_Thumbnail.JPG) | 22.06.08 Sunday
Moussac to Availles-Limousine,
A wet night with thunderstorms still raining at start time, but will probably be hot again so better get started. Breakfast in the toilet block while packing up not on the rather nice picnic table 10 yards from our tents.
Rain stops promptly as soon as we have started and got back to the disused railway line path that the GR 48 follows as far as L’Isle Jourdain where the path continues over the high viaduct over the Vienne to go west and south to who knows where. We descend a flight or two of very steep steps to the road below and are stopped by a French couple in a car driving up and down, who ask us, I think, if we have seen their escaped ram. It is white and had horns and was definitely “un mouton”. Alas we had not seen him but promise to look out, we asked every flock of contented sheep we passed but not admitted to seeing him.
The Vienne at L’Isle Jourdain is very picturesque with barrages and weirs increasing its size and with a multi arched bridge dedicated to St Sylvain with a fine statue of him on it.
It is however too early on a Sunday so we fail to find a bar to sell us a cup of coffee at this hour.
So far the day had been easy walking but now, leaving the shelter of trees and the easy level progress of the old rail bed we find the GR starts to follow a line a mile of so east of the Vienne up on high ground a couple of hundred feet above the river, unfortunately multiple small streams join our river each in its own steep sided little valley accessed by green lanes with still air, of a humidity comparable to a tropical rain forest. Occasionally we would come out on to the tops and walk through fields with a reasonable breeze and dry out but mostly perspiration dripped off being unable to evaporate.
The majority of the way from just before L’Isle Jourdain until many mile after we can hear the sound of racing cars on the ‘Circuit Automobile’ near Le Vigeant. How do the locals stand it? The noise contaminates a vast area of countryside.
Eventually we dropped down to the Vienne again having covered around 15 miles and arrived gratefully at the front gate of the campsite, pleasant and on the bank of the river again.
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