As I write, I am on my way to Cahors. I should have been there last autumn, but things did not go according to plan. I was meant to have completed all the French sections of my walk to Santiago in 2018, but it didn’t happen. And so it is only now that I am getting there. As I think about it, and why I didn’t complete my plans last year, I am reminded of an interview I once heard with the writer Maeve Binchy. She remarked how so many people said to her that they would love to write a book, “if they could find the time”. Maeve Binchy said she always told those people that you will never “find” time. There are those who will happily take your time from you, and so you have to jealously guard it. But she also remarked that even if you guard against the time stealers, that is no good if you do not put it to good use. Many of those who say they cannot find the time for some worthy endeavor are also those who waste time, whether lying in bed or in frivolous pursuits.
I have learned my lesson. The experience of last year has shown me that time is precious, and that there are people and events that will take my time if I let then. And so it is that I have jealously guarded these two weeks in May, refusing all who wished to take them from me, and now I am on my way. It is a day’s journey to get to Cahors where I finished last time. Today is the travel day. Tomorrow the walking starts. The books and the maps promise me that this section will be flatter and more open that much of the previous walking, So I am looking forward to long distances each day, hopefully in Sunshine all the way, though that might be too much to expect.
I have calculated on thirteen days of walking to reach St. Jean-Pied-de-Port, with a total distance of about 370km. Let’s see how it goes.
Walkingman 
Good Luck 🍀👍 😉
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