A tractor slowly turns onto the field as you leave the last houses of Chasseneuil-du-Poitou behind. That’s how the day begins: calm, with plenty of sky around you. The route is long, around 23 kilometres, but the hills are mild. The path rises and falls a little all the way, but it’s never really steep.
So the challenge lies in the distance, not in the climbs. After a good 6 hours of walking you arrive in Marçay, a small village where your pace slows down naturally. Take off your shoes and look out for a while, where the farmland stretches to the horizon and a row of poplars casts long shadows.