Guess who we saw??

As suspected, Wednesday dawned bright, clear and sunny. Pah! The main highway we were travelling on had apparently reopened, so muttering about the weather gods, we set off for Punakaiki. Along the way we detoured to the Nelson lakes to see Lake Roititi, which Chris had seen cool pictures of. We didn't hang around, however, as an electronic road sign (of which there aren't many!) had said the highway was still closed. On the way out from the lakes we did our good deed for the day and picked up a hitchhiker we had seen sat on the road on the way there. He was a very nice English lad on his way to a music festival for new year. He was telling us what the weather had been like in the very still town we had passed through a few days earlier - unbelievable! We stopped off in one town to that had an i-Site to check on the roads, and sure enough, there were all open, so we continued onwards but only once coffee had been located.

Having dropped our companion off, we found our way to Punakaiki on a blustery but very sunny afternoon, arriving at a small hostel RIGHT on the beach The guy on reception is hysterical. Not quite sure how to describe him, but he is definitely a parody of a German/Dutch fashionista character somewhere. Maybe that guy from Beverly Hills Cop in the modern art place? Much hilarity. We went up to the Pancake Rocks and blowholes nearby, which are quite something else. The best time to see the effects of the blowholes is just before high tide, so we went to a nearby cafe for a coffee to pass the time. At one point Chris happened to glance down the road and couldn't believe her eyes when she was the lovely Israeli couple crossing the road! They had got stuck in the road closures (well, bridge collapses would be a better description) the previous day and had just stopped off here for a break on their way to Hokitika and, co-incidentally, the same hostel we will be going to next (tho they will have moved on again).

So we went back to watch the blowholes at high tide which were brilliant with the waves from the end-of-storm-high-winds, getting a bit damp but having fun from the spray, then headed back. After a rather lovely bolognese cooked up by Andy accompanied by a rather lovely wine from Renwick, we went to the beach to watch a fantastic sunset - along with almost everyone else at this end of Punakaiki, it would seem from the amount of people on the beach!

Don't think we mentioned - our "room" here is actually a gypsy-style wooden caravan! It's very cool. But, obviously you can hear everything, and the crashing waves from the tail-end-of-storm winds were a tad loud, so Chris didn't get a lot of sleep. Just to rub it in, a couple had pitched a tent about 1 metre from our van, and she could hear the guy in there snoring - even above the waves! Mental note to get ear plugs out of a bag in the car for tomorrow. And maybe drink more :o)

Thursday morning was still nice, so we both went off for a run along a nearby path that loops around the hill behind us, which was great and had a big muckle climb in the middle. On our return, we freed a couple of homemade muffins for sale in the hostel (see previous comment about rounded-ness!). The afternoon was spent wandering along the beach, then a wee catnap to make up for the lack of sleep the previous night, before heading off for one last high tide look at the blowholes. Except this time there is much less wind and the sea was so calm there was nothing really to see - thank goodness we went out yesterday! Tomorrow we head to Hokitika to see in the New Year on another beack - hopefully! A little different from the Nine Mile Burn all-nighters of previous years!!

Rain stops us playing!

So we took the long drive from Nelson to Moteuka on the 26th. Well, the long drive takes about an hour, plus the time it takes to turn back after ten minutes journey to get the towels that we left drying on the washing line at the hostel...

We got to the hostel very early, kind of surprising the woman who ran it and got a room so we could dump our stuff and go for a wander. We went by the place organising the kyaking the next day to do the paperwork and they gave us details about phoning to check whether they would cancel as the weather report for the next couple of days was less than great. We spent the day wandering around the town, going to the i-Site to get info on our next points of call and then going to the local Sprig and Fern to lubricate our minds in order to take in the brochures we'd picked up. We took it easy in the evening, just grabbing some food and some chat before turning in for an early night as we had an earlyish start in the morning.

A brief departure from topic to give a wee lecture on house design in New Zealand. Every building is made of wood. The houses that don't look like they are actually are made of wood with a different finish; the rather tacky "brick veneer" being one of them. The houses are placed on wooden piles on a criss-cross base, the reason being that this way they won't fall down when an earthquake hits! Result. Another favourite in design would appear to be no sound proofing and have single glazing using the thinest glass possible (well it seems like it is). Welcome to the world of staying in hostels which were probably built on the cheap just to accentuate all of the characteristics... The point here is that you never really get a good quiet night in a hostel unless you are the only people there, which we weren't.

The hostel was, again, really nice and well equipped (if lacking in sound proofing, as mentioned above). And this time we weren't the eldest there :o) In particular, we got to know a really nice German guy who was cycling around the island, and slightly eccentric but totally harmless gentlement in this 60s acronymed (made up word?) PEG - Posh English Guy - and a very funny American bloke with a most definitely un-American sense of humour, acronymed TAG - tall American bloke (acronyn was less dubious than Funny American Guy would have been.....)

Anyhow, some broken sleep later we awoke to find the weather looked okay, so got ready and went out to get the bus to the kayaking to discover they'd cancelled due to bad weather further north where we were headed. Poo. We quickly hatched a plan B which was to drive to the bottom of the walk and walk up it for a while and then back. Fairly early on in the walk Chris suggested to Andy that she took some stuff out of his rucksack and that he ran on ahead. This was a double whammy for Chris - the run might cheer Andy up, as he was still miserable at the trip being cancellend, and she would have some time to herself with just the surroundings for company. Oh, and she wouldn't have to look at the sad face next to her for any longer. So make that a triple wammy ;o) This was great for both of us. The weather was okay, it spat with rain a little but it was good for cooling purposes, Andy got a fun bit of trail running in, Chris had a great walk, and the Abel Tasman park is simply wonderful. We booked the kayaking for the next day to try again...

So we awoke to find it well very blustery and very wet, so yep, cancelled again and this was our last chance to do it! Over a small (!) beer the previous evening we had formed an alternate plan should it be cancelled again. This alternate plan of getting water taxis up the trail (Chris walking back down, Andy getting dropped further up and running back down) failed to as the water taxis weren't running either due to the conditions! Typically, we hadn't formed a third plan taking this into account. However, we were very grateful to be where we were. The weather wasn't too bad and brightened up fairly early on. Other parts of the country were being flooded and torn apart be gale force winds, including, it turns out, the area we had travelled through two days earlier!

So instead of kayaking, we hopped in the car and headed the other direction along the coast to come nice bays, finding a good coffee shop serving more fabulous date scones and the biggest danish pastry ever seen on the way. So why would we be much rounder versions of previous selves, we wonder? No idea at all......

In an attempt at balance we also went out for a wee run later down a sand spit wit loads of birds on it, as well as a bit of sand. Along the way we got baked, soaked and then baked dry again. The weather was a little changeable, so quite like home (apart from the baking bit). In yet another attempt at balance we then again went to the Spring and Fern (to chat to the very nice owner who recognises us, to the point of "The usual?" - whether that is a good or bad sign, we are undecided....) to plan our next journey.

Apres BBQ

The BBQ was great, far too much food (which does make it Christmassy), no turkey but rounded off with a piece of Christmas cake, lovely. Chris decided to go for a walk after lunch (it was either that or fall asleep) so Andy joined in, but then just wanted to sit down every time he saw a bench - that last sausage was definitely a mistake. So after a while Chris pointed him in the direction of the hostel and carried on by herself for a while. Then got back and joined Andy in (yet) another beer.

The afternoon has followed a familiar pattern of working our way through more alcohol, but without any Christmas movies - how wierd! We did however get some fantastic brownies made by one of the staff which were most excellent even if not helping in the whole "feeling stuffed" scenario.

It has definitely been an enjoyable experience to have Christmas in hot weather. Tomorrow we head slightly west towards the Abel Tasman National Park, where we plan to work off a bit more of the food on Monday with a day spent kayaking then walking through said park. However, it looks like the weather might have other plans. Time will tell!

Happy Christmas!

So here we are, experiencing our first hot and sunny Christmas. It really doesn't feel festive, but we have to admit to preferring this to what everyone at home has been putting up with for the past few weeks!

Yesterday Andy went for a run up the Grampian hill range then up to the centre of New Zealand, and all before lunch! The geographical centre, as far as surveyors are concerned, is on a hill at the back of Nelson, with fabulous views all around. The Grampians, well they speak for themselves, really. They are, perhaps, a little less remote than their namesakes. Chris went up to the centre point too, then back down for another run along the riverside - much more civilised.

In the afternoon we wandered around the town some more, and found a picturesque hill at the back of the town with a church up the top (a beer for the first person to work out what that is called) with an brewhouse from a Wellington based brewery which serves fab beer close by, so we stopped for a light refreshment. In the evening we had to take advantage of the arrangement the pub over the road from the hostel has with the fish and chip shop next door to it where you can order your "fash and chaps" (in local lingo) and they will bring it to you in the pub! Brilliant. We then decided to wander back into town, which was absolutely dead apart from the church up the hill where there was a carol service going on. Again, very wierd to be listening to carols when it is warm outside. As we were there, it would have been rude not to pop into the brewhouse for another light refreshment... But apart from that area, the town was deserted, which was quite strange.

Saturday morning we wanted to stick to our usual tradition of working off at least a little of our Christmas dinner before we've eaten it. However, although there are bikes that can be borrowed at our hostel, they are a little the worse for wear, and Chris had already pumped up the tyres on one only to find the handle bars were loose with no allen key around to tighten them with, and wasn't about to pump up any more tyres, so a rycle wasn't on the cards. So we went for run up to the centre point on the top of the hill behind us again, taking the longer path up with Andy running on ahead and the returning back to get some hill sprints in whilst Chris took a more sedate pace. After a well earned brekkie, we sauntered along to a Japanese garden nearby and sat at a pond watching some tiny ducklings try to swin against the strong wind. On the way back, we bumped into a couple from Israel who were in the same hostel as us in Ahipara (90 mile beach) and whom we had also seen in the information centre in Taupo! Whilst it's not surprising to sometimes see the same people in different hostels, as we have had different itineraries from this couple and we are bumping into them in the street, it's quite a coincidence.

And so we now await our first Christmas barbeque - bring it on!

Wine, wine, glorious wine

So after leaving rainy Picton behind, we arrived quite early at our hostel, and as the weather had brightened up, we decided it would be a waste not to start the wine tasting tour there and then. Rather than go for either of the two wineries in the centre of Renwick, Chris decided two a little further out would be a good idea, to earn/walk off some of the wine. Yeah, great idea Chris - what looked close on the map was actually a 3 or so mile walk mostly along a very busy road. When we reached the first one the owner remarked in surprise "Did you walk here?? Blimey, we don't get many doing that....." Yes, we can see why. However, we were very ready for the wine! A few lovely tastings there, followed by a few more at the next place, and the walk back didn't seem anywhere near as bad.....

Tuesday and it was raining again, so we did the sensible thing and had some coffee in Blenheim then back to the car and tracked down a chocolate factory then a fudge shop! The sun came out in the afternoon, so we decided to try to work off some of the excesses and go for a run. Chris came across a back garden containing a small deer and a trampoline..... Another garden had sheep running around in it, and nearby to both of these was a mobile abbatoir! Fresh venison and lamb for the neighbours, perhaps...

Wednesday morning the sun made a welcome return, so we hired a couple of bikes from our hostel and set off on a tour of the wineries. Honestly, the number and size of some of them makes the regions of France look paltry! Happily all the wineries which offer tastings are really friendly and there is no pressure to buy whatsoever, which again is a nice change from France. So the day was spent happily peddaling between vineyards, tasting as we went. What a terrible way to spend a day - not! Luckily Andy had discovered a nice track through one of the vineyards that meant we didn't need to take our lives in our (wine fuelled) hands on the main road again, and we made it back in one piece, with a very long list of wines that we liked. That evening we managed to whittle it down a little, and Thursday morning we did another tour of the vineyards, with the car this time, to buy a few bottles - it was only polite!

And so we have made it to Nelson. This is a lovely area, with a nice town centre and hills a plenty just behind us which Andy couldn't resist taking a run up not long after we got here. Chris took the flatter option of running alongside the river - much easier! A bit more of the same today, perhaps....

23rd Dec: Wellington, then South

We have managed to squeeze a bit of culture into our trip, at last, by going around an art exhibition - oooh, lovey! Actually, it was really interesting - and free! We also took the funicular railway up the very steep hill to the top of the botanic gardens - an amazing bit of engineering considering when it was built. Apparently quite a few of the wealthy landowners who built homes up the hills in Wellington originally built their own cable railcars - some of the pictures looked pretty hairy (and no, that wasn't the hobbits) - but considering the steepness of that hillside, can't really blame them. It was very pleasant to be able to get away from all the high rises in the city centre. It wasn't really the weather for wandering around gardens though, so we decided to leave that for tomorrow.

A return visit to the purveyors of (relatively) cheap beer was called for, and we felt sooo touristy as we watched the bars fill up with folk coming out for Friday night drinks after work - with us in our tourist-shorts-and-tshirts. It was quite wierd to watch the after work crowds after so long.

The next morning dawned much clearer, so after a walk around the museum, we headed back up the botanics again and meandered slowly down through them this time, enjoying the peace and quiet.

The next morning we left early for the ferry across to the south island. Unfortunately the rain started, so we didn't get to appreciate the Marlborough Sounds in all their glory as we approached, but the views were still incredible. We had booked one night in Picton, the town where the ferry terminal is situated, with the hope of enjoying some walks around the edges of the sounds, but it was absolutely pouring with rain by this point. Rather than be hemmed in at the hostel, we decided to don the waterproofs and at least venture into the town. Waterproof-shmaterproof. We were both drenched. A girl staying in the hostel had recommended a cafe that does excellent cakes, so we tracked that down and sploshed our way in. The coffee and cake were, indeed, fabulous, and hopefully they didn't mind the puddles/ponds of water forming under our table as we dripped quietly in the corner.

After a while we braved the elements again, but only as far as a bar called the Flying Haggis! After chatting to the Aberdeen-born owner for a while, we then met a very drunk, but very nice, chap originally from Leith. What, a drunken Leith-man? Surely not! We then splashed our way back to the hostel to dry out.

The next morning Chris woke early and found the sun was shining, so went out for a run, leaving Andy in bed to contemplate the weather. Unfortunately the weather did close in again, so again we didn't get to appreciate the full views of our scenic trip east towards the wine region of Blenheim and Renwick.

Mount Taranaki - Out there somewhere?

OK, so the more-hill-walking-plan didn't quite work out. The problem with having a high mountain near the sea is, of course, it pulls in water from the sea and so is frequently covered in cloud. As it was when we were there. We couldn't see it at all - and it's a BIG mountain! Impressively, having not rained at all in the area for 40 days (which, given the aforementioned geographical situation is a tad unusual), it rained the day we turned up! Perhaps Chris' potential new career as a rain maker is still a possibility.... Our time in New Plymouth was spent walking along less taxing routes instead. The first was a very pleasant woodland/river walk and on the way back we started chatting to a very nice local lady walking her (adorable and very friendly) retriever, so we tagged along with them for the rest of the walk. The 2nd was more forgettable, but we can't have great walks all the time!

We did discover a lot of biting things tho', so bought some more insect repellant in anticipation of them getting worse. Chris is rueing the lost opportunity to randomly slap Andy using the excuse of "there was a sand-fly biting you"......

Once again we'd found a really nice hostel to stay in, with a very nice room with another very comfy bed, and more friendly hostel-pets. This time Vincent the dog, who we didn't see a lot of but was very friendly when we did, and Jed the cat, who was the laziest cat we have ever met, but very friendly, so we were happy.

After 3 nights in New Plymouth we moved on, and happily Mount Taranaki put in an appearance this time - and it looked incredible. It was a case of "See what you could have won" as all we could do was take photos as we left, but it was great to see it. A very short distance later we arrived in Wanganui. We knew nothing about the town, but actually really liked it - it has a great mixture of river sports and plenty of parks and hills. Another nice hostel with another dog! There seems to be a pattern emerging here. We got our exercise by tramping up 250 (apparently) steps to then go up a tower with a further 175. It was worth it for the view.... This, however, wasn't enough for Andy, and he ran up them later - in the very hot sun. Luckily for him the men in white coats couldn't keep up.

After just the one night in Wanganui, we have reached Mana, a suburb of Wellington. And a hostel dog again. The owners weren't in when we arrived, so when we were met by this large, barking dog who wasn't wagging his tail, we were a little apprehensive. Chris told Andy he could go upstairs (towards the dog) first, but Andy managed to find other things to do. Tired of waiting for these strangers to come and feed him, the dog came to us - and didn't eat us! As it turns out, Rocky is actually extremely friendly and is more likely to knock you over playing than actually do anything guard-dog-like.

And we've managed to bring on the rain again! OK, so it's really warm drizzle, but rain nonetheless. We went up to the nearby supermarket, which is next to the train station, so we decided to take a detour into Wellington for a few hours. As you do. Stopping for a bit of liquid refreshment we bizarrely found the cheapest beer we'd come across yet - in the capital city - a very pleasant surprise. Tomorrow we will do a few more touristy things - probably indoors, given our rain-making-abilities.

Tongariro Crossing and Gloworms

On Friday we walked the crossing alongside Mount Tongariro, beside Mount Ngauruhoe (otherwise known as Mount Doom). Mount Tongariro used to be the tallest mountain in New Zealand before it lost it's top two thirds. A bit careless really. We checked behind the mountain and it definitely wasn't there. We're sure it'll turn up, perhaps down the back of a sofa.

Even though it is now a lot smaller than it used it be, it's still pretty big..... there was even snow in places! Just overlook the fact that, for various parts of the walk, we were in shorts and t-shirt. We were also wrapped up in fleeces, jackets and gloves in other parts!

So we got up at 5:20am (yes, really!) to get a bus over to the other side of Lake Taupo for the walk. This wouldn't have been so bad if some other folk in the hostel hadn't chosen that night to have an all-nighter, keeping Andy awake for most of it. Still, the morning dawned dry and bright and we dragged ourselves out of bed in time to have some breakfast before the bus arrived.

We won't bore you with the details of the crossing as we could write a novel about it, but suffice to say it was absolutely amazing. It was fairly hard going as you climb up the side of the volcano before walking across a crater, climbing out of said crater before heading down hill, and the total distance is 18km, a lot of which is on volcanic sand (as well as uphill), but it was worth every moment. It is, without a doubt, the best thing we have done so far and we doubt we will be able to better it. The views were incredible and no photos or descriptions could do it justice. We then made use of a great voucher deal at a pub in the town and had some well deserved (so we think!) pub grub and a few beers.

Anyway, the next day Chris stupidly went for a short run in the morning to try to loosen off, Andy was much more sensible and stayed in bed then made coffee then just wandered around for most of the day. The weather had taken a turn for the worse and it was overcast and windy. The crossing that day was cancelled due to the weather, so we were really glad we had gone when we did.

Sunday morning it was really nice and sunny again, and Chris stupidly went for another run, Andy again did the sensible thing. We then, sadly, left Taupo. We have taken a detour north west again to visit caves with gloworms. Andy wanted to take a scenic route, which had us glad for our 4-wheel drive as we found ourselves driving along gravel roads inbetween forest parks! Happily, the other side of the mountains the weather got really hot. Sorry folks, but it's true! We were chatting to a guy who's brother is married to a woman from Currie, where they still live, and he has been having a great time telling them about the weather over here - at least we feel slightly guilty about it!

So we found our way to a cave full of gloworms. It was quite cool, although fairly short. We weren't sure what to do with ourselves after that, so went to a tourist information office nearby and were given a few good ideas. As it happens, having felt that we shouldn't have arranged to stay here for the night, the sights we went to see were excellent and we ended up having a really good afternoon, including some more rally-inspired driving roads. Did we mention it was hot? Sorry......

Tomorrow we are heading south again to Mount Taranaki for more hill walking. Our poor legs!

Northland and Beyond

Lack of wi-fi in some places, generally being busy and blogspot playing silly buggers have been the reasons behind the big gap in blogs!

So after Waipu we went up to Paithia and the Bay of Islands, staying in the amusingly named hostel "Cap'n Bob's Beachhouse". Our room opened out onto the balcony with a superb sea view. Not exactly convenient for the loos but well worth it for the view! We went on a boat trip through the bay, but despite it being a lovely day, the swell was quite big so it was a tad rough at times! The aim was to go through a rock with a very large hole in it (the official name for it we think came from ancient Moari and was "The Hole in the Rock"), but the conditions meant we couldn't, but we did get to see a large school of dolphins mucking about which was great. A stop for lunch and a lovely BBQ'd steak and we headed back. The boat stopped at a town across the harbour from ours on the way, so for a change of scene we hopped off for a look around, and happy days, found a pub selling some very nice ale. We couldn't possibly pass by without sampling, so a very fine couple of ales were supped before heading to the ferry and back to base.

There was a very nice woodland walk up to a waterfall which we both went for runs along 2 of the days we were there. Well, Andy ran to the waterfall the 2nd time, Chris didn't *quite* make it that far..... It was very hot, but we had to work off the beers somehow!

Next we headed to the far North (which, in this hemisphere, has a very different meaning to Scotland!) and stayed in Ahipara, on a hostel right beside a lovely beach. And what a fabulous hostel. We had a massive room with a very comfy bed - in fact we have definitely stayed in hotels with vastly inferior rooms. There was also two resident dogs and one cat, which made Chris happy when she had it on her lap for some of the evening. We decided to walk to the nearest grocers store to stretch our legs after a long drive. However, someone had definitely lengthened the road between the hostel and the shop after we'd arrived and it was a touch longer than we'd anticipated..... Rather than walk back along the road, we headed for the beach and walked back on the sand. This beach (called 90 Mile Beach, although it isn't, but more on that later) is also a highway - honestly! So we had to avoid the odd passing vehicle, sometimes at speed, which was a bit bizarre.

The next day we went on a bus tour to Cape Reinga at the very top of the island. Our bus driver was a very nice guy called Allen, who is half Moari and half Scottish - great mixture! It was well worth taking a tour rather than driving ourselves, as we got to see a lot more and learnt a fair bit of history. We also went tobogganing down a sand dune, which was a hoot. The climb up was fairly hard work but well worth it. We had a laugh at the thought of tour operators in the UK trying to get away with sending their clients haring downhill on sledges - health and safety would have a fit! The additional bonus to going on the bus trip was the bus driving most of the way back along the beach! A bizarre experience.

So, 90 mile beach. Apparently, it was originally measured during horse and cart days. They knew the horse and cart could cover 30 miles per day, so as the journey took 3 days, they concluded the beach was 90 miles long. Fairly logical. However, this did not take into account the fact that, during high tide, the horses had to ride through soft sand, slowing them down considerably. Many years later, the beach was measured using more accurate techniques, and it turns out it is 64 miles long instead. Oh well, they thought, 90 miles sounds better, let's just leave it at that!

We then headed back south, stopping for an evening in Queensville. Not somewhere we would recommend staying, it's a little quiet to say the least. And the hostel we staying in was, well, different. The bedroom was lovely, the bed was exceptionally comfortable, the kitchen was great, but the quotes from the bible on the walls, and the bible in the bedroom, were a little offputting! The notice on the wall about a zero tolerance towards intoxication made us feel obliged to go out for a beer, Chris wearing a t-shirt with a Benjamin Franklin quote "Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy", after we'd had dinner! We went to a bar very close by and were quite glad we did, because we were the poor guys' only customers all evening. Earlier on in the day we went out to see a gannet colony nearby with a few wee cute chicks in the nests which made the stop off worthwhile, but we weren't distraught to be leaving the next day.

We then headed south of Auckland to Taupo. We'd booked to stay for two nights but very quickly extended that stay to 4 days! We could easily stay longer - it's a really nice area and there is plenty to do. And the hostel which overlooks the lake onto the mountains behind is brilliant. We think it was probably a motel previously, and our room is huge and has a fridge and an ensuite - ultimate luxury! Which for approx £32 a night for the two of us is going to be hard to beat. We went on a good walk up to a waterfall nearby and stopped for a dip in a thermal stream on the way back. Why pay loads of money for a spa when you can sit in a naturally heated (and it was very hot in places) stream??

The next day we went for a pre-breakfast run then wandered around the town in the morning then went kayaking down the river in the afternoon, stopping again (on the way past in the kayaks this time) at the thermal stream. What a hard life!

12,000 kilometers into our jaunt around New Zealand and we really are loving it.

Hello New Zealand!

And so our adventures begin again. Unfortunately the snow arrived before we left. Fortunately, we left before it got _really_ bad. We left a wee bit before 8am on Sunday 28th November for a 1315 flight from Glasgow, which seemed ridiculously early, but given the weather, seemed a good idea in case there were any accidents on the M8. We were fairly confident that the motorway would be cleared though. That confidence was, however, misplaced. The carriageways were completely covered in fairly thick snow, with only one lane clear from the passing traffic for most of it. Worse still, despite that one lane being pretty clear, the snow around it scared many drivers into driving at about 30mph. Fortunately that day the lorry which crashed went off the side of the motorway, unlike the one the next day which jack-knifed across the carriageway and closed the motorway (you'd think they'd have learnt.....).

So, we get to the airport VERY early, but relieved to be there in one piece. We see the flight is delayed by an hour (making our arrival all the earlier!), but think that's not too bad. Unfortunately, although the delay was caused by the late departure of the incoming flight, that hour meant that, by the time the flight was due to arrive, the runway was closed due to the snow, so it was diverted to Prestwick! But ok, we can live with that. Then it was announced that the crew were over hours, so the crew taking us to Dubai were being taken to Prestwick to get the plane (could they not have foreseen that and sent them earlier??). New departure time 1945. Ho hum. So we got a beer.

We hear the plane is on its way, hurray we think. Then it took over an hour to land - from Prestwick to Glasgow - where did they go?? Eventually they announce boarding, but that grinds to a halt when it's announced the auxiliary power unit on the plane had failed. It was eventually fixed and on we went. Then we sat on the tarmac for ages. After a while we were told that they had had trouble starting the engines, and by the time they had fixed the problem, there was ice on the wings so they had had to send for the de-icer again! "One of those days" doesn't really do it justice. So we had faced a 9 hour delay before we'd even taken off! We missed out on our first night in Dubai, so by the time we got there we didn't have the energy for any sightseeing (it was VERY wierd to be walking around in 30+ degree heat having left the thick snow).

The flight from Dubai was late leaving too (although nothing in comparison to the previous one) so we arrived in Auckland in time for rush hour. Fortunately we had a transfer arranged so didn't have to deal with driving through that whilst exhausted. We went out for some food and beer, but went back fairly early on as Andy actually dozed off in the bar!

Thursday morning we went out for a run along the harbour and waterfront to try to shake off the cobwebs - slow and quite hard going but definitely worth it. We picked up our hire car and headed north. We took the more scenic route to start with (yes, deliberately!) and stopped at a wee shopping outlet place to look for something to cover our belongings with as our Subaru Legacy has no boot cover..... There was a liquor store there, so we went in to see how much their beer is as it is extortionate in the pubs. There didn't seem to be much beer, so we asked where we could get some, and were directed to the shops' walk in chiller!! Beer heaven :o) We were, however, quite restrained due to an already full boot - thank goodness for small mercies!

Next stop Waipu - the first Scottish settlement. This now explains the picture at the top - we didn't expect to see a Gaelic welcome sign over here! The amount of tartan around is quite amusing. With saltires and Scottish names all around and even a tartan rug on our bed we feel quite at home. Well, except for the warm weather instead of 16 inches of snow (hee hee - sorry folks). There is a lovely beach nearby so we went back there after leaving our stuff in the hostel and walked along the beach in shorts and t-shirts.... (sorry again).

Tomorrow we continue to head north.

6th October - Bongo-ing, Bongo-ing, Bongone

Okay, so it's gone a little wrong. We'll go for a quicker version first for those short of time and the more detailed one after, if you have an hour or so to spare.

Shorter version

- woke up on Tuesday, Chris actually found the local shops open! to get bread and milk and supplies while Andy packed the tent.
- had breakfast, loaded up the van and set off before ten to get fuel (thanks to Bongos thirst) and navigated around Paris (scary/mad/scary/mental/scary) and made it to the A1 toll that goes from north of Paris to Calais. Bongo juddering all the way.
- got about 20k when we got bang, thud, clatter clatter clatter, thud at about 120kph, clattered over to hard shoulder and deposited a prop shaft component on said hard shoulder. Bum.
- got towed to garage, AA recovery decided had to repatriate Bongo to fix as too dead to repair in France and give us hire car to get home.
- we got hire car, eventually, French man in no hurry, moved loads of stuff from Bongo in hire car, drove to Calais to swap hire cars (see long version).
- missed ferry, got on next one, next one canceled, got put on one next moring so stayed in Calais - lovely, comfy, lovely, bed
- took ferry, stopped by customs on way off ferry, drove up to Conitson in the Lake district, drank nice real ale.
- have to go to Edinburgh on Thursday to return hire car, will dump stuff/pick up stuff and go to hide in Gairloch for a while.
- Bongo may make it back in a couple of weeks...

Longer Version

We woke up on Tuesday. Okay,so far the same as the short version but you know, that's how it is. The weather was a little moist, not raining all the time but not not raining all of the time either. Chris managed to get to the mysterious Boulangerie and local shop that we had never previously seen open and got some milk, bread and of course pain au chocolat to power us through the day. Andy packed the fairly wet tent up into the van and after breakfast and showers we got ready to head for Calais. Chris went to check out and although we were close to Paris this turned out to be one of the cheaper places we'd stayed in and even got given tshirts when we left. How bizarre, but kind of cool. We'd given ourselves a huge amount of time to make the ferry, with about 7 hours to cover the 3 hour journey so we could stop and cool the van and try to nurse it back to the UK. The first minor problem was that we were staying south of Paris and had to go north, so a trip around the capital was called for.

First things first we had to refuel as the Bongo was less than a quarter tank full and thanks to the issues it was experiencing a tank only got us about 400k. We trusted the satnav to guide us to a station and it chose this time to send us down a dead end just for a laugh. We managed to come across a station and refuel and set on our way. And what a way. If you've never driven around Paris in busy traffic then it is an experience you may want to try just to see how good your nerves are. Lanes go this way and that, you need to be very careful not to be in a lane that suddenly takes you in completely the wrong way and there's lots of concrete, no hard shoulders and loads of serious repair works to congest things a little further. And had we talked about the traffic and the driving? Mad as mad folk in madsville, driving in a mad manner. When lanes join from left and right sides and the van you are driving is shaking all the time (maybe it was just intimidated?) it took a lot of concentration and Andy spent most of this part of the journey with his eyes closed and he was driving.

We made it to the A1 which is the motorway toll that you can then pretty much take you all the way to Calais and went through the toll to get the ticket. Woohoo, thought us, only 230k until we get to Calais and then at least we can get to the UK before anything breaks. The woohooing lasted for about 20k at which point there was a loud bang followed by a load thud from under the van succeeded by clattering and badness. We had been travelling at around 120kph in the middle lane of the three lane motorway, luckily with little traffic around we managed to drive over to the hard shoulder. At this point the van threw another fit, in this instance in the form of a piece of drive shaft, into the lane and we came to a halt. Both Andy and Chris both came to the same conclusion that we may have a minor technical issue with the van at this point. Yellow vests on we collected the Bongo component (still warm) from the lane and put out the warning triangle. Now motorways in France are looked after by the police, so even with the AA cover we have to get the authorities to tow us off the toll road before the AA can intervene. 140 Euros straight off. Merde. We noticed that about 500 metres up the road was one of the emergency phone things, so we crawled the Bongo up the hard shoulder (well, two wheels on the grass verge to the side) to the phone which meant it was further from the road too, so good stuff. In case it seems odd that the van moved it is (was) 4WD. It looks like the transfer box seized and the front part of the drive shaft to the rear wheels sheared off, leaving the rest of it (about two thirds from the universal joint rearwards) flailing. Andy spoke to the big metallic speaker in the emergency point to the French lady at the other end with details (so easy to hear, right next to a motorway) while Chris got the pastries she'd bought in the morning from the van so we sat on the verge eating great pain au chocolat watching the world, and working campervans :o( pass by.

The guy with the truck turned up within half an hour and Chris explained to him in French what the problem was. He just shrugged in a Gallic manner, obviously thinking "She's a woman. And she doesn't speak good French. She obviously is talking rubbish." His face was a picture however, mouth wide open with cigar stuck to the corner of his lips, when Andy retrieved the shorn drive shaft as further explanation at which point he straight away got the van onto the truck. Chris made a mental note to learn the French for "See? I told you!" We were taken about 10k to a garage and unloaded, we called the AA and the mechanic spoke to them too, after which they decided it needed to get repatriated back to the UK. It works out like this; if they can fix it for less than it costs to get it and us back to the UK they will, otherwise they get a replacement vehicle for us and bring the van back separately.

So the AA tell us they will arrange for a Mondeo estate for us, and will send a taxi to take us to the car hire depot to pick it up. So far, so good (all things considered!). The taxi took a wee while, but it was still looking ok for us to catch the ferry we were booked onto. Then we got to Avis. Considering they knew we were coming, you would think that it would be a fairly quick process. Oh no. It took absolutely ages. Neither of us can work out what took him so long. Then, the fax the AA were supposed to send with details of how we change cars at Calais (to go from a left hand drive to a right hand drive car) hadn't arrived. So Andy phones the AA again, and it turns out the Avis fax machine isn't working. Nice of him to tell us in the first place. We eventually get going, but by now worried that the van will have been taken to another garage, as this was due to happen within an hour, and we had been longer than that. We were relieved to find it still where we had left it, so we took out as much stuff as we thought we would need, and could easily fit into the car, and took the bikes off the back of the van and put them inside it :o( Andy called the AA again to find out what to do with the van keys and whilst still on the phone, a tow truck turns up, seemingly from the right garage. The tow truck driver blabbed something, patted his truck, got in it and drove off! We tried to talk to people in the garage but weren't getting very far, so Andy phoned the AA (again!), explained what had happened, and passed the phone to a lady from garage so he could explain to her in French. So she took the key and off we went. At last. However, we had absolutely no chance of getting the ferry now, so Andy called SeaFrance a little later to explain both our missing the ferry and the different car we were now in, and was assured it would be fine.

On our way long the motorway, a engine malfunction message appeared on the hire car display. Luckily it disappeared again, and the car was still going, so we persevered and hoped for the best. And so we get to Calais, find our way to the right area to swap the cars over, and Chris took a call from the French arm of the AA who had a woman from the Calais car place on the phone wandering how long we would be. 5 or 10 mins says Chris, and in a 3 way half-English-half-French conversation, she was given directions. Except a "turn left" was lost in translation, and we spent about 20 minutes driving round and round an industrial estate before finally finding the place. Then the Mondeo estate we had been promised turned out to be an Insignia saloon. Hardly the same thing. Fortunately it has a massive boot, so we still managed to get all our stuff in and left for the ferry. The SeaFrance lady Andy had spoken to had said that the ferries had been delayed, and when we arrived, they didn't even blink at our very late arrival and our campervan having turned into a saloon car, and said the next sailing was at 9:30. Fantastic, we thought. We had been parked for a short while when staff started walking around the waiting area and we heard them say the dreaded words "The sailing has been cancelled". The next one wasn't until 11:30 which would, of course, not get us into Dover until 11:45pm UK time, and we would have nowhere to stay (being van-less, as we were). So we asked them if we could get a ferry the next morning instead, which surprised them, but were told yes, just take our voucher to the ticket office which was beside the exit and we would be able to change the booking. So we headed for the exit, and ended up on the road that takes you out of the ferry area altogether, watching it disappear behind us with no way to get back. So we drove into Calais itself, planning to go round the first roundabout and back again. Except, Andy being understandably frazzled, decided a different exit that would take us further towards the town centre looked like more fun, so a bit of dodgy u-turning later, we got round that roundabout and drove back to the ferry terminal. Just a 15km journey to travel about 100m. However, we did manage to book ourselves onto a ferry the following morning, and went back into Calais centre and found a Holiday Inn. Some much needed beer, food and wine later, and we felt better. And we slept in a lovely, big, comfy, wonderful, fabulous bed. And had a bath. Bliss!

Not wanting to take any chances, we got back to the ferry terminal in loads of time, and finally got on board. And reached Dover. Thank goodness, we think. As we drove off the ferry, a warning code comes up on the car display! Then, we are leaving the ferry port, we get pulled over at Customs. No joke. The car we had been given was brand new (only 8 miles on the clock when we picked it up!), and they were suspicious. Particularly when we said we had been in France for a couple of months - so how did we have a 60 registration car? And we couldn't find the hire paperwork quickly, having taken it into the hotel with us the night before to be on the safe side rather than leave it in the car. The fact that we whipped the boot open without hesitation and started pulling bags out probably showed that we had nothing to hide (not to mention not having space to smuggle a cat never mind a person). The customs guy was actually really nice, particularly when we explained what had happened, as he had once broken down on a French motorway and had to have his car repatriated so was very sympathetic to our plight. We found the paperwork, and were waved on our way. By this time Chris found the section in the car manual with the error codes, and it said Attempted Theft, so we decided it was probably due to being tilted around by the ferry and ignored it.

We decided to break the journey up with an overnight stop at Coniston as it is always a lovely spot to stop at. At third time of asking we found a non-extortionate B&B to stay at (actually very nice indeed with another well comfy bed) and headed off to the pub for some great food and great beer - real ale at last! Andy commiserated Bongo behaviour with some Bluebirds, an Old Man and a Dizzy Blonde. Well, you've got to take it where you can :o)

Back to sunny Scotland Thursday, our adventures on hold until New Zealand at the end of November. We'll find out from the Bongo doctor in a few weeks what the long term diagnosis is; until then it is time to relax in Gairloch.

To be continued in seven weeks...

4 Oct - UK bound - via Paris!

We decided not to try out the garage on the outskirts of Macon, realising that it would be best to take the van to someone who not only knows how it is put together but also speaks the same language as us. As such, our European adventure is sadly reaching an early adjournment (which also means Andy misses out on the Italian marathons) whilst we take our sick van to see the Bongo doctor in Weymouth (yes, really). Hopefully the Italian leg of our adventures has merely been postponed, rather than cancelled entirely, and may be picked up again in the spring. We hope....

Friday morning our gas supply finally ran out. Considering we had been expecting this for about 4 weeks, we had begun to wonder if it would ever happen. Thankfully it was after one cup of coffee and half a slice of toast each rather than part way through the first coffee brew. Chris was concerned about Andy driving after only one cup of coffee, so when we went to a nearby LeClerc to buy a replacement, we also got a quick espresso to up the caffeine levels, and all was ok again.

We then made the short journey to a campsite Chris had picked out of our AA book of campsites near Beaune. The description mentioned vineyards, so that pretty much won it the decision, along with a generally good write up.

We found the campsite, but there didn't seem to be much in the way of vineyards. What was extremely close by was the A6 motorway. Fortunately, due to one of those works of nature that, despite there being no noticeable wind, the breeze that must have been present was going towards to motorway so we couldn't hear it, despite being able to wave to the drivers from our van. When Chris checked out the sanitary block and discovered only holes in the floor, she had a fit and was on the verge of asking for a refund and leaving (how on earth was this recommended as a family friendly site by the AA and given 3 stars??). The discovery of a 2nd, much more modern, sanitary block behind the 1st eased the fit-throwing, and the appearance of a friendly cat appeased Chris further, and talks of refunds and leaving abated. The cat was a very similar colour to our much-loved-lost-far-too-young cat Meg, which was very surprising as we had thought that mixture of grey and tortoise-shell would be unique, so we nicknamed her big-Meg. Cutting edge wit is always to the fore with us.

We decided to try cycling into Beaune later on, and are very glad we did. There were some cycle routes, one slightly mad bit of road, then more cycle routes, then the town itself was lovely. Medieval is again a word that springs to mind, so we had a nice time wandering around. We also discovered quite a few caves of local winemakers, so knew the vineyards must be there somewhere. We dropped in on one and had a chat with a very nice lady selling the wines of friends, so had to take a bottle off her hands.

Whilst in Macon the previous night, Chris had a bit of a brainwave. As we were now having to head north, why not make the best of the situation and, instead of going straight to Calais, go to Paris on the way? So we did! Chris found the details of a campsite near a train line half an hour out from Paris with good reviews, so we headed there. It was hooching, very unlike all the other ones we have been to!, but luckily we still got in. Over the last few days we have come to realise the effect our Bongo's problems are having on it's fuel economy. We have gone from approximately 29mpg (which is hardly earth shattering, especially for a diesel!) to now just over 20mpg - argh! Andy used to have a gorgeous M5 with a huge V8 under its bonnet and even that, running on petrol, tended to achieve greater than this. The Bongo is also a little slower........

We managed, over the next few hours, to co-incide our attempts to buy things from the local shop and boulangerie with all the times when they were closed. Late afternoon, Chris dragged Andy (who had been hit by a massive dose of apathy) out for a rycle along the local cycle paths which did us both the world of good - Chris even found the energy to got for an extra 20 minute blast on the bike once Andy had finished the running part.

Amazingly we dragged ourselves out of bed early enough to get an early train into Paris on a bright and sunny Sunday morning. Despite being much further north, when the sun was shining it was HOT! We spent a lovely day wandering around Paris, reacquainting ourselves with the city. We saw the longest queue either of us have ever seen into the Louvre (entrance is free to all museums in Paris on the 1st Sunday of every month). We also passed lots of people out running, each one making Andy feel guilty, then salt was rubbed into that particular wound when we happened to find ourselves at the end of a Paris 10k race! Must remember that one for future years. Being a Sunday there was lots of things going on and there was a really nice atmosphere to the place. We even came across a lady singing opera in the middle of a street. We also found a pub which brews its own beer, so of course we had to go back later to sample some - and it was very good if a little strong. We managed to get the train back to the campsite, without falling asleep and missing our stop, and finished off a really nice day (with quite sore feet after so much walking).

The forecast for Monday was really bad, so we had written that off as a day for much sightseeing. We managed to get the same early train into Paris again, and despite the weather starting off gloomy, it was showing some promise. It kind of came and went throughout the day - the odd shower/drizzly patch amongst a mostly dry, and somethimes sunny, day, which was a pleasant surprise. Despite complaints from our tired feet, we managed a lot more walking around, although the city is a very different place on a weekday to a Sunday. However, window shopping was a lot easier with the shops being, well, open. We also took the obligatory stroll up the Champs Elysees, then spent an entertaining 5 minutes or so watching the madness of the traffic around the Arc de Triomphe.

Tomorrow (Tuesday 5th) we are booked onto a ferry back to Dover :o( but hopefully the Bongo will be made well again quickly (particularly for our finances, given how much more expensive diesel is in the UK and our aforementioned fuel economy problems). Depending on the diagnosis, we will then decide what to do. There is still the possibility of getting to the Chianti region in time for Andy's 2nd planned marathon, or we may decide to travel around the UK instead. We have ruled out the Oktoberfest as it's, well, almost finished. In the meantime, the Bongo doctor's diagnosis awaits!

P.S. We have now drunk the wine bought in Beaune and the nice lady didn't tell any lies - it was lovely!

Who's a naughty Bongo then?

On the Wednesday we got some help from the lovely lady at the reception of the campsite who phoned around several garages trying to see if anyone would even consider taking a look. Eventually she found somebody based nearby who would take a look, so we headed back to McDs for wifi to get some more French phrases that hopefully covered the issues we were having. We went to the garage after lunch and after about a quarter of an hour he came up with the suggestion that it was possibly the transmission of drive shafts but he couldn't help. Back to square one...

At least in France with Chris having some grasp of the language we thought we may have a chance of getting it fixed, in Italy where we are able to order two beers in Italian and little more we would be really stuck. So we've come to realise that we are going to have to head to Blighty to get this resolved as there's a specialist in Weymouth who knows everything there is to know about the drive system on the Bongo and they do, apparently, speak some English though they do have funny accents. So Italy and the marathons will have to be written off and we are planning a route of juddering back to the channel, on the plus side if we do break down it's less distance to recover the vehicle!

Once (if) it gets fixed we'll work out what to do next, whether to head back over to Europe (I believe that there are beer-related doings in Germany in October :o) or bum around Wales/England and good 'ol Scotland for a while. Let's see what happens.

Back to the while though. There is a chocolate factory about quarter of a mile from the campsite. The smell from it is just fantastic, so we will go for a visit on our way back to the van today. Smells of chocolate, hillsides covered in vines and the sun is shining, so sick van and changes of plan aside things really are not too bad!

Did we mention how good the wine is here :o)

28th September - Tain L'Hermitage and a sick Bongo

On the Sunday it was windy. Like very windy. You know, the sort of wind that we get at home on top of the Pentlands when you have to lean to one side when running over the hills in order not to fall over sort of windy. In many ways we felt at home :o) It was a shame for the triathlon folk (which we kind of missed anyway) as it would have been hideous to run, never mind cycle in that wind.

We wandered about in the morning failing to find the start of the triathlon but did manage to locate a coffee. Well done us. We didn't fancy a long walk or cycle of any distance ourselves so decided to take the Bongo out, go get some (more) diesel and head off to Chateauneuf du Pape. Go on, just try to say the name without doing the Del-boy impersonation. Anyhow, things started to go wrong about then; we had thought that the road noise had been a little louder in the van over the last trip but thought maybe different road surfaces etc. would account for that. At first we thought a tyre may be going flat as there was a lot of noise and major vibration when going anything over 15 kph. We stopped and looked at the tyres and all was well but we knew something was afoot. Not too sure what to do we vibrated off to Chateauneuf du Pape at lowish speed getting blown about by the strong winds, oh what fun. We made it there in one piece and stopped for a coffee again - it's never too early to have another coffee - then took a quick look around. A great wee place with vineyards on the slopes and land around and a ruined chateau at the top of the village. Funnily enough nowhere in the chateau gave us shelter from the wind, how does wind do that?

Before leaving we visited the Maison du Vin to find out a little more about the appelation and found a 500 page book that did just that! We got some info from it (like the goood years and the ones to avoid) and sauntered off to buy a couple of bottles which we did from a lady who still works on the vines herself and uses old fashioned methods to produce traditional wine that is of good quality. Having now already enjoyed the contents of the bottles it is safe to say she does a good job!

Back to the Bongo. The journey back to the campsite was again slow and juddery and we knew we had to do something about it, though being Sunday nothing could be done until Monday anyway so we thought we'd better go for a beer at our current local as that would help. It did, and all was well for us, if not the Bongo.

Monday was asserted to be garage day. The nice reception lady at the campsite told us about a local garage that would be able to speak English as our French isn't up to all of "Hi there, we seem to have a problem with the transmission on our grey import Mazda and whenever we accelerate all hell breaks loose. Can you take a look?" and associated return questions so we thought we'd give it a shot. They were not even prepared to take a look but pointed us at a Ford garage (The Mazda Bongo was also badged as a Ford Freda - who thought up these names?) near Avignon so another 10k rattle later we got there. Not the friendliest bunch it has to be said. The basic upshot is that they only really do basic services and that they didn't have the correct machine to "plug the Bongo in to" which equates to "we are not real machanics and unless a computer tells us what is wrong we can't fix it, and besides you do not speak enough French so there!" Thanks entirely to another customer who spoke perfect English we got pointed towards another bigger Ford garage about 20k away.

The next garage was much more friendly and with a mixture of French/English/pointing etc. after a drive in it they at least understood the problem we have and put it up on a ramp so they could have a look and a good poke about, but couldn't find anything wrong. On the plus side, there were no rusty bits either! AseEverything looked fine they said they'd phone Mazda to find out more about the Bongo (as they have never seen one) and see if they could help further,and we would call back later to find out the result. We did and they can't/won't. Bum. Andy called the Bongo Fury mob back in the UK to see if there are any Bongo friendly machanics in France; the quick answer is no but there is one in Germay and another in Spain... On the plus side from the call and chat we are pretty sure we know where the problem lies. On the minus side it looks like the gearbox (an automatic job made by Nissan as it turns out, at least we have the part numbers) which will probably not be good. All we need now is a local auto-gearbox specialist who understands what we are on about.... There is one on the south coast of England. A little disheartened we both went for a short run which always helps. Andy decided just to run at marathon race pace but ended up going somewhat quicker; maybe worrying about a sick motor is good for speed training? After the run we ate and headed out for a beer only to discover that nowhere is open for beers on a Monday night in V-L-A, yet a restaurant that hadn't been open at any other point was actually open, how strange. We did find a wine bar and the wine here isn't too bad you know...

We packed up on Tuesday morning having made the decision that we needed to limp north to either a) find someone to fix the Bongo and then hot-tail it to Italy for the marathons or b) head back to Blighty early to get the van fixed. This would be a real pity in many ways, though we have already been in France for getting on for two months now and who knows, perhaps we could go to Wales instead of Italy? They do both have mountains after all. The plan initially is simple. We do shortish hops, try to find someone to fix the van, do another hop. Although we have breakdown cover the van needs to no longer work at all for that to kick in; knowing it may die isn't enough, so we'll plod on and see what happens. We started to head north deciding to avoid the toll roads to keep the speed down. We then realised it would take an extra two hours for a journey that should take less than two...time to take the tolls we thought. And here's a thing - 15 kph up to 113 kph in the van is awful, terribly noise, the entire thing shakes, the end of the world may just be happening. 114kmph to 132 kmph is just the usual derv engine racket but totally smooth otherwise. We now realise that we don't need to limp home, more do it in little sprint sessions. It was still very windy however and the higher speeds made for some interesting lane choices, not all at the drivers request!

Our route took us back through C-n-d-P as we had to get more of that wine. Priorities as always. We finally made it to Tain L'Hermitage (having originally gone to the nearby village of Tournon sur la Rhone and left quickly as the circus is in town, right beside the campsite we were aiming for) and what a lovely place. Hillsides covered in terraced vineyards, some ridiculously steep. We think we'd better find out a liitle more about the area and are now thinking that even if the van isn't strong enough to make it to Italy maybe pottering around France for a while searching for garages may not be a bad idea. There's plenty more appelations for us to learn about and get to know on a more wine based level :o) Besides, our current campsite has a cycle path running past it that goes from Switzerland down to the sea; there's plenty cycling and running and drinking to be done.

Let's see what the next few days bring, be it a working van, journeys north, east, south or the UK on a breakdown truck; whatever it should be interesting!

25th September - Avignon (delayed post)

This time we had managed to pack up the tent the night before without any rain, so we got away nice and early and made our way across to Provence, in particular, near Avignon. We decided just to find somewhere near our destination and our first attempt found a campsite that was closed, then we came across the small town of Villenueve Les Avignon. After a slightly hairy drive around very narrow streets (through the middle of the historic centre!), we came to the municipal campsite in the area. We had a look around, and thought it was ok, but with no bar/restaurant/anywhere to sit if it rains, and a cold sanitary block, we decided to look elsewhere.

Chris had found a place in a village about 10 miles outside Avignon that had good reviews, but when we got there, it was completely deserted. Unlike Les Mathevies, this didn't work in its favour! So we headed back to Villeneuve Les Avignon and gave the municipal campsite a go. We walked into the town, found some nice bars with locals drinking in there, always a good sign!, and decided to eat out as it had been a long day, and had a very nice meal for a reasonable price, so all in all, felt this was a good decision. This was made all the more apparent the next day. Andy's cold had really taken hold by this point, so rather than go for a run, we both went out for a gentle cycle, and thought we would check out some of the other campsites nearby. There is an island in the middle of the Rhone which has a couple of campsites at either end which, on paper, sounded good. We went to look at the first one, and as we descended to the river side, thought "This looks lovely". Then we entered the campsite and thought "This doesn't". So we left. We then went on a nice cycle around the island, had a bit of a detour (well, we haven't done that for a few days) then found the other campsite. This one was HUGE. But also deserted. Marie Celeste came to mind. We think it was very much a holiday camp, but with no-one there, it wasn't nice. One of the main reasons for looking at other campsites was for a bar to sit in if the weather forecast turned out to right and the rain arrived. Chris had mentioned after the first night that we could always just, well, sit in one of the local bars (now that we were somewhere that had some nearby!). We both decided that this was a much better option, and having originally been against the municipal site, now decided to stay longer. The main downside is the nearby TGV railway line, but hey, you can't have everything.
Villeneuve Les Avignon is a lovely town - a big bonus considering we didn't know it existed! It has a fantastic fort, more lovely medieval buildings and narrow streets, and a really nice feel to it. In a complete coincidence, it also has a local market on a Thursday, so we spent a great morning wandering around there and bought more lovely food and saucisson! This time we got five saucisson for ten euro; best we've done previously was four for ten :o) We also got a serious amount of olives with an equally serious amount of garilc and chilli and herbs which have been much enjoyed.

On Friday Andy finally made it out for another run as his cold was moving through though still definately in place. He only managed eight miles at a pace that could be described as "light" but at least he's running again with a marathon looming in just over two weeks. A PB will not be on the cards (thanks to a cold, climate and a training schedule that consists of two months eating and drinking around France) maybe he should concentrate on an impressively bad PW instead? Chris cycled meanwhile including going to one of the local boulangerie (did we mention it is one of the best ones we've ever seen?) and managed to find the local "Desperate Housewives" estate, well everywhere has to have one! We then wandered up to the fort for a look-around and to enjoy the fantastic views and had a beer afterwards at our new current local on the way back for some great steak that we'd picked up at the market the day before. Shockingly we also had some more wine.

On Saturday morning Chris went for a short run before breakfast, without a four legged companion but also without feeling so lonely this time. Andy made coffee. Then we cycled into Avignon itself and spent a really nice day wandering saround the streets - yes, more medieval architecture, and we gawked at the Palais des Papes (funnily, where the Popes lived for years), then wandered around some more, before cycling back to V-L-A for a beer before returning to the campsite. We have extended our stay here until Tuesday, and discovered that there is an Iron Man competition starting here tomorrow, so will try to watch that. Failing that, or perhaps on Monday, a trip to Chateau-neuf-du-Pape for wine tasting is in order!

20th September - Alet Les Bains (delayed post)

We have finally, with heavy hearts, dragged ourselves away from Les Mathevies. We had decided our next port of call would be near Carcassone. We had both come across a campsite a wee bit out of the town but on a bus/train route that had good reviews so headed for that. Despite knowing nowhere would match our time at Les Mathevies, this place was, well, a bit odd. The village could, and should, have been really nice - narrow streets with fantastic medieval architecture, a beautiful ruin of an Abbey and a natural thermal spa to mention a few of it's attractions. But it really didn't have a nice feel to it. The campsite, to give it credit, would have been fine if we had come across it earlier(especially with the backdrop of the abbey), but again, we were comparing it unfavourably. Mind you, the fact that it had a good, modern sanitary block with nice showers was definitely undermined by the lack of toilet seats (what is it with the French and no seats on the toilet bowls??) and, even worse, no toilet paper. This seemed even worse given that it was run by a British couple! And we realised that the nearby road was very loud at night - again, admittedly, this was probably magnified by our previous week in glorious silence, but we still realised our expectations had changed a bit.

The first morning our feelings of gloom were compounded when the bells of the Abbey started chiming at 7am! The campsite had rules that there were no cars or noise before 8am - unless you are the bells of the abbey, it would seem! Still, it got us up and about. So Andy went for a run up a nearby hill (three miles of struggle up, three miles of fun back down!), and Chris decided to run along the cycle path that followed the river. Well, she would have done if she could find it! She missed having Maisie there to ponder the why's and wherefore's of this with, so pouted all the more.

We then went into Carcassone. We originally tried to get the bus, but were mislead by a bus stop that, erm, the bus didn't stop at (as previously mentioned, it was a slightly odd place). So we took the van instead and luckily found a great place to park. The main part of Carcassone again could have been lovely, with old building and lovely architecture, but instead felt mostly run down and deserted. However, the old, walled part, of the town was a different matter and was almost fairy-tale like. We spent a good bit of time wandering around there and felt better about it all.

The next day, the weather wasn't great and Andy was coming down with a cold so didn't feel up to a long cycle. Chris had been thinking about trying to leave a day early and get our money back for the extra night, but in low season there is no-one at the campsite during the day which scuppered that idea. So instead we decided to go to see an old chateau a wee while away. Except it turned out to be 4 chateaux, each on a different hill peak, and they were brilliant! So a day that started off with a sigh and "What shall we do now, then" thoughts actually turned out to be really good. We were glad we stayed!

18 Sep - Running, cycling, lazing, caving and the arrival of the tax disc

The overdue nature of this blog is happily not down to any technical malfunction but down to be either very busy or too relaxed.

We are still in the lovely campsite near Sainte Nathalene in the Dordogne, but thanks to the arrival of the tax disc for the bongo (with many, many thanks to Geoff for forwarding and all other post-related-assistance), we must leave tomorrow (Sunday 19th).

Last Sunday Andy ran the loop we have previously cycled, and Chris took the shortcut avoiding the hill climb. This was an easy decision as she had been feeling the startings of a cold for a few days and was definitely under the weather that morning, so it seemed like the right thing to do, but it has to be said, it was an outrageous shortcut. What had taken us about half an hour the first time took her, erm, 7 minutes! Still, you don't want to push it with a cold coming, do you??? :o/ Whilst waiting for Andy to arrive at the pre-agreed meeting point, Chris had one of those wierd part french/part english/part sign language conversations with a couple of ladies looking for directions. Hopefully they found their way and aren't still wandering around the hills.... After one loop, Chris wimped out pleading the cold (virus that is, not temperature) whilst Andy went on another loop of the run.

Monday we both went on separate runs - Andy for another go at the now well trodden loop and Chris for a shortish run (on-going readers of this blog can probably guess where this will lead....), taking the campsite's dog (Maisie) with her. Andy ran his hilly lap trying to work out why he no longer posseses any pace at all having ruled out any possible bad interference from wine/cheese/beer/pain au chocolat and will have to ponder this further over further wine/cheese/beer/pain au chocolat and work out how to improve...

Chris and Maisie meanwhile, plodded along quite happily for a while, following the same path that Andy had headed off along, then at a sensible point, turned round to come back. Then, on the way back, Chris evidently went into a trance and forgot to take a turning. After a wee while of thinking "Hmm, is this the right way?" and getting no help from the happy looking Maisie, she decided to walk for a while whilst trying to work out where she was and what might have gone wrong. After more time (by which point it seemed to have turned into rush hour on this road), she was now convinced she had gone the wrong way so turned round - which, of course, resulted in having to go back up a steep hill. A little concerned about how long they had been out meant running was a better action than walking, but Maisie was a little less convinced. They eventually got back to the point where the turning was missed and headed back in the right direction. It was a hot day, and by the time they got to the next (faily shallow) hill, poor Maisie had gone from bounding ahead at the start to being dragged up the hill by the collar! They eventually staggered into the campsite from what should have been a 45 - 50 min outing to one that had lasted 1 1/2 hours... Poor Maisie. Mind you, she had apparently been running around the campsite barking all night the previous night, and this outing seemed to tire her out enough there were no such happenings that night.

Happily, Maisie doesn't appear to be a dog to hold grudges, as a couple of days later she happily went out with Chris again for a much shorter walk - no wrong turns this time, and back when expected.

Wednesday we went off on our bikes to a small village near by. As usual, there were a lot of hills involved, but it was all worthwhile when we found a wee brasserie open who served Andy a very nice omlette and Chris finally got the steak tartare she had been after since we arrived in France. For those who don't know, it is basically raw steak mince with a raw egg. She wasn't brave enough to stir in the whole egg, but enjoyed the mince and was happy to have finally had the dish. After wandering around the village, we headed back and, as by now it was REALLY hot, we had to take advantage of the pool. We had lain there previously but not braved the water. This time, it was so hot that Chris took a brave pill and went for a whole two lengths of the pool.... Andy, however, was a complete wuss and did not more than dangle his feet in the water. During the day another couple had turned up (what???? In our campsite??? Shocking).

Thursday, however, the weather was miserable. So, we decided that if it was going to be dull and probably wet, we might as well be underground, so we went to visit some caves about an hour away. After queuing for quite some time and hoping it would be worth it, it was. After walking down to the bottom of the caves and walking along for a while, you are then taken through part of the caves by boat with a punter pushing along. We think he was quite a character, but as he only spoke French and so we only understood about 10% of what he said, we can't be entirely sure....... We were then taken around more parts (again, described in French, so we probably missed out on the finer points), then were taken back by the same boatman before making our way back to the surface. It was quite an experience - the formation of the rocks, rivers and wee lakes was amazing.

By the time we got back, we found another couple had arrived, and shock-horror, they had pitched very near us! The campsite really wasn't just ours anymore! Just joking, they were very nice.

Friday started off dull but dry, so we decided to go off on another cycle. We decided to try another route on the map we had bought and set off in the knowledge we knew where we were going. The problem is, although there are only two routes on this map, there are quite a few others in the area, and they are all marked with yellow markers. So at the furthest point (a photo of which is at the top of this blog), we happily followed the yellow markers, After a wee while, we stopped to consult the maps, and came to the conclusion that, once again, it had gone wrong somewhere. However, we worked out where it had gone wrong and where we probably were, and so worked out our route. Fortunately, we were right, and it was a good thing, as the real route would have been far too short. So we found ourselves back in the village near here and stopped for another omlette for lunch, with wine, of course!

On Friday night we ended up having a long chat with the couple who were pitched near us and after long discussions on various music festivals and listening to their stories of Glastonbury this year which they had gone to as a birthday present for his 50th and had had an absolute ball, we are now going to have to register for in case we are in the country next summer! Unlike T in the Park, the tickets don't go on sale until October, so we will have to hope that we are staying somewhere with wi-fi that day.....

Saturday was forecast to be very wet, so we had decided to go into Sarlat again to the market, taking the van this time instead of cycling. It was actually pretty nice in the morning but we stuck to our original plan and for the first time since we've been here actually got going fairly early. Having heard stories (and seen for ourselves last week when cycling there) about the nightmare of driving and, particularly, parking in Sarlat on a Saturday, we formed a plan of a way in and possible area to park in. It was brilliant (such modesty - Ed). We managed to park about 2 streets away from where the charging starts, no traffic problems at all and just a short work into the areas where the markets are. Much time was spent wandering around, Chris did some excellent ordering at a butcher's stall getting a fabulous piece of steak and other bits and pieces were bought. On our return to the campsite, Chris decided to go for a short run. Maisie sensed this happening and proved again she is not a dog to hold grudges, and was out the gate looking over her shoulder for Chris to catch up. Except Chris wasn't planning on company this time. Patrick (one of the owner's of the site) was at the gate, so Chris managed to entice Maisie back in the made a bolt for the gate, hoping Maisie would stay the right side as her owner was there. No such luck. As Chris made a run for it, she heard the distinctive sounds of Maisie catching up with Patrick's voice in the distance calling "If she joins you for your run, don't worry about it". Just as well! So without a lead this time and with Maisie leading the way, off Chris went, a little concerned, having heard yesterday how Maisie is a rescue dog who has, whilst being amazingly well trained by Patrick and Natalie, always retained an independent streak and likes to make a run for it given the chance. Most of the time tho', she stayed nearby and always came back to Chris' side if she did go off exploring. Until they came to the road. Chris had planned to go straight on, but Maisie decided she wanted to go left. Chris thought she should really follow, which would have been fine if all the cars in the area hadn't decided to drive along that particular road at the same time. After a few stressful moments, and with Maisie disappeared into a wood, Chris decided enough was enough and turned around. Maisie caught up, then when Chris went in the original direction she had planned, Maisie followed. By the time they turned back for the campsite, Maisie was flagging and trotted along nearby Chris quite happily. Until they passed a house which apparently has cats. Off Maisie went into the garden, with Chris calling for her to come back. Then the owner came running out, shouting. Chris realised the error of her ways in calling for Maisie, as she could now not pretend the dog was nothing to do with her! So Chris did the responsible thing and legged it. Fortunately, Maisie followed suit and they got out of trouble!

We are really going to miss the campsite dog.

Andy meanwhile was pottering about doing "man stuff". On our way to this site we were experiencing some pretty alarming noises from our beloved Bongo. Whenever we accelerated or pushed hard there was a fairly horrid clattering noise to accompany us. It was definitley getting worse the more that we did the twisting, undulating (and narrow) roads around the area and all hills were pretty deafening. After some pondering, crawling under the van and some surfing (all hail the mighty bongofury.co.uk website forums, especially in the absence of Chris' Dad who would have been the first port of call!) Andy had decided the problem most likely lay with the drive shaft to the rear axle (well, the universal joint for that anyhow). After some more crawling about and spraying of WD40 (a _must_ have whenever going anywhere) the noise has abated and confidence has been restored in the van. We had considered going to the local gargage where they fix tractors/trucks and various aged French vehicles and little if any English was spoken but fortunately we seem to have avoided the need for this for now. Andy's other hardware related workings involved fixing the toast making device we have for the stove. It's got a couple of layers with a mesh that defuses the heat before the layer holding the toast. We seem to have melted the original mesh, how could we have eaten that much toast? Could this have had anything to do with Andy's continuing lack of running pace? Anyhow, more mesh was bought from a hardware store which Andy managed to cut and replace the hole-ridden original and all was well. Of course Andy had to make some more toast (with Nutella) to make sure it worked "properly". (What a danger-ridden-sacrifice - to be applauded - Ed) We discovered on our return that the post kindly sent by Geoff had arrived, so we could now move on. Both a blessing and a curse.

And so our stay at this site comes to an end. This was duly marked with the cooking of the steak bought earlier, which was fantastic, washed down with the other bottle of wine bought from the nice wee vineyard in St Emilion (2005 - a grand year). The site has been great and Pat and Nat and their kids Sasha and Ben have been lovely hosts, Maisie the dog has been a great companion too and the peaceful setting and relaxing atmostphere will be lucky to be matched anywhere else on our travels. The south of France beckons, Languedoc and its wines are the next on our list :o)

11 September - Peace and tranquility (and another flat tyre)

After the large campsite and the rain near St Emilion, we headed east to just a few miles outside Sarlat (still in the Dordogne region). Chris had come found a campsite which sounded perfect - small and friendly, and hopefully peaceful. It is indeed all of those things - so peaceful, in fact, that we are the only campers with the only additional guests being a very nice Dutch lady and her wee girl staying in one of the gites, and that is it! The photo attached is the view from our van - once again, life is good :o)

We arrived to find the site is run by an Australian and English couple, who are both really nice and very welcoming, along with their 2 kids and their dog Maisey, who became an instant friend :o) It's so quiet that we were shown around, taken back to the wee snug bar and sold some very cold, and very welcoming, beer, then left to choose which pitch we wanted. Andy went back to get the van whilst Chris walked around the likely choices with Maisey for company. Like we said, it's very welcoming!

Chris then went out for a short run. At least, this was the plan. After a case of mistaken identities with signs for nearby Moulin's, what was supposed to be a 20 minute gentle jog turned into a 40 minute much quicker, and somewhat stressful, run. Still, worked off some of that beer.

The next day, we got maps for cycle routes nearby. Once fully breakfasted we headed out on one of the routes, only to find that, after half an hour, we were back where we started... So we looked at the map again and headed off with more success. Andy is well happy as there are great wee hills to climb and descend, the route is mostly off road and would make for a great running route. One of the climbs on rough ground was too steep to cycle however so some pushing was required before re-mounting and completing the climb to the top where great vistas rewarded our efforts. We cycled to Eyrignac which has some pretty amazing sculptured gardens. Being a pair of cheapskates we only looked at them from the outside and bought our lunch in the restaurant overlooking the place which was a great spot. We both opted for omlette (with fritese of course) and a small beer to refuel ourselves for the rest of the journey. The rest of the cycle was mostly downhill, with Andy rueing that his mountain bike was still at home and that his (possibly ladies) all purpose bike struggled for grip and with no suspension was hard going, whilst Chris was having a hoot. We overshot the end of the route but still ended up near the campsite. Result.

Once back we got cleaned up and went in search of a supermarket in Sarlat. In rush hour. In a camper van. Through the middle of a beautiful but medieval town. We did locate a shop on the edge of town having gone straight through the centre and had seen enough of a glimpse of the town to know we needed to spend more time there, though not for today. Once back, however, Chris couldn't believe her eyes when she was her rear tyre was flat AGAIN! She got the wheel and tyre off in record time (having become quite adept at it by now), found the tiniest puncture ever seen, which accounts for why, thankfully, it didn't really flatten until after we were back, but couldn't find the cause. Assuming it must have been dirt either on the inside of the tyre or the wheel itself, the puncture was repaired and everything thoroughly cleaned, although putting it all back together was left until the next day. Afterwards, a very nice couscous, saucisson and salad dinner was prepared by Andy, washed down with the half a bottle of wine left from the previous night (yes, really, we did manage to keep half for once!).

Saturday morning was the perfect time to revisit Sarlat, this time on our bikes, as there is a market there every Saturday. After breakfast Chris got her tyre then wheel back on her bike, again in record quick time, and off we went. We tried to retrace the route we took back the previous day from the supermarket, but after quite a bit of mind-changing and u-turns, we ended up just taking a scenic route back to the main road into the town. We decided to stick with it, but with a lot of trepidation as the previous day it had felt like a rally course the way some people were driving. Happily it was much quieter this time and so a lot less scary than we had feared. The looooong climb up the hill before the town was soon forgotten as we shot down the hill into Sarlat, which was as pretty as we had remembered. We spent quite a few hours happily wandering around the market which seemed to go on and on - each time we thought we had found the end, we'd walk up a different street and find more stalls. The streets and buildings are absolutely beautiful, so thank you Graham for your recommendation! After lunch and a few purchases (tried to keep to a minimum with that long climb back up the hill still to come), we had a small, cold beer, then saddled up for the return journey. Chris had gladly handed over the rucksack to Andy by this time in exchange for the much smaller and MUCH lighter waist bag, and off we went. Despite having shelved the weighty bag, Chris was still much slower up the hill, but we were both glad to find that, despite - we assume - being steeper in this direction, the climb was over very quickly and the charge downhill much more enjoyable, particularly for Chris who, for once, could stay ahead!

Once back at the campsite and showered, some serious relaxing was done by the pool, before another very tasty saucisson based meal was prepared by Andy. Tomorrow a long run looms for Andy, Chris may/may not join on her bike (and if she does, will take a shortcut to avoid another pushing-the-bike-session up that hill) but what's for sure is that some quality relaxing will happen. Also no plans to leave in the near future either, what a relaxing place to be!

8 Sep - Rain and wine

So it turns out that the "detailed" cycle maps weren't so detailed after all. They really did look good and had great directions on the back, the unfortunate thing being that the directions and indeed the map were the authors own personal take on the area and didn't actually match that of the real world. They did look good though. It was also raining a fair bit. We ran/cycled up to St Emilion and with much stopping and starting tried to follow one of the cycle routes. Even though the route was somewhat vague it was really cool to se the fantastic vineyards that you hear/read about or drink from in the vine. The first vineyard that we got to (Ausone) is the top-of-the-top with bottles sometimes in the four figures mark...these ones we only heard or read about! We made up our own versions of the route a few times, and after about 10 miles founds ourselves at a junction we recognised. At this point, it was raining again and Chris was hungry so she headed back to the campsite whilst Andy made up his own route for another 10 miles, which involved looking for the Chateau part of the vineyard we were interested in, but it seems very well hidden (not in a Harry Potter sort of way, as Chateau in these parts simply means the building that is part of the land the grapes are grown on and the wine is produced in - it can be a tiny building, unlike in the Loire! - Ed) so he gave up, before joining Chris for a very late lunch.

On Tuesday night we decided that, the next day, if it was raining, we'd go into Bordeaux for a look around and if it was good weather, we'd go into St Emilion to look again for a particular wine producer and also try to find one who would give us a tour without booking and also in English. Earlier on, we had managed to get a couple of spare inner tubes for Chris' bike (the previous ones were probably ok too, we now realise, but that is another long story) and replaced the perma-puncture rear inner tube, pumped it up and went to bed with our fingers crossed. When we woke up, it was neither raining or very nice, so we decided to go with the non-rainy plans (especially as, hallelujah, Chris' rear tyre was still inflated!!) and headed for St Emilion on our bikes. We went to the Tourist Info office (did we mention this is the best and most helpful tourist office we have ever come across?) to find out where we could go without booking and in English and got a very helpful brochure from which we found one very close to the campsite that would hopefully fit the bill, whilst still being a Grand Cru producer (oh dear, there is a danger we could be turning into wine snobs!) and then embarked on the next task - trying to find an exporter who also stocked a fantastic wine we had tried previously so we could get some sent home. We tried a few wine shops, none of who stocked it, and then went into a very nice looking shop next to the one which ran the class we had been on. They did stock it, but quoted a lot more than we though it was for sale on in the other. We did, however, do a few tastings for some other wines (well, it would have been rude not to....). Andy then nipped to the other shop to check the price, whilst Chris chatted to the nice lady in the current shop. Chris did tell her where Andy had gone, and the lady said that, if we were right, she would talk to her manager to see what they could do. The price difference was so great it at first seemed unlikely. Then Andy came back and quoted the offer he had got, which seemed unbeatable, but no! After Chris hanging subtely onto Andy's belt to stop him leaving the shop just in case, happily, we got a fantastic deal and they knocked a massive amount off the original deal. We think the nice lady needed a stiff drink herself afterwards! Andy then felt very guilty about the other shop and refused to walk past it again in case they spotted him...... That made for a few more scenic (rather than direct) walks around the town....

We then partook in a few more tasting sessions (a pattern emerging here, perhaps....) to find a really nice, drink-now, bottle of wine each using Euros kindly given to us by Chris' Mum for our respective birthdays. That aim was also achieved :o) We then freewheeled (carefully!) back towards the campsite with our precious two bottles in Andy's rucksack to the aforementioned vineyard. There we were shown around, and had the wine making process explained to us, by the extremely nice winemakers' Mum (!). The winemaker himself then appeared and did some wine tastings with us (the theme continues), so we felt obliged (aye, right! - Ed) to buy a couple of bottles from there too, before walking with the bikes (a lot safer than carrying the extra bottles as there was no room left in the rucksack!) back to the campsite where we even got to lie in the sun beside the pool for a while afterwards. All in all a very enjoyable, if in a tad expensive-but-productive-way, day.

We then decided to be ultra-organised and pack up the Uno tent this evening, especially as it was forecast to rain from the evening onwards. We had managed to get everything organised, empty the Uno and pack up the inner-tent when the rain started. Could it not have waited five more minutes?! We have left the outer up to deal with tomorrow morning, most likely wet. Oh well. Tomorrow we are heading towards Sarlat. Not far, but apparently a lovely town, so we are looking forward to that. Oh, and it is due to stop raining tomorrow afternoon too and return to mid-to-high 20's the day after. Here's hoping!

BTW, it is absolutely POURING with rain at the moment.