India 2025 Part 2: Garli, Pragpur, Jwalamukhi Temple & Kangra Fort

 

India 2025 Part 1: Amritsar

Having transited through Delhi in the small hours, our first proper contact with India came via an exploration of Amritsar. And immediately, we get the full-on India experience: the busy streets, chaotic driving, colours and sounds that are often described as an assault on the senses.

The big tourist attraction here is the Golden Temple, and with good reason. It’s one of the holiest sites in Sikhism with tens of thousands of Sikhs making pilgrimage to the shrine every day. The temple is covered in hundreds of kilos of gold leaf, an incredible sight made even more spectacular by night-time illumination.

Next morning we returned for a trip around the kitchens. It may sound mundane, but if you get the chance to visit then do it. It’s cooking on an unprecedented scale, with an average of 100,000 free meals served every day!

The meals are prepared, cooked, served and cleaned up after by volunteers, who very much see this as part of their pilgrimage to the site, and there is an industrious but happy and convivial atmosphere. We chatted to a number of the volunteers and helped out with chopping vegetables and rolling chapatis.

Later, we walked around the Amrit Sarovar, the sacred pool believed to have healing and purifying properties, watching pilgrims bathing in the cleansing waters and exchanging pleasantries while the temple itself was being treated to a bit of TLC and given a good clean and polish.

In the afternoon, we went to see the Attari-Wagah Border Ceremony, a daily spectacle whereby the armed forces of India and Pakistan perform an elaborate “beating the retreat” ceremony to a crowd of thousands. It’s an odd sight and somewhat incomprehensible, with elaborate headgear, silly walks, strange posturing and revving up of the crowd as the two sides strut in front of one another before the border closes for the night. 

The Le Puy Route - Part 10

 The End in Sight - Arzacq-Arraziguet to SJPdP

 

Day 10: Arzacq Arraziguet to Arthez-de-Bearn – 20.00 miles

 

We are now clocking up some quite long days on a regular basis, with today's jaunt between Arzacq-Arraziguet and Arthez-de-Bearn being a case in point.

After the culinary heights of the previous evening and a scrumptious breakfast, rest for our weary bodies and salve for our sore feet, we were suitably fortified and fuelled for the day ahead. Passing through the two town squares, we picked up some lunchtime victuals and headed out into the countryside, following quiet lanes and tracks between the tall corn cob crop once again.

Despite progressing at right-angles to the grain of the land, the countryside we had traversed over the past few days was not dramatic, rather it was quietly rural and charming in a low-key way. With villages few and far between and towns significant distances apart, highlights such as they were – a beautiful mill at Louvigny, the stained glass of a small modern church - were infrequent.

But this was set to change. Today the ground became more noticeably hilly, and the Pyrenees now appeared as more than just a grey smudge on the skyline, with individual peaks becoming clearly visible.

We took several short rest stops for food and drink before taking a decent break at the alimentation in Pomps, where we bought drinks, fruit and emergency supplies from a quaint shop that was much larger than its modest frontage belied.

The afternoon seemed endless, but eventually Arthez-de-Bearn could be seen on the ridge ahead of us. A circuitous route finally brought us to the edge of the village, only to discover that it was one of the longest villages in France. And, of course, our lodgings were at the far end!

 

The effort was worth it though, as we were to spend the night at the wonderful 400-year-old house of La Carrere. We had thought the previous night’s accommodation would be hard to beat, but although very different in character our night at La Carrere was every bit as wonderful. Lovingly renovated and decorated in period style, Mike and Fritz were determined to bring the house back to its former glory. We had a delicious dinner in the baronial dining room, wonderful company and a magnificent bedroom far too sumptuous given our dishevelled state.

Days 11 - 14: Arthez-de-Bearn to St Jean Pied de Port

A combination of lost stats, failed posts and dodgy Wi-Fi meant I didn’t keep up with the daily reports for the final days as I should have done. However, the photos survived, and they will have to suffice as a lasting record of our approach to St Jean Pied de Port.

 

The 19-mile stage from Artez-de-Bearn to Navarrenx began with light rain. Not a downpour like we experienced a couple of days earlier, but a light-but-steady drizzle that was just enough to warrant waterproofs.

Over the previous 5 days, we had completed almost 100 miles of walking and, while we loved the challenge, at times it had seemed quite tough. The Pyrenees, so distant just a few days ago, were now much more distinct.

We really enjoyed the days from Navarrenx onwards. The scenery changed, the wide valleys and periodic ridges of previous days became rounded, wooded hills, more altitude was gained and lost daily, and the Pyrenees grew closer and more formidable. And, although we were nearing the end of this part of our journey, we weren’t downhearted – the end bringing a sense of achievement and excitement rather than the sadness of an adventure finishing.

 

The last day into St Jean Pied de Port was busy with pilgrims. Some we knew, but many we did not. The town was buzzing with hikers – some finishing the GR65, others midway through a GR10 traverse, yet more about to depart on the Camino Frances – and we remembered our own excitement when we stood in this same place back in May 2013 waiting to take the first footsteps of our Camino.

This crossroads of routes at the foot of the Pyrenees is a transient place, but for us it provided a fitting ending to our Via Podiensis.  

 

Overall, we’d had two great weeks, accumulated around 230 miles of walking, wandered through varied countryside, consumed excellent food and drink, and experienced memorable hospitality along the way. It means we have now walked a continuous line (albeit in sections) from Le Puy to Santiago, around 1000 miles across France and Spain, every inch on foot.

 

It will take time to fully digest the walk, as it always does, but one thing is for sure: our passion for Camino walking hasn't yet been dimmed. Our thoughts turned towards the next section we wanted to undertake, and plans were laid – plans subsequently scuppered by Covid 19 and the attendant travel restrictions.

 

For now, we will remember an enjoyable trip and a sense of personal achievement, but one day we will travel again and take up the challenge of walking the wobbly line across Europe once more.

The Le Puy Route - Part 9

The Camino Experience in Miniature - Les Tournesols du Gers to Arzacq-Arraziguet

  

Day 7: Les Tournesol du Gers to Nogaro – 17.50 miles

Back to longer days again with a 17.5-mile section between Les Tournesols du Gers and Nogaro.

The early morning stroll along the old railway track was lovely. Quiet, beneath the shade of overhanging trees, we initially enjoyed pleasant temperatures too, but it was already hotting up by the time we reached Eauze. In the cool of the cathedral we made the acquaintance of two familiar pilgrims – St Roch, with his dog and injured leg, and St Jacques with his shell-covered robes – and enjoyed a few moments of meditative calm and welcome respite from the travails of the journey.

It might seem counter-intuitive to consider a journey on foot, a steady trundle at all of 3 miles per hour, as requiring time to relax, reflect and re-energise. But that is the case with a long-distance spiritual journey such as a Camino, when sometimes it is necessary to slip outside of the total immersion the experience entails. This is especially true of the longer days we are now enjoying, which sometimes require as much mental energy as physical.

Near the Ferme de Peyret we stopped at a donativo stall and met up with a Canadian couple we walked with on and off until Manciet. Here, we had our bread and cheese lunch then went to Chez Monique for drinks. Monique, if it were indeed she, seemed determinedly unhurried while dispensing drinks. Although a Camino asks us to slow down, relax and go with the flow, it can be all too easy to let the impatience of our hurried lives resurface. It just goes to show how important it is to embrace this different pace of life.  

Moving on, the route passed through typical vineyard countryside. Shortly before the Eglise-hopital Sainte-Christie, we were wished "bon chemin" by a swashbuckling gent on horseback – a latter-day Musketeer, perhaps?

 

Nogaro seemed to take its time arriving. I'm sure it must have been further than indicated – it certainly seemed that way. However, we finally got checked in with time for a shower before dinner - a nice meal that we finished off with an Armagnac.

 

Day 8: Nogaro to Aire-sur-L’Adour – 18.00 miles

 

We woke to rain. The lengthy stretch between Nogaro and Aire-sur-L'Adour began with a 3-hour deluge that meant we needed to pack everything in dry bags, batten down the hatches and don full waterproofs.

Although it’s a shame when that happens, it does put a different, more reflective perspective on the walk, and as there’s nothing that can be one about it, it’s best just to accept the situation and make the most of it.

 

Part way through the morning, we stopped for morning coffee at a donativo in a large barn which provided respite from the rain. A small group of soggy pilgrims coagulated in the shelter, all keen to press on after finishing their drinks but somehow reluctant to head back into the tempest. As I write this sometime later, heavy rain is pounding on the windows at home, and I’m reminded of the aversion we all have to getting wet through. Whether this is a primal instinct kicking in or a reflection of just how conditioned we have become to our warm, dry modern houses, I don’t know. But taking those first steps back out into the rain after the comfort of shelter takes more resolve than might be expected.

 

Thankfully, conditions improved as the morning wore on, and by the time we had reached Lapujolle things were definitely looking a bit brighter. Dripping water all over the floor, we hunkered down in a small local café where homemade cakes and artisan beers fortified us for the afternoon ahead and our clothing began the long process of drying out.

 

To be honest, I can’t remember much about the afternoon at all. My original post somehow failed, my notes proved insufficient, and my memory has clearly faded in the year since we walked the route. I do recall that the weather improved and that the sun even made an appearance, and I think it was along this section where we came across another couple who were slightly distressed at having found a rifle abandoned at the side of the path.

 

I also remember it was a long afternoon, and that we were quite tired by the time we arrived in Aire-sur-L’Adour. We ate delicious burgers in a little bistro by the bridge over the Adour, timing our arrival just before a large group piled in rather well.

 

Day 9: Aire-sur-L’Adour to Arzacq-Arraziguet – 22.00 miles

 

Today was a big day. In a way, the previous days had served as a warm-up for this one, a 22-mile section between Aire-sur-L'Adour and Arzacq-Arraziguet.

 

We set off in half light, crossing the bridge over the Adour and heading through town, glad not to be part of the Monday morning commute resolutely queuing in the opposite direction. After skirting a large reservoir, we climbed out of the valley on to higher ground and fairly soon got our first glimpse of the Pyrenees on the horizon. These mountains would draw ever-closer as we approached the end of our trek in St Jean Pied de Port.

 

Much of the morning was given over to navigating paths and lanes running through corn fields. At this time of year, the crop was so tall we could barely catch a glimpse of the outstanding views.

 

Eventually, we climbed a ridge and reached the village of Miramont Sensacq and took lunch in the grounds of the church, a picturesque spot with terrific views over our route ahead.

 

Once again, the afternoon saw us leave most walkers behind, with just a few hardy hikers still on the trail. Choosing longer days often did this – the route in these parts naturally lending itself to 10- or 20-mile sections.

 In the beautiful village of Pimbo, we broke for drinks and ice creams and a well-earned rest. The rollercoaster route the Camino follows across the grain of the land proved unexpectedly energy-sapping, and we needed to top up our reserves for the final push of the day.

 

Our destination for the evening was Arzacq-Arraziguet, a small market town with two squares strewn along another ridge. We received a warm welcome from the patron of the Maison d’Antan, and were billeted in a lovely en-suite room that was far too chic for a couple of smelly pilgrims. Later, we were served one of the best “pilgrim menu” dinners so far, including the most extensive cheeseboard we have ever seen.

 

All in all, we accepted the luxury as justified recompense for a very tiring day and would heartily recommend the Maison d’Antan if you wanted a more upmarket stop on your Camino.