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2017 E5 walk, day 43: Bagnoles-de-l’Orne to Carrouges

Section 10, Day 43
Bagnoles-de-l'Orne
0°23′35.4″W
48°33′10.4″N
Carrouges
0°8′41.6″W
48°34′4.4″N
low 40 °F
0.01″ rain
high 63 °F
52,388 steps
19.6 miles

After returning to the trail, the first part of the morning continued mostly on old logging trails. It dipped down into a valley (where I saw my first official attention aux tiques (“beware of ticks”) sign), and then back up and along more logging trails.

I have very little specific recollection of this day. The logging trails, as mentioned, were pretty boring, straight and fairly wide and usually featureless. Sometime after midday, the trail emerged from the forest and into farmland, then winding north­east to the town of Carrouges.

In Carrouges, I stayed the night in an AirBnB, a spare room in a modern little flat near the town center. (To be fair, most everything in Carrouges is near the town center, but this flat was even closer than most.) The next day would be long, so I got groceries, and then walked down to the Château de Carrouges just outside town.

A tall stone gatehouse stands to the southwest across a wide, well-maintained dirt path. It consists of a tower on either corner of a narrow main structure, all three tall stories with steep roofs. Windows are on the upper floors, and weather vanes on the top of each tower; another in the background suggests more towers on the other side. To the right of the drive is a neat hedge, to the left is a stone wall, and one door of the central gate is open. Over the stone wall is what looks like it might be a château; the sky is overcast.
The gatehouse of the château.
We are looking south at a stone mansion or castle, at a 45° angle directly at one corner. The complicated façade of the structure is somehow reminiscent of Brooklyn row houses; the structure is uniformly three stories, with peaked roofs. There are windows, but most are small. A low stone wall surrounds the structure at a distance; we are looking through a gap in a long, low, neatly-kept hedge. A wide dirt path leads through the hedge and around the low stone wall; on either side of it is a lawn. The leaves of a tree hang down at the top of the photo, behind which is an overcast sky.
The Château de Carrouges.

Afterwards, I had dinner at le Saint Pierre de Carrouges, and then returned to my room.

A petite grey tortoiseshell cat dozes on a dark grey futon couch. Behind and to either side are a collection of white and red cushions. A closer look suggests the cat may only be pretending or hoping to sleep. Behind the couch, we can see the ceiling (white, with exposed wood beams) and top of the far wall (also white).
This kitty was a softie, though she would later claim ownership of my bed.
Map of the day’s route.