justice.