Another warm and sunny day dawns so we decide to stay and explore the waterway. The aire is only €5 including use of the campsite facilities so another day is a bargain. After a leisurely breakfast we head out on the towpath along the banks of the river Somme. Ducks and swans swim in the fast flowing water approaching the barrage. A red brick building beside the barrage is a former hydro-electric power station. Built in 1902, its sluice mechanisms are all ...

As we are preparing to leave there is a rush of engine noises and crunching gravel as a convoy of little open top cars pile into the carpark. On closer inspection they are all Talbot Samba Cabriolets, rare derivatives of a 1980s supermini, and all in lovely condition. We say goodbye to Nick and Grete and, after a short shopping stop in Super-U, we set off southwards across pretty French countryside with canals and, surprisingly, a few Dutch style windmills. As ...