GR20 – Day 15. To the Gites at Conca.

Hey all,

Well, am officially done. Slept in because the wind last night kept me awake until about 3AM – but was not too worried – a nice walk in the morning, then another rock-pool swim/coffee/cigar moment for lunch, then on the way to the village where the final stage ends I found a dog. It had a bell and a collar with phone numbers on it, so I assumed it was loved by someone and had just got lost, so I fed it the remainder of my sausage and poured a half litre bottle out for it – was starving, the poor thing, its ribs sticking out. I was starving too, by dinner, cause that bit of sausage was all I had left. Made a leash and walked it back to town – on the way I met some French people on a day trip coming the other way – they made a call to the number on the collar and arranged for me to go to the main bar/cafe in Conca, where I would meet the owner. When she finally arrived, a heavily tattooed young lady, she made a bit of a fuss over the dog – but the dog did not react at all: no jumping around with glee, no yipping, no tail wagging, none of the expressions of doggy joy that I was expecting and looking forward to – the main reason I dragged the starving creature up, then down, the last hill of the walk. I thought I was returning a lost dog, but I think I may have found an escaped convict and returned the sad thing to its wicked captors.

Weird to have finished – don't know what happened to hippy and Holland – they both just seemed to disappear a few stages ago – was talking to a German couple over dinner here that I have spoken to a few times – they are unclear on what happened to them either. In a quite nice and reasonably priced place tonight – was about forty Euro for dinner, a bed, a mini-bus to Porte Vecchio – where I will buy new boots, spend a night in a hotel, and generally figure out what to do next. Looking forward to getting online somewhere with a decent connection, posting the last few blogs, answering emails, and so on. Nice to have a good feed and to know that my bed is not going to be blown around tonight. Nice to have had a hot shower and be properly clean for the the first time in a week. Nice not to have to put on the same set of walking clothes tomorrow. Nice to know I don't have to worry about my blisters quite as much for a couple of days – can finally get the tape and the silicon off them and let them heal properly. Nice to know that I won't have to worry about blowing out a knee on a minute by minute basis tomorrow. Basically feeling nice. Quick chat to K, folks, Gma on the mobile, then bed.

Photos: 1. The kitchen at the final refuge. It would probably lose its charm a bit if it rained, but it didn't. 2. Heading back to the ocean. 3. A famous climbing destination – I hoped to see some people hanging from ropes, but there was no-one there. 4. The track, on an easy day. 5. This bit of track has been used by traders – good sensible people with mules – for centuries, so is sane. 6. My final rock pool. 7. Another one of those difficult moments. 8. The spring which marks the official end of the GR20 – and my starving new friend gorging itself on more water.

Cheers, B.