La Jarne to Rochefort

Wednesday 21st October.
La Jarne to Rochefort
This morning was a bad one; yet again I had a flat and worse still the spare inner tube had the wrong valve for the pump. So back into town and by the grace of God the velo shop was open. That took all morning but eventually we set off to look at Chateau Buzay which was closed, but we peered in through the gates and very impressive it is too (had we got inside we would have seen a house intact because during the first and second wars everyone in the village took one piece of furniture and kept it until hostilities ended thus preventing the Germans from looting the place). From there we had a windy ride alongside a motorway with very few velo route signs but a quantity of old men on bikes, foot and vans kept us straight. We even found St Vivien and took photos so now everyone knows – she really is!
In Rochefort, the Tourist Office came up trumps with a spectacular town house B&B where monsieur spoke perfect English with a curious Brighton twang, he had spent his youth he said fighting teddy boys in Hastings. He had just finished the walk to Santiago and was finding it difficult to readjust to life in Faulty Towers with Prunella Scales.
We had supper in a Basque restaurant to get us in the mood for the Pyrenees which are looming fast.