Lots more rain in the night and early morning but it clears after breakfast and we head into town. Bright sky and sunshine create fabulous reflections of the recently sandblasted tower across the harbour. We cross the swing bridge and reach the edge of the harbour we know well from past visits. La Rochelle lives up to its nickname of White City today, the pale stone buildings standing out in sunshine. Although it is late November many of the bars and restaura...

The red sky last night brought no shepherd's delight, only a morning of heavy rain and grey sky. We decide there's no point moving yet but Ali and Grete put on coats and wander around the town. Fouras has a ruined headland fort, a long fine beach and a pleasant woodland walking area. Many of the houses are typical French spa-town style; tiled fronts, stained glass, ornate plasterwork and witch's-hat turrets. It must be a lively place in summer but today is em...

Despite the storm we sleep well and wake to a dry, partly sunny and mild morning. The wind has dried the muddy parking spot and we extract ourselves with no problems. Our travels start by heading north towards..... Leclerc! We stop for a good load as it is a while since the last big shopping session. Leclerc d'Oleron also has a conventional fuel station and LPG, if only we'd known. Then it's on to St Denis d'Oleron, through lots of small vineyards, with a ...

The rain didn't let up all night but at least the power stayed on. By 10:30 it starts to clear up and the sun comes out. We go over to look at the river in full flood this morning with the sun shimmering on its surface. First priority today is to top up the LPG so we aim for Leclerc in Royan, but on the way we travel along the deserted seafront past hotels and long empty beaches. Leclerc turns into a farce within a farce. The main entrance leads to the narro...

From very early morning we are lashed by a storm; torrential rain and force 6-7 winds. Leaves and twigs and seed pods clatter against the roof and sides. By the time we are up it has subsided to heavy sporadic showers, but doesn't look promising for a day of scenic driving. We use the service point and leave around 11:15 with the idea of stopping in Surgeres for coffee and planning the next move there. As we head south the skies lift and roads are only just d...