Long time no blog but I have been up country. It is a bit like walking from Hereford to Tregaron. Great country and views and very friendly people but not a lot in terms of towns and accom so it has been very much taking pot luck. Over four nights I slept in a log cabin on a campsite, the best chambre d'hote ever, the floor of a tack room in a riding stable and the most wierd; a room in a hotel which overlooked an old monastery which had been converted into a max security prison. My room was level with a guard tower. I will post some pictures of the accom and the landscapes and people later. The trip keeps on being totally unpredictable. I happened to be in Brienne when there was a huge Napoleonic re-enacment thing on and I met a father and daughter who were from Dublin but lived in Belgium and were in the Grand Armee band all dressed up in the full kit. Landsdowne road meets Waterloo but without Guinness. I have also had my second really bad weather day complete with thunder and lightening which resulted in me having lunch under a hedge watching the light show. When you see big black clouds, the cows heading for cover and birdsong stop then the time for being the lowest living thing on the landscape is nigh. Mostly the weather has been brill. I can't describe how nice it is just to be sitting on a bridge eating bread and cheese and watching the swallows dipping into the water right in front of you. I'm currently in Langres, a fortified town on top of a huge hill, or at least it felt like it last night after 30K in the rain. The other good news is that I'm on the train to Geneva tomorrow to pick up a flight to go to Brindisi to meet Jill for a week without walking. Also found an Indian restaurant last night-first one in France. Food much milder to suit French tastes. Had a chat to an elderly lady who lived next to the ramparts this morning and she introduced me to her neighbour who sings in a choir which is run by an Irishman and we are all meeting up tonight. Sounds good fun but I need an early night as I can't miss the train tomorrow.