Fleurance, France

The rain fell into the trees above us all night, Then this morning when a watery sun broke through early, they slowly shed the water caught in them all over Marge. The last twenty four hours had felt miserable. In fact life had felt miserable for the last few days. Thanks Marge. As the morning brightened, the sun gained warmth and the bronze leaves that covered the cycle path glowed. We were away in good time. Keen to just get on with the drive, and hopefully arrive at our next destination around lunchtime. But we'd only travelled about a quarter of a mile when we had to stop and look at the pretty village church.

But we must away Marge. John had rigged up the nano-com diagnostic device so that it was in front of him and he could monitor it himself without Angela constantly reading out figures to him from it. Our journey was slow as we weaved our way across the French countryside, driving up and down dale, all the time crossing everything for Marge not to let us down. Every few miles we found ourselves stuck behind farm vehicles too wide for the road, so we were unable to pass. We were in the Midi-Pyrenees region and the vendage, or grape harvest was in full swing. Up on the slopes sunflowers, their heads blackened and bowed in defeat awaited their turn for harvest, and alongside the road, the corn cobs now hidden behind dried brittle leaves knew the combine would come for them soon. We were in Armagnac country, and every few miles a sign invited you in for a tasting. Tempting, but a no we're afraid. The seductive aroma of the countryside filled our nostrils. High above the surrounding countryside with spectacular views over the open French countryside we happened upon an art exhibition.

At first we though it was something to do with sheep and wool. It wasn't. It was art! Marge performed well. Well, well for Marge of recent. No major dramas. John thinks her problem may be an airlock in her coolant system. Do you have trapped wind Marge? It was nice to arrive at Fleurance by early afternoon.

After lunch we walked into town, the architecture a mix of medieval, modern, with a banana tree thrown in. We'd missed this.

Our days of late seem to consist of worrying about Marge, visiting garages, googling coolant faults and thinking too much about all the negatives. Come on Marge, give us some positive vibes now please. The aire we are staying at is free. So there's a result. Nearly everyone here is French and they're not very friendly, which surprised us as it's the first time we've experienced this since arriving in France over four weeks ago. So it's us, a German and Dutch van. The Dutch van behind us, as we do have their smalls hung out to dry. The Dutch bra swinging in the breeze outside our back door perhaps not so small. You could carry a couple of edam cheeses in that! A few days ago when we were at Ondres-Plage we discussed where do the van lifers in France hang out, as you very rarely see any. Well it seems here at Fleurance. There are at least four here, and they're not youngsters. John wanted to work on Marge's coolant bottle but didn't have the right size socket, but he knew one of these people would probably be carrying tools and may be able to help him out. Opposite us is a family of three living in a bus. Result. They had the socket set he needed. Is life looking up? We hope so Marge.

Bougue, France

It was no surprise this morning we felt tired. Of course our neighbour hid in his van. Probably a good idea as Angela was ready for him. The previous evening we had helped an English couple access the site by paying with our debit card, as their one wouldn't work, (probably not registered), and them giving us a twenty euro note. We were nearly four euros up. Angela's dad would have been proud of her. They had been sited on the other side of you-tube man, and they'd been able to hear the noise inside their van. As you do on campsites and Aires, we spent a while talking to them before they left. They were en-route to A'Coruna in norther Spain to visit the wife's family. Angela asked why they didn't take the longer sailing from Portsmouth to Bilbao or Santander. It wasn't for them. The ships were old and the sailing through the Bay of Biscay was normally a little uncomfortable. Or the 'Bucket of Biscuits' as they called it. Love that. The rain had eased, and over at the payment terminal a small green frog, obviously also fed up with the rain sought shelter.

We left later than planned, spending a while talking to the couple from Preston, Ken and his wife, whose name we forgot to ask. Angela suggest they head back up the coast and stay at the Ile de Re. Hopefully they will. It is beautiful there. Today has felt cold. It is just 16 c. Quite a contrast with yesterday. Please return, warm, dry, sunny weather. Well not too warm obviously. Marge it seems doesn't like the heat. We have driven for two hours today. It has been a little tense.

But now we are parked in a wooded area by the voie vert cycle path at Bougue. Have we cycled it in the past? Maybe. The rain drips onto Marge from the trees above. There is no one else here. A lady dog walker appeared whilst John cooked a cous cous meal we'd bought at the Intermarche supermarket earlier.

We have made a plan to drive towards Toulouse, then along the coast in the direction of Marseille, turning north to Avignon, then following the river Rhone to Lyon, crossing into the Loire and then continuing to Cherbourg. The drive from Avignon will take in towns we cycled through this time last year when we cycled the Via Rhona cycle route. But this is our plan. Whether we can stick to it obviously depends on Marge! It would be nice if we could be on the same page Marge. What do you think?

Ondres Plage, France (Day 3)

After yet another beautiful sunset the previous evening, Angela awoke around 4 am.

The sea now calmed, drifting back and forth, sucking at the sand. The voices of the cicadas could now be heard, no longer drowned out by deafening breakers as they hit the shore. John woke to a beautiful sunrise on his side of the pop-up roof.

The young couple next to us left to spend a night in the Loire, before heading to Calais and taking the Le Shuttle through the tunnel back to England on Wednesday. Angela smiled about the wife's reaction when her husband suggest we look in the rear of their van at the bathroom area. Why do our partners do that? It means us woman are on constant alert that our facilities must be clean, tidy and in order. John normally wants to open the rear door of  Marge whilst Angela is having an intimate moment with her Boxio, which results in her shouting, 'I'm on the toilet!'. Did you all hear that? The Aire was both popular and entertaining. The Dutch couple opposite ran a vac over their three dogs before setting off. As you do. As for us, we wished we hadn't spent so much time chatting as the gas strut on the opposite side to the one John replaced bent as he lowered the lifting roof.

Fortunately we had a spare, but come on. What a holiday this was turning out to be. Stress levels were already high, what with Marge playing up. And all a couple from Yorkshire had to worry about was would they be able to plug into an electrical supply each night in Spain and Portugal. Uh, probably not, unless you can find a campsite open. And why do you need to? Oh, of course. You need to be able to use your Ninja air fryer, which is a game changer. Certainly changing your figures! 32 c this afternoon. We know. Marge, please hang in there.

We left after lunch and stopped at a garage claiming to be a 4x4 specialist. Which they really weren't. There was a Land Rover 110 TD5 parked outside. Good start. No they couldn't help. The woman in the office saying, 'we hate Land Rover'. O.K. After trying another garage with a shop attached like Halfords, where we thought we would be able to buy coolant, we couldn't, we were directed to another garage and shop about 12 km away. We'd like to say a very big thankyou to the young man at Noraauto who helped us with advice. And when the last container of the coolant Marge required sold of the shelf, he went out into the workshop and bought a large part used one in which he gave us for Free. Yes, gratuit. We were now in the town of Labenne. About fifteen minutes from Ondres-Plage, and as it was late afternoon by now it made sense to return to the Aire where we'd spent the last two nights. A couple from Preston who'd we'd become friendly with were surprised to see us return. We parked Marge back in our parking space next to a English registered VW transporter van and settled in for the night. Steady heavy rainfall set in for the night. It hadn't been a great day, and little were we to know it would get a whole lot worse. Our English neighbour turned out to be a serial all night you-tuber. The viewing stopped at 2 am, but resumed at 4 am, and he was still watching when we awoke at 8,30 am. That's inconsideration for you. We would, and should have move, but once the roof is up, and the awning put out, and Marge is settled on her levelling ramps it's a bit of a carry on to move. So we just had to stick our fingers in our ears, almost suffocate ourselves by covering our heads with our pillows, and tough it out. And the man (ianz_trips) was no youngster, probably at least our age, so Ian if you read this PLEASE buy some headphones!

More cabins arriving for the campsite being refurbished next to the Aire.

Ondres Plage, France (Day 2)

So warm during the night. What is it with the weather? Us, we prefer the warm nights and dry, warm sunny days. So if it could stay like that for the next month, that would suit us fine. After breakfast this morning John removed Marge's engine cover, gave her the once over, and tweaked her a little. That's your lot Marge. Don't be demanding any more attention please. It was yet another beautiful day, and now we'd decided to stay in France it made no sense to leave Ondres-Plage. You can stay at the aire here for forty-eight hours, so that's what we're going to do. The cost of staying here, includes use of the services, water, waste and toilet emptying. But there was no tap on the drinking water, only a connector which completely baffled the English. Who had an attachment that could extract water from it? Well John did. So we replenished our supply, and that of another English couple. They too had returned from venturing any further in the Pyrenees because they had a "replace brake pads" warning light appear on the dashboard of their Mercedes sprinter van. We were worried about going up hills in the Pyrenees. They were worried about coming down. Once again it is hot. We know, who'd have thought? We did yet more washing and once again used the lifesaver jerry can with its shower attachment to give ourselves a rinse. This was Angela's first time, and being a little coy, wanted the shower curtain fitted securely, so the French family opposite, (who of course were one of the few people not to leave the aire today), couldn't see her 'model like' figure.

In her dreams! All went well until John stripped off and jumped in before Angela was dressed. Well that's it. Everyone's seen my bum now! Late afternoon, once the main heat of the day had passed through we walked down to the beach.

Huge angry rolling waves broke onto the foreshore and chased us back up the beach. The sight was spectacular. The Atlantic coast of France is popular with surfers. But not today. The sea was just so menacing, frothing and foaming at anyone who thought about entering into it. Back at Marge a young English couple were parked next to us. They were returning from Spain and Portugal where the weather hadn't been so good. Lots of rain. Their business building and raffling campervans.

We talked all things campervan, solar, lithium batteries, invertors and compost toilets. The lady loved their loo! It's not just Angela then. As we ready for bed we can here the waves continue to roll onto the beach. The thudding as they hit the shoreline likened to claps of thunder. Tonight we're glad not to be on an overnight sailing back to England from norther Spain. Tomorrow, we will move on.

Angela has a couple of ideas of routes we should take, but of course we must check the terrain. Can't expect Marge to exert herself too much.

Ondres Plage, France

This morning when we rose it felt cool. We're very near the border of Spain, but too close to the mountains. We came to south west Europe for the some warm sunshine. When we travelled this way in 2019 in was warm and sunny, and we're still optimistic it will be. A mass exodes from the campsite this morning. All the tents and vans that had arrived as we did two days ago left. By midday so had we. The nanocom diagnostic device was connected to Marge's ECU, and Angela had not only the job of monitoring two readings on it, but also navigating using a map. Remember them? Right Marge, no antics please. As we took the route we'd been told by the lady at the tourist office would not involve climbing over hills, but following a river most of the way to Bayonne, we set off.

All seemed to be going well. Marge got a little heated a few times, but nowhere near the danger zone. A decision has been made that we will stay in France and travel through the flatter areas. We are away yet for another month so tomorrow morning we'll plan exactly where we will go. Obviously we need to try and stay south for the better weather. We were glad it was a Sunday as we drove into Bayonne. The roads were quiet, and we didn't really know where we were actually going to stay tonight. On the road in we passed the Jaguar Land Rover garage we were going to take Marge to tomorrow. But John has changed his mind on that, fearing we'll be fleeced. That is why we have decided to tootle around nice flat safe France. It's close to home, and we do love it here. We're back on the coast again now, staying at Ondres-Plage near to pricey Biarritz.

The aire is just over sixteen euros, but it's nice and we've secured a really good spot in a corner with shade and bushes, one a strawberry fruit shrub with a lovely aroma of strawberries of course.  When we arrived mid afternoon it was hot. Very hot. And very sunny. Where is this strange land? We handwashed some clothes, and within two hours they were dry. Excellent! This evening John bared all, and took a shower using our lifesaver jerrycan. The French people opposite, nosy whatnots, tried to sneak a peak, but John strategically placed his shower curtain, and well the rest is history.

At nine o' clock, after watching a beautiful sunset that left a sky of burning embers we sat outside Marge. Angela in her shorts. Who needs to go to Spain. We're fine just here. Hopefully Marge will remain stable now. John has been in contact with the man we bought the Land Rover from, trying to find out any information that might point to Marge's ills. A message from him tonight read, 'Keep on truckin' with the old girl, oh, and the Land Rover!

Saint Jean Pied de Port (Day 2)

It rained heavily all through last night. In the far distance Angela could hear the rumble of thunder and hoped the storm would not come our way. It didn't. The campsite is like a quagmire. cars and vans slipping on the mud. Breakfast eaten this morning and the skies now emptied we were given some respite from the deluge. Will it ever be sunny, dry and warm again? Yes it will. By lunchtime we couldn't believe it was the same day. A clear blue picture postcard sky lit the mountains. The morning though had been grim. We sympathised with the cyclists and walkers. At least the area over the washing up sinks was covered. We joined them for a chat. It felt normal to us to be in this environment. A woman had driven her campervan up there. headphones on she sang along to some tunes only she could hear, badly. John said earlier she'd been screaming in the shower, opening the door and standing there in just her pants. Marge is that you? Angela decided to brave the shower today. One shot of hot water or two? Seems it was only one shot per person. She showered in less than ninety seconds. That's why the campsite is so cheap. Wouldn't want them wasting money on hot water. John has decided tomorrow we will head back towards Bayonne where there is a Jaguar Land Rover garage, it appears we need a new viscous fan fitting. It's too risky to chance driving Marge over the Pyrenees without some attention. If it all ended badly it could be very costly. We have visited the tourist information in the town and the lady has shown us our drive to Bayonne shouldn't be too challenging as it follows the river. Hear that Marge, we're going to take it nice and gentle.

This afternoon we walked up to the citadel. The views of the town and mountains was fantastic. We are glad we have stayed a second day here to see the town and surrounding area in a different light.

On the bridge that crosses the river Nive, below where brown trout feed unaware that we are watching from above, a photographer takes photographs onto glass plates for the tourists with a old style camera he appears to have fettled himself. The resulting black and white images on glass were amazing.

(Now you see me)

(Now you don't)

Since Angela was unwell at Bordeaux she's not had much of an appetite. Off her food and wine. Not like her. Tonight though, after feeling tired and week last night through lack of substance she though if we bought a take away pizza from one of the restaurants it might help her appetite.

Also she's back on the wine. Tomorrow we will leave this beautiful town, having explored all there is to see, and enjoyed it very much. Next time we return will be if  we decide to make the trip to Santiago. We are keen to give it a go, and when we return home will start researching all that's involved with this epic journey. First though Marge is priority. What happens with her on Monday determines our onward travels.