Pilgrim's Progress – Long Distance Walks in Europe and the UK

The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together.

William Shakespeare – All’s Well that End’s Well Act 4 Scene 3

The day had started off in a slightly bizarre fashion. I was up early in anticipation of an arduous 28km walk to Vaison-la-Romaine. As I headed out of Le Blueberry Hotel I noticed a roadsign indicating that Vaison-la-Romaine was only 10 km away by road!

Tempting though it was to take the low risk route, I decided to follow the GR4. Looking at the map, it was a very convoluted route but hopefully the views would make it worth while.

For three hours or so, everything went well. The views were sublime, the temperature was manageable and the path was well marked.

Shortly after mid day, everything went pear shaped. I came to an intersection which clearly marked a route to Vaison that was on the GR4. But after following the route, the red and white signs rapidly disappeared and I was left to guestimate where Vaison was located and which of the myriad of forest tracks I should take.

Finding one’s bearings on a trail should be fairly straightforward. The only problem was that none of the place names or directions corresponded to the map details of my topguide to the GR4!

Finding one’s bearings in life can be a challenging affair. I can remember at school pondering what career to pursue and what subject to study at university.

The careers department at Winchester in the 1970s was headed up by a rotund man called Colonel Somerset. He also headed up the CCF! If your career choice didn’t involve joining the Army, then he was left somewhat baffled. It was suggested that those who weren’t in the CCF and spent Wednesday afternoons helping out local good causes ( aka Granny bashing!) should undertake a careers multiple option questionnaire called ‘The Crystal Ball’.

I duly enrolled, completed the questionnaire and eagerly awaited the response. When the results came through they were depressing – I was essentially unemployable. So much for the virtues of a classical education!

Finding one’s bearings in life can be as challenging as finding one’s bearings on a French long distance footpath. Sometimes it’s best to just follow your nose and hope for the best. How I ended up working as a research analyst in South Korea covering the semiconductor sector having pursued a degree in mediaeval history at Oxford, baffles me. Equally baffling was how I eventually managed to navigate my way to Vaison-la-Romaine shortly after 2pm.

Vaison-la-Romaine was another charming cobbled hilltop Provençal village. I stopped off at a little brasserie for an artisanal beer served by a charming teenager covered in tattoos.

I’ve got to be honest – tattoos are one of my pet hates in life. If you are a mariner or a Japanese or Korean yakuza, fine. But if not, then tattoos should be avoided like the plague. David Beckham has a lot to answer for.

Boasting a roman bridge, an amphitheatre and numerous houses with mosaic floors, Vaison-la-Romaine was one of the richest cities in the Roman province of Narbonne.

One of the most iconic discoveries of the Roman era was the Vaison Diadumenos, a life size marble statue of an athlete which since 1870 has been part of the British Museum’s collection!

Tomorrow could be a challenging day – 30 km to Mondragon. Hopefully, I won’t lose my bearings – I’ve downloaded the Visorando walk app and hope I manage to navigate my way there without incident!