Italy to Santiago II Part 1: Via Domitia Day 22: Rest day in Venterol

While some might be daunted at the prospect of walking for weeks on end and staying somewhere different every night, while keeping themselves fed and watered, it is simply a matter of careful planning.

- Paddy Dillon, The South West Coast Path From Minehead to South Haven Point (2010)

Not a great day for being outdoors...

Rocky the cat agrees!

The Via Domitia / GR 653D is a trail that requires particularly careful planning. Like its sister trail running closer to the coast from Menton to Arles, the Via Aurelia / GR 653A, it passes through tiny and remote villages with limited opportunities to access food and accommodations; and it involves a lot of walking in mountainous terrain, where one cannot plan on walking 40 kilometres in a day just to reach a hotel. But I had a whole day to spend on careful planning, during my day of rest waiting out the rain in Venterol. And due to a fortunate coincidence, planning for the remainder of the route looks easier now!

I had been wondering what I would do with a whole day ahead of me and zero kilometres to walk, but there turned out to be plenty to keep me occupied! After a breakfast of whole-wheat bread with homemade jam and coffee, I did my exercise routine - the one I do at home on rainy days (and not only). That took an hour or so. Then I read for a while and started researching the route and accommodations for the next few days. I began by calling about accommodation at the end of the next stage, in La Motte du Caire, only to be told that both of the chambres d'hôtes in town were closed for holidays. The owners of the first place I contacted were away, but Jacques, the owner of Le Clos du Verger, first told me he already had a full house with relatives visiting - I could hear children playing in the background - then called me back to say he had found me a room chez amis. The address was pretty close to his own, so they must be neighbours as well as friends! I accepted gladly. I was just looking into options for the next day when two ladies arrived at Gîte L'Asphodele to have lunch and speak to the owner. Christophe had told me he was expecting a visit from les Amis de Saint-Jacques, so I kept my ears perked, and when the visitors had finished eating, I went into the dining hall to introduce myself.

One of the visitors turned out to be Sylvie, the contact person for accommodations on the next section of the Via Domitia, with whom I had already been communicating via WhatsApp. I took advantage of the opportunity to ask her some questions about the route for the coming days, and she gave me her recommendations and offered to contact the nuns in Châteaufort to ask if they could put me up two days from now. The convent is a very special place,  she said, and worth walking an extra 3.6 kilometres off-route to visit. From there, she said, the nuns would be able to show me a shortcut to get back on the route. On Friday I should be in Sisteron, and on Saturday at Sylvie's home in Peipin; after that, she would put me in touch with people who host pilgrims in their homes in various towns all the way down the road to Arles! And any time I was in difficulty in the next few stages, I could call her and she would come and pick me up. So now I have my guardian angel for the next section of the trail!

Sylvie and her companion were not here to meet me, of course. They were here to speak to Christophe about an event they are helping to organise for next year, a Holy Year of Saint James: Bourdons Pèlerins 2027, a relay walk along the various Ways of Saint James from the Italian border all across southern France and Spain. One of the three sub-groups will be taking the Via Domitia route, starting in Mongenèvre on March 17 (not sure how they are planning to deal with the snow), and when they get to Venterol, they will be stopping overnight here at Gîte écologique l'Asphodele.

And it's good that they are! This comfy, cosy place is perfect as an overnight stop - or for spending a rainy day resting up! The "pilgrim room" where I am staying has space for six people, and there are other rooms of various sizes too, as well as a large dining room with a very long table and a cosy sitting area with sofas by the fireplace. Christophe offers a special deal for pilgrims, including breakfast and a vegetarian dinner for the same price as an ordinary, non-pilgrim guest would pay only for a bed. There are plenty of books to read, in French but also in English - Christophe studied English, and his English is surely better than my French, though we have been conversing in French, so far... I need the practice! 😅

The dining hall and sitting room