This section took us through the last of Périgord Pourpre (purple Perigord), with its vines and orchards, and into the department of Lot-et-Garonne. The landscape did not change much at all, except perhaps for an increasing prevalence of prune trees in the orchards. There were still fortified châteaux and bastide hill towns everywhere, witnesses to the long-drawn-out fighting in the area during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, when the English and French crowns both claimed sovereignty over Aquitaine.
Contrary to expectations, the weather continued inclement and we were constantly putting on our raincapes. The GR became so muddy and unpleasant that we mostly walked on small local roads. Neither at Castillonnès nor at Cancon nor at Castelmoron-sur-Lot was the camping area open, which turned out to be a mercy, at least in the first two cases.
Day 23: Bergerac to Castillonnès
Day 24: Castillonnès to Cancon
Day 25: Cancon to Castelmoron-sur-Lot