I was up very late again last night (0230) booking today's accommodation in Tarbes - a Premiere Classe hotel on the South West edge of the city at 39 Euros. Weather forecast for today was 32c and cloudy. I knew today's route to Tarbes via Lourdes wouldn't be too long (71km in the end) so decided to be a tourist in the morning and visit the big Chateau in Pau. I opted for the guided tour, which was great (see photos), but when the tour finished as scheduled at 1...

I was up quite late last night checking emails and booking tonight's accommodation in Pau. I got a room in the Hotel Altica Pau for 39 Euros. Before leaving Salies, I bought a few items for lunch, then headed towards Orthez, but didn't cross the river Ousse, rather heading South beside the River Laa, along the D947 then D110. Along the way I spotted a gite with tables and benches outside, which looked like a nice spot to eat my packed lunch. Indeed it was, and...

Over the past few days I had been in contact with my friend Jennifer in Catllar, firstly about a mislaid phone charger (which was found) then kindly offering suggestions as to where I might stay for a night. One suggestion was her friend who lived in Salies de Bearn. This was only about 44km away, so I had plenty time to explore Dax first. I spent a while in Dax Cathedral (see photos) and was interested to see the connection with St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) ...

I left Donostia/San Sebastian at 0930, and after just 20km I was crossing the Rio Bidasoa into France, just upstream of Pheasant Island (uninhabited), which changes its nationality every six months! (Treaty of the Pyrenees, 1659). Soon I was passing golden beaches, then a slight uphill into Biarritz (see photo), where I did a bit of exploring before lunching in a cafe well to the northeast of the expensive central area. After 7km I was crossing the River Ardour i...

Before breakfast I booked myself in to Hotel Record in Donostia/San Sebastian, and also the next night in Dax (France already!) Donostia has a reputation of being a bit pricey, and that was reflected in the cost of 60 Euros for a single room in a not particularly posh hotel (compared to 42 Euros in Dax). After breakfast I was sympathising with a fellow cyclist whose bike had just arrived from the airport with the main chain ring bent. He was planning to cycle the...