Jackie bought breakfast nearby which we ate in the apartment. Yoghurts today. And pain au choc of course. Tidied up and gathered our washing from the line in the courtyard. Had a chat with our host Franck and then set off.

Had a quick look at Église de Notre Dame in the middle of Poitiers then easily found our route through the suburbs and out of town.

Riding through a much more varied landscape today, so much better than yesterday’s infinite windy plains. Some woodland, some cows, donkeys, a railway line, river, bridges and an assortment of tiny villages. Had a picnic lunch on a bench opposite a church in a village beginning with V.

As we emerged from woodland back into hot sun I suggested to Jackie that we should keep our eyes peeled for any opportunity to fill our water bottles as there was a chance we could run out in this weather. “How about that tap” she said, pointing to a tap on a blue standpipe at the side of the road next to a building site  I love these moments of good fortune, especially when they are so perfectly timed.

Stopped for an afternoon snack (bolognese flavour crisps!) sitting on the grass outside an elaborate country house.

After a long day, we arrived very tired in L’isle-Jourdain. Found a delish picnic dinner on the deli counter in the local Spar, some kind of veggie tortilla. Arrived at the campsite to find it wasn’t staffed. We were supposed to buy a card from a machine that would let us use the spartan facilities but a kind motorhome camper called Angelo wouldn’t let us spend our money. He had a card that accessed the shower and toilet block and insisted that we call on him whenever we needed to use it. However we discovered that the magnetic lock on the door could be overridden with little force! Not the best campsite but we did have a lovely picnic on Jackie’s Minecraft blanket amongst the long grass and daisies on the first truly warm sunny evening of this trip.

Went to bed before the sun did as we were super-tired.

Miles today: 38

Total miles: 346

Good things today:

• Varied route
• Picnic amongst the daisies
• Useful tap
• Helpful Angelo
• Proper sunny all day
• A warm night