After 2 pretty rainy weeks in the UK we are on our way back to Bordeaux and then Port Medoc with a new oven, boat muck off x 5 litres and lots of other things that Andrew says are critical 😀 he is definitely a shopaholic and addicted to Amazon!! We are carrying a huge box, a huge suitcase and a hold bag and very much looking forward to getting these from the airport to Bordeaux station and then onto the train to Verdon sur Mer & then the 3km walk to VA. After a 4am start we might be tired.

We are back onboard & our new oven is already fitted,it looks great and it works 😀. We changed it because the previous one was microwave/grill & I missed having an oven - this one is a proper oven/grill and microwave - yipppeee.

The sun is shining here& it is warm and summery. It’s great to be back and we are looking forward to continuing our journey south on Saturday. Only 2 more stops in France before we get to North Spain.

Finally arrived here at 9pm after a 9 hour journey plus 3 hours at anchor outside the basin waiting for the right tide to come in. Beautiful sunny & calm conditions the whole way so no complaints at all. Oh and we caught a fish whilst anchoring so have a 100% record so far with our fishing. Now we just need to upsize our catch 😀🐟🦈.

We have found out what fish we caught yesterday. It is a greater weaver fish or in French a Vivre which is sold in the market and apparently tastes delicious (ours is in the freezer awaiting a few more to make it into a meal) but is very poisonous to touch with poisonous barbs!! Luckily we caught it and Andrew gutted it unscathed but now we know.

Today we have walked around Arcachon & of course found the fabulous market hall. Obligatory photo below. We had a delicious plateau de fruits de Mer lunch with the best ever oysters from Cap Ferret and crab etc probably our last for a while - see happy husband photo below. Arcachon is a lovely town with beautiful beaches and it is hot & sunny - what more could we want 😀.

Also today Andrew fulfilled his promise of me seeing Whales on our trip - again see photo below. 😂

Hot muggy weather here now but we are not complaining because we have the air con working on board to keep us cool.

We achieved our longest cycle ride yet today around the coast to the Dune du Pyla, \240the largest naturally created dune in Europe & its huge. It tops out at over 305m and apparently grows at 1-4 metres a year. The sand is velvety soft and light and the view from the top over to Cap Ferret and into the Arcachon basin is stunning. Luckily they put steps up it in the summer to help the hoards of visitors like us get to the top. Walking on deep sand up a steep slope is very very hard work especially after a long cycle ride!! By the time we got back to VA \240in addition to the 20 + miles we have also walked 12k steps so feeling a little knackered right now & deserving of supper. Tonight we are eating our Great weaver fish or Vive added to the 3 I bought in the market this morning. I can confirm that the Vive were delicious, lightly pan fried in a lemon & parsley butter served with new potatoes & a salad - 😋.

Tomorrow we finally \240leave France. After more than 8 weeks of travelling (minus our time in the UK) we will reach the north Spanish coast. A couple of days earlier than planned because we have decided to skip Capbreton because reports of the marina there are not good. We are heading to San Sebastián as our first Spanish port of call and will have to switch from French (which we are getting quite good at) to Spanish (which I am dreadful at but luckily Andrew is better) & move onto to north Spanish cuisine & wine. We will miss the delicious cheeses, pates, meats & breads of France a lot but not the hugely costly food bills (there is no doubt that France is very expensive). However on the positive side Spanish food is also delicious & the markets just as compelling so i am sure we won’t suffer 😀

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Click here for Part 5 - St Sebastián (Spain) onwards