27th June - Biarritz

Up early and out on my bike looking for a toilet. I get to a lifeguard station and lo, a toilet. This is different, large room, floor soaking wet, stainless steel fittings including the sit-down version pan. I'm done wash and dry, where is the flush, how is the door unlocked? No handle for either? I locate a green button by the door, click the door unlocks, the pan tips up and woosh the floor is flooded with a strong jet of water, I'm out of there. Will definately add that to my list of toilet stories.

Further down the beach a cafe, coffee and pastries, I'm feeling better. I watch the clean-up team going down the beach like locust, sweeping and cleaning. There is a tractor on the beach running down the high water line scarifying the sand and picking up the seaweed, impressive.

It's still raining and I decide to head to Alyson's where I can stay, I have the keys. At least I can dry out everything and to be honest my body hurts, too many injuries and too much driving.

I take the route along the river, quite stunning. The road crosses a single track railway, a relic of another time, but no, the barriers come down and a freight train trundles by. I'm stopped

again, this time a passenger train zooms past. A single track electrified railway, you'd never see this in the UK.

It's been wet all the way but I reach Ortherveille. Time to tidy up, wash and dry and clear out the bus, not to mention sleeping in a bed.