It was a bit of an adventure finding our accommodations last night: the address was not exactly where Google Maps thought it was, and we ended up on the wrong side of a little hill... which seemed like a mountain, at the end of a long day on the trail! Upon arrival we were somewhat dismayed to find that what we had originally thought was a kennel or some sort of pen for animals was our "two-room apartment with garden", as it was described on airbnb.
But once we had settled in - and eliminated a few spiders - we found it was fine as a place to stop overnight, right by the path, without going out of our way. Well, it would have been right by the path, if we hadn't gone the wrong way! And for the first time, we had a kitchen at our disposal! Though unfortunately, we had nothing to cook. All the shops in Mouans-Sartoux were closed when we passed through, it being Sunday afternoon. So we dined on nuts and dried fruit, washed up and went to bed. Luckily we had melba toast and instant coffee for breakfast, and so we survived the first 6 kilometres, until we came to a bakery, where we ordered a giant Pan Bagnat - a sandwich made with tuna, eggs, olives, lettuce and tomato. Practically a Salade Niçoise in a bun!
I don't think I've ever eaten a tuna sandwich at 10 in the morning before! And definitely not such a big one. After a pause at a table outside the bakery to digest this bomb, we proceeded on through Parc d'Activité de la Siagne. Which sounded like it ought to be a fun place, but is actually an industrial district! From here we passed through a flat river plain with nursery gardens which reminded me of walking through Albenga last year, and then into the town of Mandelieu-le-Napoule.
From here on, the path was stunningly beautiful, following the river Siagne to the sea.
I never thought a pilgrimage route would take me past the Casino and beaches of Cannes!
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| Henri Clews' castle |
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| The pilgrim's best friend: the composting toilet! |
From the beaches of Théoule-sur-Mer the path took us up to the top of Pointe de l'Aiguille.
Perched on the cliff above the sea was our destination for the night: Villa Sainte Camille. Run by a non-profit association, this residence/holiday complex is open to people of all origins, ages and incomes, some of whom live there while others are only visiting. Seniors, disabled citizens, holiday-makers, school groups - and pilgrims, who are offered a special rate for dinner, a room and breakfast. Everyone takes their meals together in the cafeteria or on a beautiful terrace overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. There is a very special atmosphere about the place, and I would recommend it as an affordable place to stay on the Côte d'Azur - as I mentioned, the villa is open to everyone!
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| Our room at Villa Saint Camille |
Here are some views from our balcony!
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| Pégomas - Villa Saint Camille 24 km |
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