After Scotland we took a quick trip to a very wet Wales, an equally brief stopover with our friends Ben and Jaime in Redditch and then onto Cornwall to see Sara and Danny, try out wetsuits etc before heading to Poole for the ferry to France.

Dinan in Brittany was our first stop, a very pleasant old town with winding cobbled streets and a parking spot right next to the river.



Then onto the Ile de Noirmoutier for a couple of days of light seasoning and gentle frying on the beach. The island is also famous for shellfishing by locals and visitors alike at low tide, and for the harvesting of sea salt.



The night before taking the ferry across the Gironde estuary we stumbled across the annual town fete at St George de Dedonge for some impromptu bbq, dancing, and the local red for under a Euro a bottle. Perhaps not a vintage wine to say the least but more than drinkable……..



Heading south from then on was beach to beach chasing the surf, riding the waves, living the dream etc etc etc. In reality the Atlantic is very cold and sand gets absolutely where it shouldn’t ever go but great fun nonetheless. A couple of days then spent with friends Oli and Renate at Lacanau Ocean.



We made one more coastal stop at Cap Feret, in time for a particularly dramatic thunder storm and some welcome rain, prior to a swerve inland to the Dordogne for some culture…and wine.........

Van behaving well, although what seemed to be a big vehicle at home appears to be something of a minnow on the continent...



More soon.....