Night walking

On Saturday July 3rd a small group of 7 people who had planned to join a nocturnal hike gathered in Tesson to experience a night walk . Actually we started walking at about 7.30 after an "ap�ritif" in front of the foyer rural in Tesson. Some hikers had an orange juice others had a "kir" (a drink composed of white wine and rasberry syrup).The walk started just in front of the church and the footpaths were well signposted. The organisers had planned everything ( a three-course meal composed of Rillettes on a piece of bread as a starter, cold meat with crisps as a main course, an ice-cream and coffee for dessert.
After leaving the village of Tesson we walked past vineyards and fields. We went past some inhabitants who were relaxing on their terrasse watching the groups of walkers and enjoying the fresh air of the early evening . There were about 200 participants. And we started our route at our own pace. Some were far ahead of others, whilst some were far behind others.
After walking about 3 kms we reached the first stop and had a slice of bread with "rillettes" and some pickles to go with them. We all sat on very comfortable hay bales.
We also had a glass of red wine followed by a glass of water in order to continue our hike!!!
Then we continued along the track and walked through a woodland we also walked past a beautiful lizard ( orange and green) We all stared at the unusual animal and after a few minutes it decided to leave us to hide in the dark wood.
Then the path was quite close to the A10 so we could hear the background hum of the mortorway. Fortunately for us this part was very short and we were soon in the forest enjoying peace and tranquility. On the next part of our itinary we met some organizers who helped us to cross a main road ( the Saintes road) . We were soon in the vineyards again . We stopped in the vineyards and had the second course of our dinner. It was composed of cold roastbeef and pork and a packet of crips, served with a glass of wine and some water to keep our body going in the hot summer evening.After relaxing and chatting with other people we started the third part of our walk. At that time of day the sun was setting and we could enjoy the delights of the countryside in a different way.
There is something unmistakably spiritual about walking after the sun sets. The scenery looks different , more peaceful and tranquil.
Then a few kilometres away we stopped to have cheese and a slice of bread served with the inevitable glass of wine!
We eventually started the last part of our itinary in a semi-darkness but by the time we reached the departure point the night had already fallen. When we came to the foyer rural it was around 10.15pm. We all had an ice-cream and a cup of coffee. The church was beautifully illuminated and as silent as its stones.
It was the first time we've experienced the outdoors in the evening and we really enjoyed it. We all thank the organisors who had planned everything from sign posts on footpaths and bridleways to catering and security on the main road.
The next night walk is in Chaniers on August 28th.