It was raining this morning so, as today's stage was a short one, I waited for a pause in showers before striking camp. Breakfasted on bread and cherries, and cashew nuts

12 km down the road at Agouac I found a busy little town: an épicerie to stock up on picnic goods, a bakery for a second breakfast and a café / tabac where I got an excellent second cup of tea. Indoors there there 3 burly men at the counter enjoying their breakfast of charcuterie and red wine.

On to Songes where I spent an hour in their extraordinary Musée de la Truffe. This is well worth a diversion. They have wonderful diagrams and models and illustrations and video presentations, as well as a garden of saplings of varieties of tress under which truffles may grow. If the many necessary factors are in alignment.

An awful lot of the botany and science of truffles seems to be understood, though I was told that much remains a mystery. There's a huge effort underway to revive the production of truffles through deliberate cultivation. No photography was allowed so do visit this first class museum yourself, when in the Périgord Noir.

On to Coulaures where this iron gate caught my eye, before the big climb of the day, which was followed by an even longer descent down to Touroiac, where I had a long lunch break by the river and dried the tent. 

Then not far to the theoretical finish of Hautefort, where I stopped to take in the Museum of Medicine. Based in a magnificent hospital finished in 1717 it presents a survey of médecine, surgery, pharmacy and dentistry through the ages.

Also numerous fascinating photos on display.

Then a short push on to the campsite, which turned out not to be the campsite after all, as it was full up. The manager pointed me towards another site, 20 mins back in the direction I'd come. Stroke of fortune as Camping Le Clapeau at Cubas, right on the Auvézère river is a beautiful small "natural" site. And I identified a good restaurant just up the road, in which to eat more confit duck.