Tuesday - Le Muret-Labouheyre
Clouds back today, even if high again.
The historical route would have gone along the main road via Liposthey, but the marked route takes a much longer but more attractive route to the east via Moustey and Pissos. This starts by heading E under the motorway via a waterlogged underpass and then more sandy tracks and lanes with wide verges via Saugnacq to Moustey. Again, the knowledge of the route among the locals illustrated by a sign for a chambre d’hôte with not only a waymark but also a scallop shell.
Moustey has the oddity of 2 churches next to each other, one of which now contains an ‘exposition’, closed at this time of year, of course. There is also a plinth outside inscribed ‘1000km to Santiago’ - though of course that depends rather on which route you take. Again, warming up and jacket off.
More verges to the next village, Pissos, though I cut a corner off the official route. Route into P. through a leisure park sort of thing with lots of chalets. Rest in the square in front of the not very interesting church.
Back to typical Landes sandy track through the forest to Escoursolles, a picturesque scattered hamlet of maisons landaises. 10km straight stretch into Labouheyre, which I envisaged as another sandy track, but really disappointed to find the IGN map out-of-date, as much of this is now a road: very tedious, the tedium only relieved by a passing cyclist waving and calling ’salut St Jacques’.
Train out of L. for interlude in La Rochelle. See May 2005 trip for continuation of this route.
36km