We are still in the Départment of la Creuse, but at its more southerly end the landscape is dominated by the upland Limousin plateau, the most Westerly part of the great Massif Central. This means that our walk is marked by some quite tough uphill sections as we rise from a general height of about 1150 ft to one of 1550 ft. The walking is mostly on  very minor roads with a few stretches of bridleway for relief. On the plus side there are some excellent views.

At Chamborand we find a bread dispensing machine, so buy a loaf and have a picnic outside the tiny parish church of St Martial, blessedly and unexpectedly open. We meet a woman from the village who shows us around, is proud of its being open every day, and points out its most important feature, “We have the Holy Sacrament!”

The church is in a parish with forty-four ‘clochers’, or belltowers. There are three priests. The rota for what Mass is where and when is complex and has no discernable pattern. I am moved by her fidelity and depressed by the fragility of it all.

We pack up our picnic and head on to Bénévant l’Abbaye. The afternoon is getting warmer, and the  climb is unremitting. Two hours later we arrive in a charming little town dominated by its impressive abbey church. This is an ancient building of great solidity, strong and sober.

There is a welcome table for pilgrims set up by the entrance, with a stamp of the parish ready for one to use on your ‘crédential’, or pilgrim passport. You gather these as you go as evidence of your journey from major churches and the places you stay.

Stamping done, we look round the church. I light a candle and pray, remembering Philip and also another good friend who is dangerously ill and his wife and family.  

We repair to the cafe for a drink. Cécile has been an excellent companion for the last three days: we have had interesting conversations, and lots of companionable silence. She is ten years older than me, and a very seasoned pilgrim. She was planning to down as far as St Jean Pied de Port on the Spanish border, but was feeling doubtful as the weather gets cooler, and seasonal closures mean lodgings will be harder to find. We say a fond goodbye and she heads off to Marsac for the night while I stay in Bénévant l’Abbaye.

i have worked out that walking further is not practical. There is a station at Marsac, which would a made for a pleasant 5 km walk tomorrow morning, but the line between there and Limoges is being worked on, and various websites are covered with warnings. However, there is a bus back to La Souterraine in the morning (don’t miss it, it is the only one all day, says the woman in the tourist office) and frequent mainline trains thence to Limoges. So I pilgrim on, but walking can’t be my primary mode of transport tomorrow. I have managed 125 kms in five days, so pretty good going.