Sarrance to Accous

Goodness it was hot today, 34 as I’m writing this in the garden of the Auberge in Accous. I had the option of a long walk into Urdos or two shorter stages, fortuitously I chose the latter, and most of it was in woodland and/or beside the Gave d’Aspe.I suspect the pilgrims I met yesterday have walked on to Urdos which means I won’t see them again. Such is the way of the Camino.
I didn’t leave Sarrance until 8.30. An excellent simple breakfast of good coffee, bread, butter and jams made up for last night’s disappointing fish pie. As it turned out the evening meal was included in the cost of the room so I probably shouldn’t be too picky.
The terrain was much the same as yesterday, narrow, sometimes mildly perilous, tracks above the river. The only exchange of the day was with a retired French couple out for a gentle morning walk. They were intrigued about my journey and when they found out I was from Scotland the chap asked about the Gaelic language - he had an academic interest in minority languages. It seems there are parallels between the efforts in both countries to establish indigenous speaking schools. It remains to be seen if this translates into increasing the overall percentage of Gaelic/Béarnese speaking adults.
Although I’m in Béarn Pyrénées the Basque tradition pervades, the two are quite closely intertwined apparently. I stopped in Bedous for lunch and had coffee and a delicious basque terrine. Probably mostly pork fat and spices, useful calories. The beer I’m drinking is also basque, recommended by the hotelier.
From Bedous it was just a few miles into Accous where my accommodation was 500 meters outside the village. It felt much further.
You never quite know what the standard of accommodation is going to be like. I could certainly do with air conditioning tonight which is absent, as is Wi-Fi. The owner is delightful and most the guests seems to be paragliders which quite a thing in Accous. They are all over the skies, some extremely close to the high rocky peaks. There are also red kites, everywhere. Unmistakable with their deeply forked tails and angled wings. As magical as the storks on the Camino Francés.