The swallows gathered on the telegraph wires above the tent and chirped merrily away, getting ready to head south to South Africa. A bright red maple leaf later on the trail and a huge green caterpillar also heralded more signs of  approaching autumn.

Dropped off a couple of postcards at the post office bix on the Square and failed to buy more cheese.

Passed a dead pine martin on the road. Atcleast it had a white chest and I didn’t think it was a stoat. Also failed to join the GR36 immediately, as I had not realised it took the path of a disused railway line and jumping over a railway bridge onto the path was not an option, ao joined kater on.

A lot of farm track type paths today and a return to sone gentle hills after the relative flat last few days. Tried Topsy without her boot to let the dew claw pressure abrasion heal. She dud about 12k, then 3k of blacktop saw her atarting to limp, so I put it back on again and she was much happier. The bootie is starting to get shredded by the abrasion on the tarmac, so it shows the stress that the dog’s pads are under.

We did 20k today and as I suspected, gettinf round Niort was too much. I asked a young lady pushing her child buggie if there were any shops nearby and the answer was eventually “No!”.  So I ate the last of my baguette, saving a little for breakfast, wirh dry sausage for tea.

• I was getting low on water and had stopped tovfill up from a leakung field irrigation pipe. I sterilised this water first with the Steripen, and on tasting it probably a wise move, as probably pumped direcly from the river and had an algal taste  So at the next village, askwd a mab tebdung his garden for water for the dogs and got 3 litres if fresh tap water. This meant tgat I could wild camp and be fenerous with water.  ie; qash the dogs feet and me! Following the example of my lunchtime stop by the River Sèvre  Niortase, we camped there again. The spot I hadzearmarked from reading the map wasalready bagged  by two fishermen. Apoke to them briecy in case we could share it but they were not enthusiastic, so I moved along the bank. Thought I had chosen a good private spot out of the way of a local footpath being used by joggers, evening strollers and horseriders. So ar dusk atarted the luxury of a wash and was half-way through, when a fisherman appeared round the corner! Why is it, that as soon as I try to wash in the bath, shower or in a field, that the telephone rings or someone appears!