Panorama

A warm, but not too warm, sunny and windless day, perfect for a walk. This is Azille, an attractive fortified village in the Minervois, situated on a small hill in the middle of the plain, great views all round. Apart from the beginning and end, the walk was completely flat, with parts of it on a voie verte, a former railway line.

It's fair to say it would have been more attractive in spring or autumn as it was entirely through vineyards, which are a straggly mess at the moment. Extra: a rather imposing maison de maître with some attractive details. Stats: 7.8 km, 30 m climbing, 2.5 hours.

Azille is a bit of a drive from home, and I had to do a bit of shopping on the way back, so I didn't get home till nearly seven, feeling quite exhausted. The plan was to go to the bar for pizza and wine, but barkeeper J-L had a council meeting, so the bar was closed. I was actually quite happy to just flop on the sofa with S in front of the fire and quietly eat pizza with a glass of wine.

Shameless plug: here's another lovely review of S's book!