Day 34 - Nagoro - Aire-Sur-L’Adour - 4 June

Time Departed: 7.45am

Time Arrived: 2.30pm

Distance: 24kms 

Cumulative Distance: 592kms

Percentage Completed: 77% (974,800)

Weather: Overcast, rain and storm 

Accommodation: N’Atura Hotel 

Feelings: Neil - Happy, Henk - Good,  Di - Relaxed 

We had another early breakfast so we could arrive earlier before the afternoon’s forecast storm. It was easy walking once again and we have moved into a major corn growing area. We walked in covered woods, alongside farmland and small country roads. There were acres and acres of newly planted corn as well as the ripening wheat. 

We also passed by many very old buildings, some had been renovated and were habitted and others has obviously been vacated many years ago.

Today seemed to be a day of socialising. We caught up with London Charlotte and Kevin at the halfway point of our walk at twelve kilometres. This was at Lelin Lapujolle where there was a cafe. It was about ten thirty and we made very good time due to the easy terrain so we spent a while at the cafe. It served excellent ham and cheese baguettes. We met two Aussies, David and Deb both from Melbourne and had a great chat. David’s wife Kelly decided to take a bus to Aire-Sur-L’Adour and have a rest day so David was walking by himself. 

The early afternoon was frustrating due to the changing weather. It would rain hard enough that we had to stop and put on our wet gear and then it would immediately stop. This was repeated a number of times during the afternoon. 

We could see and hear the storm building in the distance and about two kilometres from our destination of Aire-Sur-L’Adour we knew we had to try and find shelter. It was timely that we came upon a bar/cafe on the edge of Barcelona-du-Gers. Many other walkers had the same idea. We joined Charlotte and Kevin, Deb and a German woman at a long table and spent an hour chatting whilst the storm went over us. As soon as it cleared we headed straight to Aire-Sur-L’Ardour. 

After we settled into our hotel and showered we walked the short distance across the Ardour River into the town’s centre. We walked around for about an hour before seeing Charlotte and Kevin sitting outside a bar and we joined them. Aussies David and his wife Kelly arrived soon after. It was great to sit and relax and compare walking stories. We were then joined by English Tom. We hadn’t seen him since Lectoure but we caught up with him today as he had a rest day. It was good to see him again and he joined us for dinner at a local restaurant.

Tomorrow is a rest day for us. It is the last one of our walk before we reach St Jean-de-Pied-de-Port.