this day.

Bages and a pleasant odour of jasmine(or was it acacia) fills my morning thoughts with peace. Fourteen kilometres before a break. A natural and coffee break. Just prior to 10 and another 2/3 hours will deliver me to? I will need lunch, then locate the hotel. Back to the Boulanger on the main street for a bag of a local flavour La Rousquille as elevensies at ten as the breeze stiffens from the west off Canigou.

Last leg of today. Just over 5kms to go. Heading to the Tech river then west to Le Boulou. Too early for repase at midi in the last village: but the Brasserie doesn't serve food anyway... It's a pleasure today in the sun taking all the cobwebs away that have hung heavier and heavier, weighing terribly on my body and soul.

Don't kick dogs, especially French German shepherds. Is it going to rain? Doesn't matter. The second half of today was so off the scale as I followed insignificant paths with no clear way to the destination I was going. A proper random Camino day. At no point did I know where I was meant to be and then I decided to follow the path which read impasse knowing it just couldn't be! Yet at the river, and the barrage into God knows where I carried on! So yet again I removed socks and shoes and gingerly moved between boulders until I had no option but to get 'wet'. Up to my nether regions but not as freezing as I expected, coming off the Pyrenees. At the otherside the path vanished, but I, fortunately, found it and then, just I was about to step back into suburbia, I saw a purple arrow. Into the haze of oak trees and bamboo I came to the canal and no way forward except up the tunnel... No chance. I skirted around and down the dry bed of a torrent and finally returned to the bank of the river. At this point it was broad and calm so I crossed back over onto the plage before coming below Le Boulou proper: great lunch, but it's none stop traffic. Tired... What next? The Pyrenees!