Via Podiensis
Day 19 Grizou to Lauzerte
4th May 2015
| Distance |
Time |
Elevation in meters |
Km |
Elapsed
Hrs-Mins |
Moving
Hrs-Mins |
Gain |
Loss |
Min |
Max |
| 20.7 |
6H08 |
4H56 |
336 |
476 |
125 |
283 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After Grizou we were walking on a white sticky clay; in no time your boots became
clogged up and double their normal weight
It was a pleasure to get off the clay and on to tarmac as we approached Montcuq
A Marian shrine
A coffee shop..... and it was open!
Trevor, Renée and Mick
Eglise St Hilaire
Camille, who I first met at Auberge Le Sauvage de Gévaudan,and Nicolas arriving in Montcuq
Looking back towards Montcuq as we headed to Lauzerte
Near Lauzerte we came across Rachel and her father Michel again. We had
bumped into them several times along the route and they had been camping/bivvying
. Rachel had unfortunately hurt her leg and thought that her Camino may be over.
A lizard emerging from his home, a Camino route marker!
Approaching Lauzerte
Lauzerte, set on a hill, was originally an ancient Gallic settlement. Its current name dates back to 1000 AD. From the Latin "lucerna" or lamp it commands an ideal position, shining from afar like a light.
Towards the end of the 12th century, the Count of Toulouse undertook to build a castenau - a city protected by a castle - on the hill. From a strategic as well as an economic viewpoint, it was an instant success. Two hundred plots of land for building on were distributed to settlers, lured by opportunity.
Towards 1200 AD, Lauzerte stretched along one main road to the north, while a pathway led along its south side. The space between these two routes became rapidly populated, and the town square was modelled. Later on suburbs gradually developed and urbanised this fortified site. An important stop for pilgrims on their way to Compostelle, Lauzerte became a prosperous trading town bustling with life, as shown by its medieval houses. It remains one of the most picturesque and best examples of castenau towns in the whole of Midi. |
Accommodation Notes
Gite-Chambre d'hotes Les Figuiers
Chemin du Coudounier,
82110 Lauzerte
Tel 05-63-29-11-85
Although it does not look so impressive from the outside, Les Figuiers was a really good place to stay
and the proprietor "Michel de Lauzerte" could not have been kinder or more helpful
The bag transport company doing good business...... which explains why
so many people had day packs only for walking.
My room
View from my room
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