On being flexible

We were convinced that when we finally turned south at Laon everything would – figuratively speaking – be downhill all the way. But one way or another, we’ve hit a brick wall instead.

From the southern Champagne region onwards there is an increasing need to stay in walkers’ hostels and on David’s trip home he had picked up extra weight in the form of sleeping bags and towels. It’s also an area where we are having to carry greater quantities of food to cover longer gaps of uncertainty. The camels’ backs had met the straw.

All along we had assumed that the changeover of equipment would coincide with shedding considerable weight in winter thermals ad excess hats and gloves, not to mention the kettle. Spring, you see, and In The South. But lo! March dawns and with it what the French call “les giboulées de mars”. Which roughly translates as snow, sleet, hail torrential rain, gales and calm sunshine all in the space of twenty minutes. I understand the UK has been experiencing something similar.

It just wasn’t reasonable. With some sadness we have decided to sacrifice the purity of the concept and try a different tactic for a few weeks: a succession of bases from which we will cover the route in a succession of day walks with light packs. Such is the fate of grand plans.

As if in confirmation of a jolly good idea #2, the morning after our decision we woke to a white landscape onto which more snow fell horizontally. Worse, while we’ve been sorting ourselves out and passing through the area in trains and cars we have realised that much of the areas we would have been walking in are meters under water. Rivers, canals and lakes in the Champagne-Ardennes region have broken their banks; beyond them the rain has created new lakes in fields and forests. Some of these we have already waded through, but we had no idea it was so extensive. In Britain it would be headline news for three weeks, but in France it must be a normal occurrence unworthy of comment.

So back once again to Reims to regroup. Back indeed for a third time to the friendly Hotel Porte de Mars where the staff roared with laughter and then claimed us as part of their family. I’d recommend anyone going to Reims to stay there (great facilities and breakfast at good prices), while for ourselves the manager is planning an itinerary of his secret Reims in case we return for a fourth time.

I have mentioned before that one of our evening entertainments is listening to BBC radio podcasts. In Our Time is a favourite and I find some comfort in at last relating one of the erudite debates directly to our experience. “Guilt”. There are, apparently, guilt cultures and shame cultures. Shame contains the notion of saving face or losing face, it is concerned with outward appearence. Guilt culture is concerned with the internal voice of conscience and self criticism.

Well, on balance we don’t feel much guilt over our change of tactic. We do intend to return to full pilgrim mode in a few weeks, although maybe with a jumping about of the order of sections to chase the weather. But perhaps we feel a little shame, in the eyes of others …