Tuesday:

It was another cool morning, but the roads relatively easy as I set out. All was going smoothly until something went ping behind me, my back wheel skidded, and struggling to keep upright and free my feet, I landed in a heap by the side of the road. Somehow my pannier had become come loose and inserted itself between frame and wheel. I set about making roadside repairs: bike first, self second (I'd sustained a few scratches to my leg). Gingerly I crept the remaining few kilometers into Moissac.

Moissac is famed for the abbey church of St Pierre and its 12th/13th century carvings. So I spent some time in the church and its cloister. Sadly, some of the sculpture was destroyed in the revolution, but it was a welcome break to be a museum going tourist for an hour. The sculpture in the door of Jeremiah is probably the stand out piece.

Since JH had written a canal side velo route has been created. Moreover this is along the canal lateral de Garonne. This signified that I was crossing another of my previous cycling adventures! (A canal building project begun by Louis XIV connected the Atlantic to the Mediterranean with the Garonne and the Canal de Midi via Toulouse.)

Stopped for lunch at Auvillar and then on to the lovely medieval village of St Antoine (Egypt not Padua, this was an Antonnine church). And finally, and with tired legs, into Lectoure.

My panic over accommodation on Monday made me cautious so today I had booked through Tourist Info (at last I've found a use for them). However, this meant I couldn't stay in the wonderful parish house (communal meal, prayer and donation only). The place I was in was lovely, but I would have liked to have been in a pilgrim hostel run by church people. Having said that my Gite had a loquacious canon from Winchester who (confessing himself to be spoilt at home) lamented the musical and liturgical standards in French churches. Although there are certainly problems facing the French Church I have greatly enjoyed all the Sunday masses I have attended.