On our way to the sun

Well, the van passed its MOT test, with two tyres ok and the other two on the edge of legality so we’ve crossed the channel in the hope that we can buy some here in France. The first five dealers we stopped at in the town of Arras (where we stopped for the night) all told us the same thing as we were hearing in England, none available for at least two months. The next day on the off chance I try an independent tyre dealer and surprise surprise he has two Michelins in stock, so an hour later we’re on our way south. Avoiding the auto-routes as we’re not in any rush to get anywhere other than where it’s warm, we tootle on down the A roads through the Somme and Champagne country to the small town of Saint Dizier where we stop for the night on the shore of Lac du Der.

The next day and the weather is pretty much the same, cool and cloudy, certainly not what you expect it to be at this time of year. We head out of Champagne country through golden fields of corn and other arable crops, through picturesque villages and spa towns

the scenery changes again to give a more alpine feel, the buildings have big roofs and look like ski chalets

we stop late afternoon at another lake near the village of Labergement de Sainte Marie in the Jura.

Seem to be struggling to find free wifi connections here so there probably wont be a post everyday, however we can check emails with our 3g kindle almost everywhere.