The Last Breakfast

This is our last breakfast in Niort before we join the bus for the long slog up to Caen for the overnight ferry to Portsmouth, and then the even longer slog up to Hull, dropping off passengers and bikes as we go.

It's been a terrific week of cycling in beautiful countryside with the added advantage of conversing with people from all over France in schoolgirl French. Needless to say their English is much better than my French, but I persevere.

The only downside has been the exhaustion of temperatures in the mid 30's and the fact that we missed most of last week's Olympics and the medals for team GB.

We saw rather a lot of handball and basket ball at which the French seem to excel, and an enormous coverage of a French girl winning a gold for cross country cycling, but little of Chris Hoy or Victoria Pendleton.

We will be sad to leave France but it will be good to get home to the Festival in Edinburgh.