Camino - Moissac to St. Jean pied-de-port

MOISSAC TO ST. JEAN PIED-DE-PORT IN 14 DAYS

Day 5 - Montreal to Eauze = 18 km - this is so easy - totally flat the whole way and you can
do it in less than 4 hours. So, take your time and don't rush. Lots to see when you get there
and lots of restaurants and shops. There are no shops or bars along the way, but this walk
is sooooo short that you will be done in 4 hours if you don't stop along the way. The good
thing is that the gite is very nice, it's a lovely town, there's a Armangnac tasting shop. When
you get to Eauze head toward the Cathedral, opposite is the Office du Tourisme where you
pay for the gite and across the street in a tiny allyway is the gite - Gite d'etape, 2 rue Felix
Soules (05-62-09-85-62 or 06-71-75-55-49) If there's nobody at the tourisme, go to the gite
and there will be a sign on the front door that has the bed reservations on it. You can write
your name on it, there is a dorm on the 2nd floor, opposite the kitchen, or 2 dorms on the
3rd floor. 8E a night and you can cook here. Casino shop, lots of specialty shops and
boulangeries. There is also a Champion grocery store (very large) on the way into the
village, you will walk past it. You can use internet here but it is very expensive and slow,
tourisme can tell you where.

Day 6 - Eauze to Nogaro = 20 km - Nice walk, nothing too strenuous. Restuarants/Epicerie
in Nogaro. This is a pleasant day of rolling hills and quiet roads and walking through fields.
There is an epicerie in Manciet - 11km from Eauze - but it closes at noon. So, take lunch
with you. Nogaro has a pretty nice gite in a sports complex, as you approach town do not
head for the Cathedral, it's on the edge of town near the Champion grocery store. This does
book up quickly, so phone ahead Gite d'etape, avenue des sports Nogaro (05-62-69-06-15)
9E in room, 7E in dorm - take a room if you can get one! kitchen available but there is a
restaurant in the village with wonderful food and cheap! The lady at the gite told us about it
and made the reservation for us, so ask her about it. The restaurant is at the 2 star
Hotel-restuarant Le Commerce, 2 place des Cordeliers. If I remember correctly dinner was
10E for 3 courses and wine. Tomorrow is a long day so get lots of rest and plan your trip.

Day 7 - Nogaro to Aire-sur l' ADour = 30 km (I'll give you a short cut that will take off
anywhere up to 6 km) - be carefull when you are nearing Barcelonne-du-Gers - if you stay on
the trail you will end up doing about 40 km, as I did... so take the main road into and through
Barcelonne-du-Gers and it will take you directly into Aire. There is no food until you get to
Barcelonne. When leaving Nogaro, do not take the GR, walk through town past the
Cathedral and take the small road to the right of the N124 (main, busy road) that directs you
to Arblade-de-Haut. If you look at your Chemin du Puy on page 145, the map will show you a
green path leaving Nogaro (VTT), take this route. It's a much nicer, easier walk through this
part and will save some time.   When you meet up with the N124 you will walk on the left
side of the road for about 1 km before getting back on the GR. Follow the GR again until you
come to a path that crosses over the railway tracks and takes you to a main road - this is
about 10+km of walking along the trail - You will walk past a bench that and cooler that an
old farmer puts out for the pelerin - take a rest and refill water from bottles in cooler, also he
usually puts fruit or tomatoes in it for pelerin. He's quite a character and will visit with you if
he sees you hanging around on his bench. Ok, from this point is where you will walk a bit
further parallel to the railway tracks, then cross over the tracks and walk to the main road - if
you look right you will see the town of Barcelonne, walk along the road into the town - Do
Not walk straight across the road as it will take you on a 10+km hike up and down the hills
and doesn't actually end up in Aire sur l'Adour!!! When you look at your map you will see the
railway track and the D935 road, take that. Then from Barcelonne, take the main road to
Aire. It's not too busy and wide sidewalks - trust me on this one. The gite in Aire is at the
end of the road near the Office du Tourisme, it's about 1km from town but very nice and you
can cook - Centre de loisirs, quartier de la plaine, Aire sur l'Adour (05-58-71-61-63) email:
centre.de.loisirs.aire@wanadoo.fr 8E a night in dorm. Good restaurants/bars, etc in Aire.
Stay in town and check out the sights, lots to see. If you decide to stay at one of the farms
that offers b&b to pelerin, don't stay at Ferme Crabot - food was awful and it wasn't that clean
- owned by Mr et Mme Porte, quartier de Guillon - I hear that Ferme de Beret is good. You
will also see lots of hotel and farm (Ferme) advertisements along the way where they will
come and pick you up and then drop you off the next day back on the trail - some are better
than others and usually you have to do demi pension. If you really want to take the short cut
all day, then when you reconnect with the N124 after the VTT, stay on it all the way in to
Barcelonne, it can be busy at times but will save you time and energy, then D 935 to Aire -
see how you feel. Possibly internet here, but it will depend on day/time, etc., as to when/if
it's open - Ask at Tourisme.

Day 8 - Aire to Arzacq = 32 km - nice walk, bit hilly in places but at this point you'll be fine -
not severe hills.   This is a long day with nowhere to get food on the way - It shows that there
is an epicerie in Miramont-Sensacq, but it's never open! There are some farms along the
way that you might catch open that sell wine, foie gras, rillettes, but if it's lunch time you're
out of luck. This is a day where it's best to stick with the GR, as you can easily get lost trying
to take short-cuts, unless you have the topo map for this area. Exceptions: approaching
Latrille the GR takes you toward and past the Church - don't bother it's just an extra km out of
your way, keep following the road toward Lamenchaou - you'll see what I mean on pg. 151 of
Chemin du Puy. You can also take the variante after Lamenchaou and bypass
Miramont-Sensacq altogether and save a bit of time and a couple of hills. In Arzacq, stay at
the Centre d'accueil, place du Marcadieu (05-59-04-41-41) - As you enter the town there is a
bank straight ahead, on the right side of it is the GR to leave the next day - Go left as you face
the bank entering the main part of the town, and further down on the right side past the hotel
is the gite. 8E a night, small dorms - you can cook here for a small fee, get the demi
pension for about 19 E ( I wouldn't, the food's not that good although b'fast is cheap and
good and you can pay separate for that), or go out to dinner. Excellent restaurant is:
Cafe-restaurant-pizzeria des Sports, place de la Republic (as far to the right of the bank as
the gite is to the left) It's on the same side as the post office and further down - not the bar
near the cathedral. I think I have the name right, but if not it has a red awning with white
letters - dinner starts at 7 or 7:30pm in the restaurant. There is an epicerie across the street
from the gite to get lunch for the next day, nothing along the way.

Day 9 - Arzacq to Pomps = 21 km - quite a hilly day and I think this is when you start to get
your first glimpse of the Pyrenees - hope it's a clear day for you. This is a nice day in good
weather, take a picnic with you and rest along the way. As you are leaving Uzan (16km) up
past the church and road on right, there is a home on the right side that welcomes pelerin,
watch for the shells and signs and go to the shed at the back - they have a journal for pelerin
to write in, the lady bakes cakes (delicious), there is juice and maybe hot water for tea if the
weather is cold. Pomps is a tiny village and the gite is as the back of the sports centre,
there is a farm next door with an epicerie, the lady there makes wonderful local dishes that
she has puts in jars to sell to pelerin - her cassoulet is to die for! Make sure you ask for the
one that she makes, not the store bought can. No restaurants here so you cook in a nice
kitchen with big showers off the kitchen. Gite (05-59-81-65-12) 5E a night in dorm.

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