This is it then, off we go. The day starts with us packing up our tents and loading up for the first stretch of Le Puy to Montbonnet.
Nice hot day and we head up to the cathedral in town to get our opening stamps. Of course it’s the Day of the Assumption and we bowl in shortly before the 10am mass (big deal, being broadcast across France) and the bishop who I stumble across doesn’t appreciate my presence.
They sort of shuffle us around the outside of cathedral, get our stamps and away we go.
First section is a heavy climb out of Le Puy into the hills, everyone gets to suffer right out of the box. It’s a beautiful trip across an old volcanic plateau for 9kms until we reach St Christophe sur Dolaison for lunch. It’s a funny little town with one over expensive restaurant and one rugged little cafe/bar. As we are priced out of one location and slightly afraid of the other, we eat our own lunch of croissants with cheese and sausage.
Max is doing a great job carrying his load, and Nate as well to be fair. It’s not an easy start, we gain 600m through the day. By the time we get to Montbonnet everyone is feeling every step, faces are dropping. The Miam Miam Dodo entry for Montbonnet says it has a campground but that’s not true. When we ask a local where we can camp he offers us his paddock if we can’t find anything better. People are kind out here.
After a pilgrim’s dinner at the St Jacques snack bar in Montbonnet (and a beer, and a couple oranginas) we decide to head further out and wild camp in the forest at the top of the pass above town towards St Privat d’Allier. We find a little hole in the trees and set up our tents. It doesn’t take long for everyone to pass out.
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What an adventure loving your blog 😄