This morning I rose early. As my hostess and I had agreed, breakfast was timed for seven o’clock. It was excellent: muesli with yogurt, three different types of bread, with a choice of jams, orange juice and coffee. And so, well replenished, I was on the trail by seven thirty. My hostess of the overnight was only charging €53 for the total of dinner, bed and breakfast. It seemed totally unreasonable, so naturally I gave her more.
I soon had a choice to make: take the direct route into Saint Genix, or follow the trail. I chose to follow the trail because it would bring me by Pigneux church, which the guide book seemed to think was worth seeing. It wasn’t. Saintt Genix is a busy little town, and I did not hang around, but immediately hit the trail for Romagneiu. Leaving Saint Genix also meant leaving Savoie, and entering the department of Isere.
A few kilometers out of Saint Genix, the waymarks on the trail were different from what the guide book seemed to think was the real route. I followed the waymarks, and the difference was minor. After the village of La Bruyere, I again had a choice to make. I could take a short cut, or follow the trail. I chose again to follow the trail, which in this case was not the best decision. I reckon the trail was close to two kilometers longer than the short cut. Part of that was because again the waymarks were different from the guide book. While the first time that happened, the distances were approximately equal, this time they were not, and so I took longer than planned to reach Les Arbets.
Les Arbets is a busy town, and I have to say that I was disappointed with it. Every other town seemed to consider that the pilgrimage route was part of its heritage, and was accordingly proud of that, but Les Arbets seemed not to care. The church was closed. Surely the church is the focal point for any pilgrim to make a stop, but not if it is closed. I stopped for lunch at a local café, and again, the café seemed to make no link to the Chemin de Saint Jacques. So after lunch I left town immediately. There was no pint in hanging around.
From Les Arbets, the route took me on to Valencogne. The route for this stage was very much through farmland. Corn is a major crop, right now either waiting to be harvested, or just harvested and the farmers are ploughing the land again. Valencogne does publicise its links to the Chemin de Saint Jacques, both in the décor of the local church, and the statue that shows the way to the day’s destination, Le Pin.
Again today, I had no problems with the waymarking. Not only do they tell you which way you should go, but in many cases, they will tell you what not to do. In the example that I am showing here, the scallop shell is telling the wayfarer to go left, while the one with the X is saying not to go straight on. I also came across a private residence offering water to the traveler. Water is a precious commodity on this route, and it seems like no matter how much I carry or how much I drink during the day, I am always thirsty at days end. So any place that offers water is much appreciated. And in Valencogne itself, it seemed like the saint himself was there to guide the traveler.
The route from Valencogne to Le Pin follows a ridge. It should be a “balcony route” with views of the countryside below, but since most of it is through forestry, this is not possible. This is about the best view I saw.
And so I reached Le Pin. I am staying in a “Chambre d’hote” again. This one is not as good as last night, but good enough. I have just had dinner with the couple who run the place, and it was a very good dinner. So now I will sleep to prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow is scheduled to be a tough day!
And the step count from today? 53,000.
Walkingman 