4hrs 50 minutes. A quiet run in the country.

Spot on performance though the countryside. A peaceful run with few distractions- just the ticket.

The Rough Guide tells me that Cognac is a self satisfied little place, insulated from recession as it exports eighty per cent of its chief product. Frankly, it has a right to be and so do we finding our start point with absurd ease this morning, after our smug parking success last night. Surely this trip should be opening rather than narrowing our horizons.

Sunny day today. Bit of an upset tummy last night. No cognac so not that. Could be the crab soup or too much foie gras. Quiet though I tried to be I had clearly woken Hugh 'tree frogs in the bathroom?' he enquired as I crept clumsily past him back to my bed. Just a snapshot of what the poor chap has to put up with in addition to the day's grind. Pepto Bismolled up, I have been consequently firmly grasping the navigator's seat most of the day.

The route today was absurdly attractive, if I do say so myself. More vineyards again interspersed with farmland, a blue sky, and a perfect temperature for running. Hugh had a great day where he felt completely niggle free. He donned some pink tape today, mainly for (misguided) aesthetic purposes but with mysterious preventative properties to stop injures re-surfacing.

I trotted out the last 5 miles with him, Achilles seemingly on the mend and breathed in the countryside, taking in some diesel fumes as a few other motor homes went past. The last bit of the route has been tweeked to make it an out and back run the last couple of days, meaning Samia can also use the bike. Today she was out 'seeking animals'. We presume in a legal manner.

Not a lot else to report. Some locals, not one a jot under 60 helped push us out of some mud but that was pretty much it. We stay tonight in a truly lovely hotel in the village of Aulnay, well north of Cognac, winding our way back to the coast tomorrow in La Rochelle. Duck with petit pois and a delicious lemon cake. Nothing too rich so I'm confident the tree frogs will remain in their natural habitat this evening.