We start the day near Château Peyrepetuese with a slight climb, soon leveling off we contour the hillside.
We arrive in an open grove and stop for a small snack. We are surrounded by blackberry bushes with limbs stretching outward in all directions.Lower down are what looks like blueberries but they’re not. Leaving the outcropping, bouquets of lavender line the single track and I carry a few sprigs in my chest pocket.
The single track continues into a wooded section which is lovely. I hang back and walk alone listening to the breeze rushing through the trees and birds singling happily. The trail descends and then emerges out of the woods where we have a view of the gorge we will be walking toward.
We break for lunch on a rocky cliff side overlooking Saint Paul de Fenouillet where we later will stop for wine tasting on our way to our hotel in Espéraza.
Trail is obnoxiously rocky, ankles and feet aching for smoother terrain. This rock is black and the heat radiates upward. Fortunately the exposure on this part is short. Red winged grasshoppers springing in front of me guiding the way.
