You walk into Sorde-l’Abbaye and your feet know exactly what they’ve done today. Around 27 kilometres, a little over 7 hours on the road. The village sits by the water, and it’s quiet around the old abbey. That suits the day behind you.
Because it isn’t really hard. After Dax you leave the town behind quickly, and the changes in height stay small: short climbs, gentle descents. It’s the distance that gets you. You get used to flat walking, but the kilometres still count. Woodland paths, fields and quiet roads take turns, and the pace becomes monotonous all by itself, in a pleasant way. Towards the end the landscape opens up: meadows, a row of trees on the horizon and the light falling low across the land.