Mas de Jontille to Varaire

April 17 - This was one of those days when we had no idea where we were going for much of the day. Our guidebook seems to have the little communities mixed up a bit and the GR65 markings are rare in this particular area as they are from time to time along the way.

For anyone who is thinking of walking this way, most of the locals and many others here use a small guidebook by Michelin. It has a rough idea of the variations in elevation and also has an actual map of how and where the GR65 intersects with other roads so it is very helpful in spots where you come to a crossroads and there is no indication of which direction to go. This happens all too frequently! We jokingly say that it must be either the uphill way or the muddy way and although that's usually true, it isn't always. I'm not sure where the Michelin guides are available outside of France but they are in most small libraries (bookstores in case you haven't been studying French) from Le Puy on. And by the way, if you are planning on walking it really is in your best interest to study some French. Most people do not or will not speak English and unless there's someone around to translate for you it can be difficult. We have found the people very patient with our stumbling attempts to communicate in French. They do seem to appreciate our attempts even though they are sometimes at a loss to figure out what we are saying. It's always a little disconcerting when I start speaking in what I think of as reasonable French and I see that funny scrunch-up of the face and tilt of the head of the person who is trying his or her best to understand me.

Today was one of those days that had little elevation difference in theory, but in fact we were going up and down all day long. We passed through a variety of small communities with names like Mas de Pech, Mas Dalat, Mas Palat and of course Mas de Jontille where we started. It's very much farming country through this area and the neatly groomed fields are a sight as they roll off in various directions. The animals, the smells and the huge barns and farms all remind us what a big business this is.

We had planned to go to Vaylats today but neither our guidebook, the road signs or the GR65 signs were very clear about where it was. By the time we reached a community named Varaire and saw a lovely little cafe/gîte serving cold drinks we had already walked about 21.5 kilometres and we almost ran up the stairs to sign in and put our packs down. The woman at this gîte/hotel was very understanding and got us cold drinks by the time we were sitting down. This is the Gîte Hotel Café Les Marrioners which offered space in a dormitory which looked very nice or space in an older house with only two to a room. We took the latter even though the bathroom was down the hall. The room came with demi-pension (which means dinner and breakfast were included). We had a nice communal dinner and all of the French people tried really hard to include us in the conversation. A very accommodating hostess who took the time after dinner to explain to everyone that there were two two options  for the following day, where each one started and went and made sure everyone had everything they needed. A very pleasant experience, all for about 35 € if I recall correctly.