It’s a nice place to wake up to on top of Lac d’oeuf.
We pack up our gear after a cold night and start the walk towards St Privat. Grabbing a quick breakfast there we see Daan the Dutchman who left Le Puy the same day. Daan is training for Te Araroa trail in November and he proves to be a bit of a lightning rod for Nate who suddenly has the power of 10 men and furiously sets his pace to match Daan’s.
After St Privat we start our descent down in to the valley to Monistrol d’Allier for lunch. The way here is tough and steep, it would have been very difficult to pull off with a chariot or buggy for Tom, wearing him on my back (at this point) seems like the right choice.
By the time we roll in to Monistrol we are hot, overtired and overworked. The first 40kms or so out of Le Puy are some of the tougher sections and we are feeling it. By the time we’ve finished lunch here it’s clear that Tom needs a good break and we aren’t feeling much like pushing on so we decide to camp here for the night and work on the steep climb out of Monistrol to Mauntaure in the morning.
Camping down by the river is great, there’s a playground nearby for Tom (and the older two) and we have dinner just up the road at Pain de Sucre. Pizza is amazing, the apple tart great and the pilgrim’s menu is generous and delicious.
We even manage to get Tom in to bed at a reasonable time.
Next | Camino day 3 – Monistrol to Saugues
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