The last day of our trip began with a walk along the road, to the backdrop of the Camargue rice fields.
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| Setting out among the Camargue rice fields |
After a few kilometres we turned into an inviting path leading to the lakes. The rest of the day's walk was spent crossing the wetlands of the Camargue, which extend right down to the outskirts of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer.
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| An inviting path |
We had been looking forward to seeing the fauna for which the Camargue is famous - flamingos, bulls, and white horses. We had also been informed by many people as we travelled through France that the Camargue is known for the number and size of its mosquitoes. We saw all of those animals during our walk today, as well as a variety of other birdlife.
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| Not sure whether these are African or European swallows |
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| Camargue checklist - flamingos |
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| An inviting bench by the Étang de Vaccarès |
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| Camargue checklist - white horses |
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| Camargue checklist - bulls |
Before long we found ourselves approaching Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the destination we have been walking towards since setting out from Dieppe 69 days ago.
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| The final stretch of a long walk - towards Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer |
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| Entry to the town -the end in sight |
We walked through the town and down to the beach. We celebrated the end of our walk in the traditional fashion:
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| Ceremonial selfie at the Mediterranean Sea to celebrate the end of the journey. 1700 kilometres and 69 days after starting out from Dieppe, we arrived in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer |
Day: 69 (and final)
Distance: 24.51 kmWalking time: 5hrs 09mins
Elevation gain: 244 metres
Cumulative distance: 1706.07 km
We would like to thank all those who have been following this blog - family, friends, and those who have joined us on the way. We have had a fantastic journey and have enjoyed sharing it with you.
CONGRATULATIONS from the Palmas. Amazing experience and we’ve enjoyed your daily updates and photos. Look forward to sharing a glass of something and hearing some yarns from the trip.
ReplyDeleteThat would be great!
DeleteYes.....agree with Victoria wholeheartedly!!!! Also looking forward to expert tips on walking long distances. Again...CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
DeleteI don't know about expert but we've certainly got some suggestions of things that worked - and didn't - to pass on!
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ReplyDeleteFélicitations!! :D :D :D
However will you entertain yourself for the next 2 weeks without walking? :(
I'm sure we'll come up with something. Today it is the pool and the beach and I'm on the lookout for something in English to read.
DeleteCongratulations to you both. What a fantastic journey, an awesome effort and an exciting blog for all of us to follow. An outstanding effort and my legs hurt just thinking about all this walking (I'll stick with the bike riding). From all of the Howies, WELL DONE.
ReplyDeleteYou could do lots of bike riding here. We saw many more cyclists than walkers and there is lots of infrastructure. We thought about hiring bikes for today, but the pool is just here...
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