St. Jean Pied de Port, Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Driving through the Landes early morning was pleasurable. Peaceful, scenic, a land of nature. Our onward drive would take us to Dax, and then into the foothills of The Pyrenees to Saint-Jean-Pied-du-Port. An early morning mist clung to the pine trees, soon sent on its way by the warming sun.

Today was going to be another hot one. A quick stop at an Aldi, where a french lady, her car resembling one that has just returned from banger racing, decided to park in the space next to Marge. Just one problem, we had her doors open. So with haste, accompanied by some strong language from everyone, we managed to shut them with seconds to spare. And yes, you've guessed it. There were plenty of other spaces in the car park. By late morning we crossed into the department Pyrenees-Atlantique. The fun begins now Marge.

Arriving at the campsite by lunchtime turned out to be a very good call. It was hot, unbearably hot. So we changed into cooler clothes and spent most of the afternoon sat in the shade. At one point, cloud began to build, the sky darkened, and a rumble of thunder was heard. But no storm. The air a tad fresher, we walked into town early evening for a walk.

We had no need to explore as we stayed two nights here when we visited two years ago. The campsite is very popular. It is right in the town centre, and very reasonably priced. Just under £11.50 for the night for us and Marge. Bargain. The campsite is run by the municipality. At the reception all details are written in a ledger, and then transferred to the triplicate receipt book. We think John's father would have very much approved of this efficiency. Not so sure everyone in the queue did. There was a lot of tutting. Tomorrow we will cross the border into Spain. The mercury is rising though, and we are going have to be careful to watch our health. Keeping hydrated, resting and eating regularly. 

Fontaine St Jean, Lesporen, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

We've stayed overnight at Chateau in Blaye three times now, always without incident. Sadly this time, we'd chosen the wrong spot. Behind the hedge at the rear of Marge two french couples fuelled by whisky did not shut up until well after eleven. Then at six this morning, they started up again. As it was so warm yesterday evening, John decided we should sleep just under the quilt cover, have the fan running, and the window covers open. Angela was freezing! So not a good night for her. So today we are tired. The heat is draining. We want to be crossing the border into Spain on Sunday, so we pushed on down the coast.

Our planned stop didn't suit us, so we moved on, passing through pretty villages with beautiful churches.

John found us a spot on Park4Night amongst the pine trees in the Landes region, accessible supposedly by a 4x4's. That said, it is us and a sprinter van here tonight. Nice couple, wanted to know if we had a dog. No. We thought they must have a cat. No, a rather large, but quiet dog. Tonight we are hoping for a peaceful night's sleep. We may be woken by the wild boar, as there is evidence of them snuffling around in the area, so we've made sure to bring our rubbish bag inside. Weary from the heat, travelling and a disturbed night, we took a short walk out to the nearby Fontaine St-Jean.

 Tomorrow we head to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. You might remember we were heading here, via the Pyrenees two years ago, when Marge had a wobble. This time, we are confident all will be well. The temperature is going to be well into the nineties tomorrow, so we plant to set off as early as possible, especially as it's Sunday and the supermarkets closed at lunchtime. We need to stock up on French goodies before crossing into Spain.