Some days seen to start badly and go downhill from there, mayby it's the 13th. We slept OK after 1:30 but there is no peaceful lie-in as firecrackers announce fete day to everyone in a 5 mile radius. The first problem is the reversing camera, which worked yesterday, not working today. Reverse light and sensors are OK so it's something more than a fuse. We plan a route toward Valence, but first we have to extricate ourselves from the aire, the town is shut off...

Today we intend to continue where we left off yesterday. We start by going up to the service point then set off towards Uzes and Pont du Gard. The first main town is Anduze where we see the steam railway's lattice bridge and hear the train whistle but don't see it. Anduze is a busy little place, with Italianate buildings along the river bank and a thriving centre. After a good few days of challenging roads today's straight forward 'A' roads are a pleasure; sm...

The book was right, it's a very popular aire. While Nick uses the free wifi Ali goes back into town for a look around and finds there is a market today. There are the usual clothes, foods and regional produce plus some live music, pot bellied pigs and a few donkeys ready to take people on the RLS tours. We leave Florac on the D207, a road known as the Corniche Cevennes, which sounds like a southwest rugby tournament. There is a long climb out of the gorges up...

The temperature went below 13C last night but this morning is clear and sunny. Last night's scruffy field actually has lovely country views through the hedges and it's been a restful night. Ali pops over to the shop and buys some tins of pate. We programme our route and drive back to Severac to look at the castle high on a mound over the town. An old sea captain in a Norwegian fjord once told us "Sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride" and since we had to dec...

It's the most peaceful place imaginable, but with all that cheese last night sleep was not the best and this morning dawns dull and cool so the planned early start doesn't happen. Late morning we return along the moorland road [which we learned is known as France's desert] and join the northbound dual carriageway towards Millau viaduct. We are running down a long, curved incline when the white triangles appear in front of us and then we are on the bridge. The ...