Via Lemovicensis: Many Pilgrims

23 April 2026 Thom Pilgrim Reports, Via Lemovicensis

All five of left before 7:30 AM. The morning was cold and clear.

Once we were through the village, it was uphill on a hiking path. Much better than road walking! The views of the valley were just stunning.

Walking along the river through idyllic woods, passing charming, almost faerie-tale houses as we talked.

We discussed our faith, and loss. In particular we talked about our faith journeys and my grappling with the death of Francine. We talked as we walked for much of the day.

By 7:55, it was on the road. At Pont Charraud we passed over a wide stream.

Still talking, we passed through several hamlets as the terrain shifted to predominantly open fields, La Grange du Bois at about 8:05 AM and Les Coublins about 15 minutes later.

When we arrived at the village of La Chapelle-Baloue, we headed for the church.

The village Church had some of the most beautiful use of stained glass I have seen in a long time. It’s oriented to the east, and the sunlight poured through into the church, bathing everything in a glow.

After visiting the church, Daniel and I dropped into a local shop for coffee and croissants. The others had ignored both the church and the shop and were already far ahead.

It was 9:20 before we left the little shop. Which was probably for the best, since the sign said it closed at 9:30.

After this, the Camino was primarily road walking through wide Meadows edged with trees.

At 10:25 AM we passed through a farming hamlet with no name.

We passed through the little hamlet of Le Pradeau at 10:50. About five minutes later, we arrived at the shores of a small reservoir with a very modern looking lavoire nearby, a place where traditionally villagers would come to wash clothes. It’s now a picnic area. We caught up with Philippe there, rested a moment, and then pushed on.

At about 11:05, we arrived at the gate of Château de Saint-Germain-Beaupré. I had hoped to visit it, but it was locked up. A sign on the gate indicated that there had been a fire, and that it was temporarily closed to the public.

As we approached the village of Saint-Germain-Beaupré itself, I saw a steeple of the church, and immediately thought of some sort of 1950s rocket ship.

We arrived in the village at about 11:15 to find the church sadly locked. Like Crozant before it, the streets of this village were torn up with construction work.

I didn’t spot a café, but did take the opportunity to put on some sunscreen. There is not a cloud in the sky, and despite the cool air the sun is beating down today.

At about 11:35, we passed through the hamlet of Le Boucheron. shortly after this, the Camino turned down a dirt road at last.

Eventually, as it often does, this disintegrated into grass. By 12:15, we were back on the road.

We left Philippe on a little stone bridge over a stream. He was going to eat his lunch, while Daniel and I pressed on, hoping for a real meal in La Souterraine.

It was after 12:30 when we walked through the suburban and decidedly manicured hamlet of La Brande du Pont.

This turned out to in fact be a suburb for the next village, Saint-Agnant-de-Versillat. We arrived at 12:45 and made our way to the church. On the outside, it appears like countless other Romanesque churches of the region.

Inside, however, the walls explode with different colors of 17th or 18th century paintwork covering the ceilings and some of the walls. It was stunning to walk into, and brought both of us to silence. And then to prayer.

I lit a candle for Francine here, and then walked out into the village. I found Daniel already outside, sitting at a bar. We enjoyed a beer, and were soon joined by Philippe. Sometime before 1:30, we were on the road again.

Then, it was past the cemetery with its lantern of the dead and onto a woodland hiking trail. After a while, this disintegrated into effectively a narrow ditch before becoming a dirt road through the open fields.

By 2 PM, we were back to roadwalking. We passed through the definitely wealthy hamlet of, Les Chassanges, at least part of which was some sort of gated community.

At about 2:30 PM, the Camino turned onto a very busy highway. Not fun. there was, however, a sort of a grass shoulder which had been worn into a path. After not even a kilometer, we turned onto a marginally less busy road.

Soon enough we were walking through the outer neighborhoods of the city of La Souterraine.

By 2:55, we had arrived at the early Gothic masterpiece that is L’église Notre-Dame de La Souterraine. For the second time in two days, I arrived at a church in the middle of a funeral.

Philippe, Daniel, and I decided to try and find something to eat and then come back and visit later. This proved to be something of a hunt, as most places had closed after lunch and not yet opened for dinner.

We finally split up, with Daniel in pursuit of food, while Philippe and I retired for a beer at the bar near to the church.

By 3:50, we were back in the church. They are very welcoming here of pilgrims, and even had a stamp for my pilgrim passport. This church was built in the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic era, and it manages to harmoniously blend both.

I prayed there before we headed across town to our gîte.

The place is fairly bursting with pilgrims – at least eight – which is a very odd experience. I met up with Judith here. She leaves tomorrow for the route to Rocamadour.

After showers and laundry, it was off to the store to refill my food stash.

The two laughing Isabelles finally arrived at about 7 PM, just as Daniel, Philippe, and I were heading out to dinner.

Date: 23 April 2026