5th of August, La Rochelle to Marcenais via Royan.

I was met this morning by several sense assaulting factors, sweltering heat, how can it be so warm at 8 am ? The van reckoned 18 degrees, hot for an early morning ! The sound of people parking up obviously keen to get in the pool and finally the bin lorry whom had come to empty the wheelie bin two bays down from me, complete with reversing beeper and not very quiet bin men. So that was that, I was a awake, I wanted a decent start today, I wanted to get down to somewhere near Bordeaux so that I only had a short run the following morning to Cap Feret where I was to meet with Allan and his family for the day. I intended to stay off the motorways today and take in a little scenery and scenery I got. Another decent bridge, not quiet as grand as yesterday's but impressive none the less a roundabout with a WW2 fighter of some description on it and the La Rochelle Lexus dealership whom in an effort to show their eco-friendlyness had covered the roof of their showroom in grass, although clearly someone had forgotten to water it and all they had to show for their good intentions was a barren mud roof, you may be the Japanese Mercedes but hobbits you are not.

The further south I got, through Royan and towards Bordeaux the better things got, as the region would suggest there were vast field upon vast field of grape vines but there were however fields of a crop I didn't expect and a pretty surprise they proved. Sunflowers. I may be showing my ignorance here but I didn't realise that the French grew sunflowers, I do now !

As I knew that La Rochelle was to be my liveliest and most populated stop so far I had planned tonight to be by contrast a little quieter, I plumped for a small town about half an hour from Bordeaux called Mirambeux although upon arriving at the Aire I found that it was in fact closed and had been for some time. I consulted the green folder of saviour (a ring binder full of Aires printed from the internet that I had compliled in my efforts to be semi organised) and found an alternative a mere 12 miles away. "Pleasant Aire on the edge of a small village". That's what the folder said, it actually turned out to be a parking area on the edge of the world's smallest village comprising of literally 7 houses and a church, it did however have a cafe and a post office, both of which were shut all day. I wanted peaceful and I got it. I went for a decent bike ride, tidied the van, fixed the small issue that had arisen with the switch for the fridge and generally chilled out in the sun.

Not the most exciting of days but folder said pleasant and it most certainly was.