Peaceful night but very cold so we are in no hurry as we have done the hard miles over the last three days. It's bright and sunny as we set off close to midday. Travelling through the woods we are surprised by three juvenille stags chasing across the road less than 50 feet in front of us. They leap the hedge and jink through the trees with the sun catching their red flanks. What we notince most today is the amount of flooding. We've seen waterlogged places ...

Despite our sheltered position the wind this morning is rocking the van and its downdraft keeps blowing the heater out. Squally rain hammers the roof as we are having breakfast and we wonder whether it would be wise to stay put if there is any further ferry delays. Ali rings the ferry company to see if our sailing is still on schedule, and it is. By 10:30 the worst has passed and the sun breaks through so we decide to go. Out on the main road there is a stron...

We are now getting some of the weather that the UK has been suffering with while we've been enjoying warm, dry days. The wind is strong with frequent bursts of rain as we drive into E.Leclerc in Ruffec to refill the gas tank. Last year Ali refilled on her own for the first time at this place and had a few snags getting it to go smoothly. This time she gets it connected, pumped and disconnected easily and doesn't even have to argue with the cashier for short ch...

Last night it rained, really rained. It rained so much that on one side of us the rugby pitch was waterlogged and on the other side, just over the wall, the Calcium Cup match between the Ribcage Rhinos and the Tibia Tigers had to be postponed. Anyway at least the skylights are clean. We refuel across the road and start another long drive to get us well on our way north. We start out through the national park, Landes De Gascogne, flat straight roads through pi...

After changing the ferry times yesterday we cannot spend the day watching the elephants. Anyway, when we wake it's blowing a hoolie as the storm that disrupted the ferries has come ashore. On the way out we stop and watch the elephants for ten minutes, having come to see them we can't just leave straight away. We refuel just outside Caberceno and join the A8 dual carriageway which will take us to France. Although it's bright and sunny, driving conditions are ...