One of our last meals in France was prepared by a professor of French (lady standing at the back) and her husband, hosts of a B&B in a beautifully renovated, but remote, farmhouse. It was a gourmet feast of Basque specialties, shared with two pilgrim friends and two French couples taking a “long weekend” (French term) for the Armistice Day (May 8) and Feast of the Ascension (May 10) holidays.

There followed an 18 km walk through the constant clouds and drizzle to the gateway town of St Jean Pied de Port, from which in 2015 we began our laborious trek over the Pyrenees.

There were more pilgrims on this last day than we had seen the previous six days, perhaps 10 in all, including the little doggy getting a free ride from his master. Behind him you can see the contraption that another pilgrim was dragging instead of carrying his pack in his back.

So au revoir to France. We will soon be catching a bus to a train to another train to a taxi, to hopefully arrive tonight in Irun, Spain, the start of our next phase, the Camino del Norte — the camino along the northern coast of Spain. Dare we hope for some breaks in the rainy weather???