A boring day of gravel roads. There is a decent amount of climbing but nothing of particular note. I move 62km(38.5mi) today to camp along the trail.
Today is dominated by descents. I have a little feast in town but otherwise just speed along until the evening.
The final highlight of the stage lays in front of me today: Gorges de l'Ardèche. The trail starts off quite nice with a bit of rock hopping and then degrades into a unbearable mess. There are two easy water crossings which are welcome respites from the heavy sun. The path becomes sandy and overgrown. At one point I get turned around and struggle in thorny tangle for 30 minutes. In the afternoon the trail passes through a nudist camp suddenly, hidden away on the banks of the river. I'm exhausted by the end of the day and can barely get my legs to take me up the climb up back to the plateau. I complete 55km(34.1mi).
Upon waking I'm greeted with tense calf pain in my legs. There is only one small climb today and it is a real struggle. I get to the town of Vivier before noon and try to see if I can take a bus to the larger city of Montélimar where I plan to spend the night. Impatient as always I can't wait the hour for the bus so I just walk to the neighbouring town of Châteauneuf-du-Rhône.
Crossing the bridge over Rhône officially means I've finished another stage. With the pain in my leg and the lacklustre time in general over the last week and a half I don't have much energy to celebrate this fact. I go to the supermarket to have a French lunch and use the laundry machine that is just outside.
I melt in heat of the day dreading the 2 hour walk into Montélimar. Thankfully within a minute I pass a bus stop and realize that there is an easier way. I take the bus and stop early to at an Aldi for a second lunch. I walk the remaining distance to the hotel. My evening is restful as I go out to eat at a local burger joint then get looped into a conversation with another hotel patron as he tells me how COVID is a hoax.
Today is a zero day. I sleep in a bit and then have breakfast at the hotel. I walk across town to a running shoe store to buy a new pair of shoes. They only have older models and in a size 1/2 smaller than mine. I really need new shoes and there are not really any chances for awhile to buy some so I just take what I can get.
I bus to McDonald's and chill for a few hours. In the afternoon I bus back to Châteauneuf-du-Rhône and stay at the campground.