We had a really good night’s sleep at the Kyriad hotel. Honestly, for about £64 we enjoyed a very quiet location, a massive comfy bed, sparkling bathroom and ….. this morning ….. a more than adequate continental breakfast. We both were totally full up and agreed we would definitely stay there again for a stopover.

Our journey today continued south for about 5 hours. We went on the peage – the toll motorway – because it shaved nearly 2 hours off our journey. Other than around Bordeaux, there was little traffic on the road and Bob was more or less just steering the car and that only for legal reasons. It could have steered itself and sometimes, did.

We passed huge fields of maize, sunflowers, corn., giving way to vines in the mix as we headed south. The temperature ramped up to around 33C by the time we left the motorway and headed up towards Tarbes and the village.

Mike and Sheila’s house is a lovely farmhouse in a small hamlet, on a ridge surrounded by agricultural land. We have seen them make it into a most amazing house and garden from a total ruin just over 20 years ago. We sat in one of their shady patios and enjoyed a long lunch of lovely aperos and a chicken liver salad washed down with loads of rose and fizz. It really is a heavenly spot .

We had loads to chat about and eventually we turned in at about 10pm. It is totally boiling here but the weather is forecast to break by Wednesday which will be somewhat of a relief.

The toll road from Tours cost something like 55 euro so not cheap. Worth it probably for the quiet conditions but something to be born in mind when travelling in France.