There is a room - but only one bed

We put in some miles today. More than 90k and the last 30 in the rain.

We exceeded yesterday's effort by lunch: stopping at a relais routier at St Yrieux la Perche. It was full of working men but Madame shoehorned us into a table sharing with two others. I think we had 5 courses plus wine and coffee.

Philip has good French these days ( the benefit of having a French mistress ) and we were assured there was a  hotel in Hautefort. Moreover it had a very good restaurant attached.

We were also assured that the 40k to Hautefort was either level or downhill. I am sure overall we are now at a lower altitude but that misses out the ups and downs in between!

However we made decent progress arriving at Hautefort around 5 in steady rain. There was an auburge signposted from the road ( with  air conditioning etc ) and we slogged up a steep hill and then round winding cobbled streets ( interesting in the wet) to find it closed!

The rain was now heavy and we had to return steeply downhill ( with me a nervous lanterne rouge, with shot brakes ) and then uphill again to a very basic place.  The good news was that they had a room: the bad that there was only one bed.

Tomorrow is my 59th birthday . What an odd way to begin it!

 Knowing Philip he will turn it all into a Morecambe and Wise sketch. But though he does all the jokes, he's got the short fat hairy legs!