Sunday 20 March

Sunday so it's bacon and eggs and this time we've got the real thing – found some in Pingo Doce, yummy!

Although still wet, the rain appeared to have stopped so after breakfast got the van serviced and on our way. We're going to try to get to Twin Lakes which the satnav shows is a long drive, but it's Sunday and we plan to use all motorways, especially round the Spanish/French border around Bayonne where we've always experienced congestion and delays. So as the sun shows signs of appearing, up onto the motorway, set cruise control and away.

By following road signs we managed to stay off the Spanish toll road as far as San Sebastion, stopping for fuel about 20km short as it's cheaper in Spain. Then once into France onto the new A63 toll road which once was a non-toll N10 and there's no easy alternative short of using the smaller “D” roads. Lunch at one of the new service areas; we noticed that almost all of the new “aires de repos” now have motorhome waste stations.

South of Bordeaux we ran into a huge rainstorm, which we'd been able to see for miles, including hail and lightning, but it didn't actually slow us down. Clear by Bordeaux itself we took the “rocade” (ring road) in heavy, but nevertheless quickly moving, traffic then onto the Paris road and our old friend the N10. Half an hour later we turned off towards the campsite, realising it was the same junction for Montguyon, where we'd stopped on the way down over 2 months ago.

As usual, the satnav took us right to the gates of this, smallish but attractive in a rustic sense, English owned campsite where we were welcomed and told to park wherever we liked, it was almost empty. We could have parked in an open area with views of the lakes but chose instead an “emplacement”, a bordered pitch with it's own services, and settled in to a cuppa whilst enjoying the last rays of sunshine.

But unfortunately, when we lost internet last night we also missed a return message from Tim and Alison that they were leaving this morning to catch their booked Chunnel crossing. Ah well, c'est la vie! But anyway we'll probably stay a couple of nights to relax; 303 miles today, the highest daily mileage we've done this trip.