The days are starting to merge into one another nicely now as we adapt to this new, and very agreeable, lifestyle! Last night we managed to find a tv in Brienon to watch Holland beat Paraguay. (Not the bar – that closed at 7 pm – but the sandwich shop that stayed open until 10 pm. Very odd.) Then back to town for breakfast and more cycling under blue skies.

We decided to give the canal towpath another try.

But the results were the same as before – slow and bumpy progress. So back to the nice smooth tarmac. And the roads were getting quieter as we headed up river and deeper into rural France.

The highlight of the day was a sightseeing stop at the Chateau de Tanlay. Here we were asked to believe that the family survived the revolution – Chateau intact – because of their good relationship with the villageois. And they are living there still – in decaying splendour. We spent a happy hour wandering around.

Tonight we are at another of these excellent municipal campsites.