Adog had wandered through my dreams that night, I awoke to first light but slumbered on an hour. We were undisturbed and soon were riding through the morning light. We reached the town while everyone slept through the weekend dawn.

Dylan spoke of being kept awake all night with the sounds of a lost dog running and barking through the forest, it came close but never found us. I wonder if it is a good thing I can just encorporate things into my dreams and sleep on or it is better to be alert?

It was a lovely day in the shade, Dylan and made a jolly game obtaining as many return ‘bonjour’s from fellow cyclists as we could. One old man in lycra gave the most enthusiastic response of the day waving one had vigorously with a huge grin.

We passed a happy morning on the bike and there was something pleasing about the houses we passed with their deep double height verandahs and timber shutters, but by the time we reached vieux bacau we felt a little melancholy. The golden beaches reminded Dylan of home and he wished he could be sharing the day with friends, for me the thought of another night staying up late waiting for the cover of darkness to camp was exhausting. I sat on the lawn watching other people’s lives as Dylan ran. A family was picnicking next to us and amusingly their little white fluff dog was having a shave, he wasn’t enjoying the indignity of the public grooming. Later he went for a ride with the family in a front bike basket while the mother slept.

When we rolled passed a campground in the afternoon we decided to pay the 17€ which seemed very reasonable and stay the night. The best decision we ever made! It had a pool and a little restaurant where we ate frites. We were relaxed and replenished for the next leg of our trip and tomorrow night we would be staying in a bed in bidart!