Via Lemovicensis: Slowly, Slowly

16 April 2026 Thom Pilgrim Reports, Via Lemovicensis

Last night, I actually slept through the night. In fact, I somewhat overslept, not leaving until almost 7:30 AM. The air was crisp, but nothing like as cold as the past few days. The skies were overcast, though there was no rain predicted.

Yesterday’s socks had not quite finished drying after last night’s washing, so I had them hanging on the outside of my pack: the mark of a true pilgrim! Praise God that my shoes were dry.

For breakfast, I went to the local boulangerie for coffee and pan au chocolat. The place was absolutely hopping! I was one psalm into lauds before my coffee arrived.

As usual, the way through town wasn’t very well marked, but I eventually found the Camino. In no time at all, I was roadwalking once more. For a while there was a sort of gravel and grass shoulder, which helped tremendously while it lasted.

Soon I was back out in the beautiful and serene French countryside of pastures and fields and small woodlands and the occasional house or farm. And so many curious cows.

The two-lane blacktop I was walking wasn’t terribly busy, but I was a little unnerved by the speed of some of the passing cars and trucks.

It was almost 9 AM when I passed through my first hamlet of the day, La Platière. It was here that I traded a two-lane highway for a single-lane blacktop.

This morning as I walked, I reflected on all the pilgrims that I have met on this route already who have lost their faith and are searching for… something. They range in age from 50s to 70s, and the thing they all seem to have in common is that they were raised Catholic and as a young adult left the faith.

Now they have reached the last third of their life, and they are struggling to find meaning in it. Pray for them, and pray for all pilgrims walking the Earth. Pray they find what they’re looking for.

At about 9:10, I passed through the little farming hamlet of La Creuzerie. The road definitely got a lot rougher here, complete with an obstacle course of cow pats. The smell in parts of this road were quite something, and I’m glad I wasn’t walking it on a hot afternoon. Fortunately, it only lasted about a couple of kilometers or so.

I passed the hamlet of Les Cacherats at about 9:50 AM. By now, I was starting to see little breaks of blue in the cloud cover. Somewhere in the distance a rooster crowed.

A few minutes later I passed through a large farmstead that had a sign as though it were a hamlet: La Croix. Somewhere somebody was playing 80s music loud enough to be heard on the Camino.

Based on the use of the fields near there, it would appear that the farmer is practicing four-field crop rotation. I honestly didn’t know that in the age of chemical fertilizers this was still a thing that people did.

I could hear the village of Valigny before I could see it, as in the distance the church bell rang out 10 AM. The Camino rejoined the highway just before the village, and I was in the village at about 10:10 AM, having walked about 12.5 km this morning.

I really feel for Maas, who added those kilometers to yesterday’s walk and stayed here last night.

The little village church of Notre Dame was part of a priory once, and it dates to the 14th century. It’s clearly seen better days, and it smelled of mildew. It contains a number of statues that date from the 16th and 17th century. The oldest of these is a statue of Saint Barbara, with a serene and placid face, which I found to be strangely moving.

After visiting the church, I popped over to the café across the street for second breakfast. I was halfway through my day, and I was in no hurry to get anywhere. I wrote a bit in my journal.

Judith arrived and joined me at some point. She mentioned that when she arrived, she had this feeling that the village was very welcoming, and I have to agree with her. There’s just something about the place.

It was 11 o’clock before I left Judith there, drinking her coffee. Within just a few minutes, I was once again on a narrow black top road in the countryside. The sun was trying mightily to break through the clouds.

Before 11:30, I had passed through the neighboring hamlets of Carat and Les Tailles. I was greeted by a chorus of yappy little dogs. Shortly thereafter, the Camino left the asphalt and forged head on soft, soft dirt with the occasional stretches of grass or mud.

I passed through the three-house hamlet of Le Roquet at about 11:35. After a stretch of asphalt, just a few minutes later, the Camino rejoined a main road.

I entered the village of Bardais before noon. The little church was locked, there was no café, and the whole village smelled of freshly mowed grass. The sun finally managed to break through the clouds as I was leaving the little village.

Once again, I found myself roadwalking on a two-lane rural highway. Within twenty minutes, it was warm enough that I had to find a spot to get off the road to remove my fleece.

I passed through the hamlet of La Boucaumerie at about 12:25 PM, and was surprised to see the flag of Brittany flying from one of the houses.

At about 12:50 PM, the road passed by a small lake, or possibly a reservoir. I could see a swan swimming in the distance. It was here that the Camino left the highway for a one-lane blacktop around the lake and through the trees. Simply a beautiful walk.

I was soon back in the fields, and I passed through the farming hamlet of Pontcharraud at about 1:10 PM. It included a rather grand house, so I suspect that this was a manor back in the day.

The area is dotted with ponds. I heard a cuckoo calling in the distance.

The Camino took a sharp right through the hamlet of Champ Marie. The houses here were quite large and of modern construction, with big walled yards. I think it’s sort of an affluent suburb of the town of Ainay-le-Château, which I was fast approaching. There were some older, stone houses towards the end.

Once again, the Camino turned onto a major road, lined with houses. It was here that I walked past my gîte. I should explain that it doesn’t open until 4 PM and it was currently just past 1:30. So I walked into the town to explore.

I was at the town center of Ainay-le-Château just a few minutes later. I had walked 25.5 km on what was supposed to be a 22 km day.

This was once a walled town, and one of the gates still stands in what is now effectively the center of town. After a bit of wandering through the maze of narrow, medieval streets, I was able to find the church of Saint Etienne.

It is right at the edge of some of the remains of the city walls, including several ruined towers. I climbed one of these to get some better photos and a video of the area.

Then I visited the church. It is very unusual. Despite it’s relatively small size, it has no less than five side chapels.

As far as I’ve been able to piece together, the original Romanesque church dates to the 12th century, and the sanctuary is basically the only part of it that remains. The construction of the current nave and transept dates back to the early 16th century, when it replaced what was obviously a much longer nave, and the entrance to the church was completely rebuilt a century or so after that.

I prayed here a while, and I lit a candle for Francine in the chapel of Our Lady of Pity.

Then I made my way back to the center of town – by a slightly more direct route this time – where I obtained a Grimbergen at the local pub and drink it outside in the shade.

And I spent a little more time exploring the town before heading to the gîte about 4 PM. Judith arrived shortly thereafter.

We are the only two pilgrims here. I did see two young German pilgrims in town, but apparently they are still pushing on.

Dinner was just amazing. Three courses, plus cheese! Our hospi Noel has been serving two weeks stints at the Dutch Federation gîtes for the past 18 years. He is phenomenal. The little pastry starter was even shaped like a pilgrim’s shell.

It looks like tomorrow Judith and I are stopping in different towns, but we may meet up again in a couple of days. Who knows?

Date: 16 April 2026