Post added later as battery low and phone needed for map reading.

I am always glad to leave behind large cities, such as Niort. They seem an intrusion into the general agricultural emptiness of France.

We soon walked into Frontenay-Rohan-Rohan. The first thing we came to was an ornamental river bed just built for paddling dogs. So in the pair went. I have given up trying to keep Topsy’s bootie dry. I just let her enjoy cooling off and squeeze out the excess water and change her socks at the next rest stop. The village had a very vibrant feel for a Sunday morning. The Square in the centre was flanked by a library that had been taken over by sit-in protesters who did not want it to close. The boulangerie was a bustlimg family buisness, and the bar-tabac was full. Round the corner at tbe supermarket, a man had a  oyster stall. We did our usual dog-breakfast pig-out of a large tin of dog food, followed by a liter of UHT milk shared with me. I am getting to prefer tbe taste of the UHT milk, probably as it is often the only type that you can buy.

Today has been charachterised by big open fields, stretchi.ng as far as the eye could see, and reminded me of the vast open expanses of the Canadian Plains. Due to this, there wete no posts or trees for GR stickers, so they were paintef on the road, a technique that  I had not seen used much before.

We did 20k today and were pleased to see a sign saying “Camping” when we arrived in Beaumont-sur-Niort. Two elderly residents pointed me on a different direction to the signpost and said it was 4k down the road! I couldn’t go any further, so when some young men playing Boule suggested that I pitched up beside them on the school playing field, beside the public toilets for water, it seemed a good idea. So we did. The young men said it was a public park, so why not? A local hedgehog also thought it was a gohod spot, as he noisily demolished a crisp packet in the hedge beside the tent, then shuffled over to see what we had! Eye-balling an active hedgehog from a distance of one foot as I peered under the flysheet was obviously a novel ecperience for both of us and the hedgehog shot off!