September 13, 2023
Bruges to Buzy, 22+ km
As our host drove off last night she called out 'à sept heure' so we were up early and outside waiting for her at 7am - although the geese had started their noises at 4am and later the roasters joined in.
We waited in Bruges for the bakery to open and bought a small breadstick and two beautiful looking gateaux then we were off.
This was at 8am and we didn't reach our accommodation at Buzy until 6pm. It was a long day - made longer than the 22 kms we had expected by us getting lost in the hills, or if not exactly lost, then a bit confused which caused us to walk more than we needed to perhaps. As well as following the path markings we're using GPS tracks which we downloaded to Organic Maps. Usually we're right on track, literally, but in a couple of places the markings and the map tracks didn't make sense.
The path was a mix of farm and bush tracks with long stretches of asphalt. We passed through only two small settlements, Mifaget and Sainte-Colombe - neither of which had any services, apart from there being potable water in Sainte-Colombe. I was running low on water by then so it was a great relief. We had a lunch break in Sainte-Colombe.
The cool of the morning had worn off very quickly and it was a hot and humid day - especially tiring as the day was made up of seemingly endless ascents and descents - the walk up to Sainte-Colome was a particularly long accent. The farmland was incredibly beautiful though.
We passed another couple walking in the opposite direction. They were Canadians from Quebec and had very limited English, much like my French.
When we walked the Camino Francés we used to joke that the last 2km of each day were 10km long and it seemed the same today - especially as we walked past signs saying 2km to Buzy at least three times.
Our accommodation is in a B&B style place where the host cooked our meal and ate with us. Also staying here are a French couple and an English chap - none of whom are pilgrims. The meal was fantastic, just what we needed after a long day.
