Day 8  Sunday 25th May 2008

As today was bright and sunny with a forecast of a dull afternoon, we went to the nearby chateau of Rivau. This was only 15 minutes away. It has lovely gardens with an enchanted forest, a maze, a lookout tower and a checkerboard garden made of old roof tiles and plant pots including the people in it. We then went through the Running Forest which had giant pairs of legs in it. The garden had lots of roses and lavender. The roses which were English (David Austin) and French smelt lovely and the lavender would follow on in due season. There were a lot of little touches such as an ogre’s house, which warned that trespassers would be eaten, and Rapunzel’s blond plait hanging from a tower. Inside the castle were some comfortable rooms and there was also a winery and farm buildings that are being restored.

After this we returned to the cottage by a scenic route to pack etc ready for our departure tomorrow.

Start Mileage 12176		Finish 12203			Miles Travelled = 27
								Total miles = 718

Day 9 Monday 26th May 2008

We rose fairly early, had breakfast and packed up. We left the cottage at 9.21 am and drove down to Chef-Boutonne, stopping en route at Sauze-Vaussais to buy some flowers for Julie. We found Julie and Arthur’s house easily, arriving there at about 11.35. We found them easy enough to get on with, not having seen them for over 20 years.  We talked continuously during lunch, a tour of their chateau, and a tour of the town centre. This included looking at the source of the Boutonne River where the village women used to do their washing.

After we left them at about 4 o’clock we drove on to Limoges. The route was straightforward enough until we got to Limoges itself and then finding the hotel did pose a problem. However we found it and booked in OK.

Start Mileage 12203		Finish 12382			Miles Travelled = 179
								Total  Miles = 897