There is a glow in the sky as the sun rises through the semi naked willow. A tiny wren flits around the wheels of an ancient rusting seed drill placed under it for decoration. We leave in sunshine, welcome after three sploshy days, which creates high contrast and colours on the fields we drive alongside. The twin domed towers of St Jean d'Angely stand out ahead and before we enter this familiar town and stop in its Intermarche for 'a few bits and pieces'. Near...

Heavy rain and strong winds don't improve Chabanais this morning. We set off via a fuel stop and drive along a pretty cross country route west through yet more gorgeous autumn woodlands. Although there are showers there is not the grey mistiness of the last couple days. Near Cellefroiin we stop in a quiet layby for lunch and look back over our options for tonight. An aire at Matha, by the river, has electricity points so we set off for that. The rain stops a...

Another grey day greets us. Nick and Grete leave around 09:30 to go and spend a couple nights with friends who live in the area. We loiter as late as is reasonable then take a cross-country drive west with no real destination in mind until we stop in the aire in Chabanais. Ali goes for a walk around the busy little town centre and along the riverbank. It's a pleasant little market town on a fine day but it's not worth getting out properly in the start-stop sh...

Workmen arrive at 08:00 to prune and shred trees on the road nearby, shattering the peace. It's a drizzly, sometimes misty, drive along the motorway to Uzerche where we stop for the service point. Ali and Grete walk over the bridge to the town then we have some lunch before rejoning the rainy motorway north past Limoges and down to the aire at Lac St Pardoux. Despite the rain we still cannot get over how beautiful the trees loook this autumn. We park in view...

The bells in four of Martel's seven towers are just as out of synchronisation as they were in summertime when they chime at seven seventy-seven and eight eighty-eight this morning. The sun is out but it's only 3 degrees, rising to 10 by the time we head into town. It's every bit as attractive as our last visit, but completely deserted; no terrace tables and parasols, no postcard stands, no hubble-bubble of tourists. The ancient stonework glows in the sun witho...