At Giat we were rather elevated, geographically speaking, but we still had another day and a half of climbing before we reached the highest point of our walk, where the north-flowing waters of the Sioule give way to the south-flowing Dordogne.
Our penchant for following tiny tracks marked on our map got us into difficulty once or twice, but on the whole we went along easily, as the countryside was no more than gently undulating most of the time. We never get used to the rich greenness of the French landscape.
Our accommodation in this section turned out to be almost the opposite of normal, in that every night except one was spent indoors.
After our night in a hotel in Giat, we were obliged to repeat the experience in Merlines, and the following night, at the camping ground of Ussel, we were also indoors, more to please our anxious hosts than out of necessity (it was raining hard).
We crossed the Dordogne, a trickle of a river in a mighty gorge, and struggled up the other side, ending the day at the unexpectedly delightful village of Saignes, where once again we had to stay in the hotel, as the camping ground had died some time earlier.
Day 6: Giat to Merlines
Day 7: Merlines to Ussel
Day 8: Ussel to Liginiac
Day 9: Liginiac to Saignes