Day 2 in France

After a brilliant breakfast we hit the road. Down through Rouen and on towards Chartres. We passed very close to Illers Combrai which is twinned with Coniston. I wish I had realised earlier so we could have diverted for a quick visit, but by the time I had realised, it was too late. So by mid afternoon we were arriving in Beaugency. This is the view from our town centre hotel, L'Ecu de Bretagne.

Beaugency is a beautiful old town on the banks of the river Loire.

The ancient bridge that crosses the Loire in Beaugency. We had a walk along the river before dinner and sat for a while watching the power of the river, the arctic terns and sandwich terns, the Martin's, swifts and swallows as a snowy egret fished in the edges of the fast flowing river.

It is always exciting to cross the Loire, particularly on the journey south. The next day's driving would take us from the Loire to the Dordogne, through the areas of Creuse and Limousin. So with the destination of Souillac on our minds, we returned to L'Ecu de Bretagne, happy to be in the heart of France with so much more to come. On day three we drove across the 14th century bridge that spans the Loire at Beaugency and headed down through the heart of France towards Limoges and on to Souillac. I have to say that the fabulous motorway network in France makes travel so easy. We were covering the distances with ease, a great change from the past when it always seemed to take much longer than expected. The advantage then was that you got to see more towns and villages than you do from the motorway. It's a choice, speed, or variety and interest and sometimes a bit of both makes the day more interesting. We arrived in Souillac early afternoon and checked into a lovely small hotel in the centre of the town. It was built in the 15th century and had some beautiful features, including a grand stone staircase. The Pavillon St Martin was run by a very nice couple who couldn't do enough for us. Which brings me very neatly to breakfast, which was about as amazing as breakfast can be. A very full choice, including the first crop of this year's strawberries.

Not the best picture of the Dordogne, but it's the only one I took on our brief stay there.