With clear skies and big sunrise it threatens to be hot again today. The time has come to leave the Pyrenees behind us. Having been close up with the cols and peaks, no longer for us will they be the distant shadowy ripple on the horizon that we've seen a number of times before. We say goodbye to Freddie and set off towards the coast, we cannot be this close without having a peek at the Mediterranean. It's a very touristy area of palms, waterparks, cycle-rout...

Another standstill day, another lovely sunrise and another lie in. By lunchtime all the other vans have gone, leaving us all alone. It's a bit cloudy in the afternoon and humid as if a storm is brewing, but by mid afternoon the Marin wind is blowing hard again keeping things nicely cool. Ali tidies the lockers and cupboards and soogees down Mary*Lou's bodywork to remove some of the dust of five weeks on the road. Dinner is pasta and a bottle of Freddies Red. ...

With no one to overlook us we left the cab curtains open last night and this morning we lie in bed watching a beautiful, colourful sunrise. We've decided on a couple of rest days here so nothing is going to be hurried. Harvesting [vendanges] is in progress and we can see the grape pickers moving among the rows of vines as soon as we are up. Ali goes to take some photos of the workers and is invited to join them. It only takes a few bunches before she is left ...

At first light the hills are still blanketed in mist. With the cool and damp weather we decde not to visit Foix or Mirepoix, but drive to our endpoint near Perpignan. We have to drive through Foix for the service point. It has a large chateau [not accessible] and a busy bustling centre which would be nice on a sunny day. The route out follows the river for a bit then we rejoin the D117 and will stay on that road for the next 80 miles. The scenery along its l...

Dawn takes ages up here among the peaks. From the first sign of a lightening sky to sun up is nearly two hours. The pods of the observatory up on the Pic de Midi de Bigorres behind us shine in the sun. We need fuel so have to go back to Bagneres sur Bigorre, passing through Campan and taking a much closer look at the puppets as we go. In Bagneres there are still diversions all around town and when we get to the supermarket the fuel station is closed while a ...