Express By Holiday Inn Orleans La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin

Considered having one last night on the road, cracking our bottle or 9.99 Lidl champers (premier cru!). In the end, we opt to do the big dash & head for home. You reach that point where you just feel ready. Tedious... especially as the winds that blight SE France are blowing in full glory! However, the point has come, we decide, where there isn't much to be gained by staying out any longer. Feels good to be back on 'home' turf - but, as familiar ground ...

A brief stop over so that Mike could revisit Pau where he spent a month on a French exchange more than 50 years ago!
First we thought we should have a look at Lourdes as it was very near. It was difficult for us as dedicated athiests to understand the place. It is full of pilgrims but there did not seem to be any sense of joy. The buildings were magnificent and impressive,but the surrounding streets were full of very tacky souvenir shops all ...

... down and back up the Col de

Soulor (1464m), which you will honestly hardly notice! The swoopy descent to Argeles-Gazost

is great and the pretty town provides a good opportunity to stop for some lunch. Unfortunately

from here we meet out first busy road which takes us up the gorge to Luz-St Sauveur. Next up

is the Col De Tourmalet (2115m), a mountain climb which ...

WHAT THE BROCHURE SAID: After a group dipping of our toes in the Atlantic, we depart at 09.00am and head up the coast road for a while before turning inland on a selection of beautifully quiet roads.

Today we pass through the Basque heartland with distinctive burgundy and white buildings, bullrings and pelot courts. Unfortunately we will not have much time for sightseeing as we undulate our way over the Col De St ...

So, nearly ready for the off! Thankfully, false alarm about arrival of guests to take over house in absence means we have one more day in which to prepare... much needed!
We will just about get there - I think.
Round about now it occurs to us we really ought to have assembled scooter on trailer and gone for little spin to test strapping arrangement, etc... just to make sure it all holds up. Oh well, the road will be a good test of all that... I guess.

... in a pretty shabby hotel with the most miserable reception lady that I have ever encountered. We checked in and decided to walk into town. By the time we got into town it was starting to get dark. As we walked by the church we noticed thousands of people walking (or being wheeled by nuns) with lit candles around the statue of the Virgin Mary. This is really one of the most amazing things we have ever seen ...

... of the famous musketeer D'Artagnan (there’s a statue in his honour in a town called Auch.)

If you do drive through these areas of Gascony you will most definitely be stunned by the sheer beauty of the rugged terrain. It's basically miles of vineyards, dotted with ancient, forgotten châteaux. One of the most untouched areas of France and truly picturesque.

All is local here and if there are tourists, they're French.

Happy travels

... vision). We are asking for monetary pledges to be donated to us upon completion of the walk that will then (entirely) be forwarded to Tear Fund. We also don't have much money so are budgeting to do this on less that 6 euro per day. (less than a Big Mac Combo).  So that's 252 euro each over the 6 weeks. So we are asking that if we accomplish this you make us a 'bonus pledge' of whatever amount you desire. We will be posting a blog, with a map of progress ...

... in love. I only ate two because I didn't want to look like a slob, but as I slept that night I dreamt only about crepes. I think my dream was mostly just a reenactment of what had just happpened to me. When I woke up this morning I ate four. I have no clue how many I could have eaten. I honestly consider this "multi crepes party griddle" to be one of the greatest accomplishments of humankind. Its invention gives me more pride for my species than our ...

... plus a virtual chorus of birds, nearby traffic, and some boisterous kids who had to have seen my tent, contributed to lying awake for a good two or three hours before drifting off for a half-hour or so. I woke up to the itchy eyes and runny nose that my allergies have been so kind to provide for me since arriving in France over a month ago, and found it impossible to get back to sleep for another eternity. When my watch alarm went off at 6:00 - I wanted to get out ...