Tuesday 19th March 2013 - Wednesday 20th March 2013

Leave La Ville-aux-Dames, Les Acacias, just south east of Tours. Heading towards Bordeaux.

Weather is still poor.

For those who may be travelling to Europe this year, diesel prices have increased a little, but, still cheaper than the UK, needless to say.

At Supermarket garages, it is typically 1.35Euro / Litre (£1.12), on the motorway 1.44Euro (£1.19). It has increased about 10cents (8p) since last year, according to my memory.

For most of the way, we follow the N10. There has been some major money spent on this road since we last came this way, about four years ago now. It is almost all high quality dual carriageway.

We stop for the night at a place called Cadillac, east and slightly south of Bordeaux. I am not sure if there is any connection between the name of this place and the Cadillac car in America?

Cadillac Aire (N44 38.319" W000 19.011"). It is free to stay. Electricity is 2Euro for 3 hours at  5 Amps.

The aire is very near the town centre, so, be carefull when entering the satnav coordinates, our operator got it slightly wrong, and we disrupted traffic in the narrow streets of the town centre as we blundered around.

When we found the correct place on the second attempt, there was not room to park. The Aire is meant to have space for 8 vans, but, when we arrived there were five well spaced out vans occupying all of the space. As we pondered what to do, a kind hearted English couple offered to move over slightly, to make room for us to get in. In the mean time a Frenchman in overalls (who we assumed was in one of the other vans), appeared and began berating the remaining occupants about the space they were taking up. So, we caused disruption at the aire, as well as in the town! We subsequently found the Frenchman in the overalls was not in fact staying on the Aire, he was simply digging his garden nearby.

Cadillac is a "Bastide" (walled town), dating back to the 1300's, when the English held sway in this part of France (Aquitaine). A lot of the town walls and some fortified gates are still intact (amazingly), so, it is worth a walk around. Surprisingly, for such a potential tourist spot, there does not appear to be a single pleasant bar or cafe to visit.

Fingers crossed, the weather is fine and warm!

Wednesday 20th March 2013

Although it has rained over night (again!), we wake to a pleasant and dry morning, to have our breakfast.

We make our way back towards the N10, but, not before we lose another door mirror to a white van man on the narrow bridge leaving Cadillac. Why can't these people just slow down?

Fortunately, although the casing is broken, the mirror is still intact, and even the repeating indicator, although minus its cover now, is still working. I think this is will be the third new mirror we have had, in six years! and they are not cheap.

We arrive at St Jean-de-Luz, just south of Biarritz at about 13:00.

St Jean-de-Luz, La Ferme Erromardie (N43 24'20" W001 38'30"), a site from the ASCI book, 14Euro, including WiFi.

Facilities are needed, it is hair washing day (most critical day of the week!).

That means a couple of hours with a 2Kw hair dryer, followed by half an hour with the hair straighteners (and that is not for me!).

So a site with all facilities is called for.

The weather has improved, we even manage to get out for a walk.

There is a foot path along the cliff top along the coast to the town, and of course, in the town there are cafes and bars, for a beer or two and the odd glass of wine.

This may well be a good choice for a couple of days relaxing, hopefully, the weather will stay kind.

With the internet, I am able to update the blog, and check the budget back in the UK, to see if that nice Mr Osborne has taken any money off me. It would appear, for once, he has not, apart from the inevitable increase in the duty on Wine and Spirits. Just have to take enough back so we do not have to buy it in the UK!