Days 72-74 on the road to Spain

Day 72- Mon 4/8-Captieux to Roquefort 34 kms
Back to the old railway line again which we follow for much of the day. Flat & straight, heathland, moors and pine forests. The ferns are tall under the pine trees, lots of sweet ripe blackberries to pick along the way. We stop in Bourriot for lunch but nothing is available at the bar/restaurant so we get a cold drink & some cheese which we devour with a croissant and potato chips we have with us. From here the path goes back to the railway track. The weather is warm, no shade straight & flat. Again we enter forest which winds right and left and right and left and finally make it into Roquefort at 4.30pm.
8and a half hours. A tough day but we soon refresh and recuperate at the refuge run by Friends of the Camino which has all modern facilities.

Day 73- Roquefort - Mont de Marsan -30kms
We plan a shorter day today to see how we go. We are soon walking off road which is very pleasant although sandy which kicks up into our boots requiring regular stops to tip it out. Pretty wild flowers. In the small hamlet of Bostens we come across a room attached to the church where pilgrims can take a break and make a coffee. A delightful oasis to enjoy. We walk on into Gailleries where we have a cd drink then head off again. Sparse tall pine trees all that's left of a former plantation. Clouds are really pretty today in the blue blue sky. 3 fighter jets scream overhead. There is a base nearby and we hear noisy take offs all night. In Bougue where we had planned to stay the bar has no bread or sandwiches or food to buy so we continue on to Mont de Marsan. Up the hill, turn left then right onto a paved bicycle track/ footpath. The old railway line again. We make it into Mont de Marsan at 4.30 and are quickly settled in to our refuge for the night. An old building with high ceilings but hot and noisy. There are 6 altogether. Another day closer to Spain.

Day 74- Mont de Marsan to St Sever - 20km
We start with coffee and pastries at the local boulangerie. It takes a while to get out of town but then we go through the middle of a ploughed paddock. Ploughed except for the track we are on. In Benquet there is a new housing development being built. Underground centralised waste disposal system installed with all the other services. Very smart. Through corn fields, along the bitumen road, then off road up the hill with sandy soil, grassy and deep tracks so we walk on the high ground in the middle. Back on bitumen which is now hot from the sun which has been shining since early morning. We track alongside a freeway then around the small village of St Eulallie before crossing the very muddy Adour river, turn left past the broken iron cross and take the last steep stony track to the historic centre of St Sever. Here we check in to our refuge at the Tourism Office then relax with a meal on the town square. Another great day in the south of France.