Here is a screenshot of my "Memory Map" plot of my route. Each flag represents where we spent the night. The big gap in the middle is where Topsy hurt her foot and we travelled by train.
Secret welcome home party 5PM Sunday 28 Oct. for Peter, Happy & Topsy. At Reubens Cottage, Sheep Street, Stow-on-the-Wold. (Almost opposite "Goody Twoshoes kids shoe shop). Courtesy of Cat & JP. All friends and people who would like to meet all 3 returning randoneurs, welcome. Bring a bottle and a…
I came to France for an adventure, and I have left with another French adventure. Her name is Agnès, charmingly pronounced "Anne-yes". And all because Topsy had a sore foot. When I arrived on a Friday in Les Eyzies sur Tayac, I wanted to see the prehistoric rock paintings at…
Three months ago, on July 17, Minty Tours hit the road in Ftance. Thtee months later, we are sitting in a restaurant in Bagnoles sur l'Orne, with a ferry ticket to Porysmouth from Caen at 23.00 tomorrow. Today it took 2 hours to drove what had taken me 2 weeks…
Panic! The train had arrived and I couldn't find my tickets! I bundled onto the train and started to empty my rucksack, when to the great relief of myself and the conductor, they fell to the floor! The journey across France went smoothely, with changes at Perigeau to get to…
The rain set in over-night and the sound of water eunning off the roof became like a constant tap running. So plans to go canoeing on the river were abandoned and breakfast lapsed into lunch. In an attempt to exercise the dogs, wandeeed down to the rsilway station and reserved…
There is a walk high above the twisting Vézère river, following the cliffs where trogdylites lived below. Each tower is a cliff face with views over the river and the valley below. Not a good place for labradors to play tag! As the sky darkened early in the afteroon, and…
Had caught the train from Agen to Les Eyzies sur Tayac on Thutsday, arriving in the evening, and have been staying with friends. They seem to have an innordinate amount of wood and spent the afternoon stacking 4 cubic metres of it. Dinner in a vegetarian restaurant in town to…
Today was an unwind day. Everything in my back-pack seemed either damp or wet and not smelli g too sweet! So EVERYTHING was put out un 5he sun to dry or into the washing machine to wash. Then I made the mistake of trying to use the Ryanair website which…
Dear Friends, If you have enjoyed these tales of a walk across France with my two Guide Dogs, Happy and Topsy, and would like to make a donation to Guide Dogs, please go to "HOME/Donate here" or to "DOGS/Guide Dogs" on this webdite and press the "Donate" button for a…
Valras-Plage was a ghost town. I had spent the night camped in rhe car park of the Hélios campsite, as the campsite was ferméd. The restaurant that the internet said was open, turned out to be a pile of sticks in the sand on the beach. I eventually tracked down…
Minty Tours has arrived at the Mediteranean! At 18.30, Happy and I reached the wind-swept beach at Farinette, south of Vias. Thunder and lightening started the day in Conas; just south of Pézinas. Then it has rained most of the day, sometimes as intense rainstorms. The campsites here…
After a night of torrential rain and a feeling that some might have got under the zip of the flysheet into the tent. Collected my 2 croissants and 2 baguettes at the reception and downed the croissants with a coffee. Headed into Fontès. Bought a Camembert at the boucherie. Established…
After thanking John & Di for the best Christmas Dinner EVER, I managed to set off just before 10AM. My route is to head directly south for the coast. I followed a pipeline up into the hills, then promptly lost the good trails, as those marked on my map wete…
Today everyone was slow to rise. Except Happy, who URGENTLY needed the bathroom at 8:15 and stuck her big node in my face. A trip to Moureze was plannwd John and adi took 2 cars round snd one back, tben we wslked across. Had a great lunch, then Trish and…
At last! We reached the Med! Admittedly by car over the last 60k! Aftet another croissant breakfast, kindly provided after an early morning croissant run by John, the Xmas dinner party of Sheila, Peter, Trish and myself, piled into John's VW van. We headed for the beach south west of…
Today is Christmas Dinner. Today is the reason that this website was created. The festive spirit built up gradually. Starting with re-arranging chairs and tables in the garden patio area; then placing the tiny live Christmas treee in its pot on a small table in front of the doorway to…
Surfaced politely at 8.30 and after breakfast John and I walked down to the lake. After a salad-filled lunch, I collapsed in a chair. Sbeila and Peter arrived. I collapsed for a snooze. Topsy hobbling on right foot. Very sociable evening meal with local produce and John cooking a wonderful meal…
Pottered around on the internet first thing, to ensure that people knew my plans for the day: to reach Liausson. We were camped on the opposite side of the valley from the ruins of Château de Malaveille which sat perched like a pimple on a massive outcrop of granite. Despite…
I made a mistake leaving Bédereux, and took thr wrong trail. So we did 5k instead of 2k. The climb up the hill to Carlencas seemed endless. The 12th century church tower of St. Martins loomed over the landscape here like St. Edward's Tower does in Stow-on-the-Wold. A kind lady…
Packed up just after dawn, as was down to 7% charge on the phone and back-ups all used Was concerned that the GR7 had been re-routed, probably due to logging. So I was setting off blind. We wandered down the road in search of a "source" (spring) and suddenly heard…
Set off today with limited charge to my phone and hence my ability to use the maps. This lead to a problem when I suddenly realised that I was 1k north of the GR7 route pn my map, even though I was following GR7 signs! I think it had been…
Am sitting outside the Spar supermarket while the kind lady in the boulangerie charged my phone. 3 days in hills above Mzamet to Pic de Nore (1100m) and very windy and duvet jacket weather. Little water on SW ridge of the Massif Centrale and one spring had dried up. A…
Passed the Cap du Nore at over 1000m. Now on top of the SW ridge of the Massif Central and wind picking up. A series of windfarms be-deck the ridges and you can see why! I dodn't quite put my tent up facing into the wind and it flapped all…
Left Mazimet on market day, so stocked up with bread and cheese. The kind lady on the cheese stall plied us with cheese rind for the dogs. A steep climb out, and at one point was beseigef by 30 schoolkids, staying at some outdoor centre, all wanting to meet the…
A day of packing up. After just over a week here, Topsy's paw has improved and I have decided 5o head for Mazimet. This is east of Castres abd qhere I would have left the GR36 to join the GR7. Topsy willing and able, I hope to walk from there…
Having bought the departing Iris a drink last night, her friend Elspeth (or Elizabet) arrived and so I bought her a drink as well. She turned out to be a guide at Le Grad Roc cave and so invited me up there today AND offered to keep the dogs in…
After buying her a drink last night at the campsite, was invited out by Elspeth, to visit Le Grand Roc cave, where she is a guide. I was told to say I was her cousin! She kindly offered to keep the dogs in her office during the tour. So we…
There is no such thing as a free lunch! Having plied my hosts with THREE tupes of wine last night, I was given the job of building up the log pile! Had just finished when a downpour hit us; and contiued as drizzle the rest of the afternoon. Walked to…
Le Bourro est arrivé! So proclaimed a sign outside the roadside wine tasting cave of le Chateau Mazivert. "Bourro" is the first fermintarion of the grapes. It is about 2% alcohol, still getmenting and tastes like home made fizzy lemonde. It matures onto a light, crisp and uncomplicated dry white…
The alarm went off at 5AM. I wanted to get to the Grotte of the Font de Gaume for 7-ish. As my campinf neighbours, Stephen and Anne, were going to keep an eye on Happy and Topsy, I wanted to make sure that I was in the first tour. In…
Went down to the canoe hore place over the bridge and hired a canoe to their weconf stop of Wt. Chhristoph. So was sortef out for a 4 person canoe for me and the dogs and given a double paddle. Then we got in a minibus and were driven up-river…
I had thought of going to see the 200 rock paintings at the cave or "Grotte" of Le Font de Gaume. However I was late in starting off and Topsy was limping slightly, so abandoneded the idea and retired to the campsite pool. It says 25°C in the certificate beside…
Croissants and coffee for breakfast! Perfect! The nightime sounds, as well as the ubiquitous owls, were of rutting deer in the distance. Then headed onto town to post home my MSR stove, as my gas had finally run out and I have moved on to a French Camping Gas stove…
Today was a sad day in a way, as I wasleaving the small community that had made me very welcome for the past week. I packed, walked the dogs, theb Alan kindly drove me to the station at Chassneiul. Now Akan does not travel by train often, if ever. So…
Spent the morning packing my backpack: 24kg! So tonight will have to eat 1 of the 2kg of food; drink 1 of 3 litres of water and be selective with Topsy's repair kit. The French army food, although excellent quality, will have to go. 'Buy there' is the moto, although…
Tidyed up the kitchen then all 3 of us set out for St. Adjutory (5k round trip), and arriving there, found that the Bar Tabsc was closed on vendridis! France is ferméd again! Spent the afternoon tidying the house as I was thinking of leaving tomorrow.vHowever , I have spoken…
Spent the morning tidying up after last night, as the cottage here is immaculately clean and maintaining the standard is a challenge! Then took Happy to Montembœuf. A 11k round trip that I had designed so that I arrived after 2PM when the shops would be open. The boulangerie was…
Having rashly invited a crowd for dinner tonight, I needed to do something about it! Alan kindly drove me to the spermarket in the Square at Chasseneuil and I found myself in the happy position of being able to justify buying a lettuce! Then the day was spent prelaring the…
Decided today to give Topsy a short walk, then to do a little local exploring with Happy. Walked Topsy without a bootie and she is not limping, which is good progress. Repeated it about 5PM and she was still well, but not inclined to play boisterously with Happy. So will…
Today everything was washed: me; all my clothes and the dog's sleeping bag. I plan to hose down my rucksack tomorrow. My socks got washed twice and I still don't think that was enough! I have worked on the principal of wear one, wash one. However hand washing with hair…
What a luxury! To be in a BED at 9AM! Today was a day of rest and of catching up. Anything that cold be dried was. A quick late afternoon walk with the dogs, then an evening meal with the neighbours. Alan and Monique have been most hospitable and I…
When we arrived in Cognac yesterday, we instantly had another fight to get Topsy (and Happy), as Guide Dogs, onto a city bus to get to the campsite. Then found that the bus stopped 1k from the campsite and there was no option but for Topsy to hobble slowly there,…
For the second time in my life, a bus-stop has caused it to change direction. When the dogs and I arrived early yesterday evening at the hamlet of Basse Vacherie, we sat down on a stone bench below a blue bus stop sign. Topsy had gamely struggled on for 14k…
Have been through an area of poor internet availabity and also very short on power, needed for map. Topsy main concern. Have made shoes out of 2€ pink booties and are falling apart after 2 days. Problem is in keeping them on and I am becoming a expert on French…
This post added later as no mobile reception when camped. We went into Beaumont-sur-Niort and went into the first open cafe on a corner of tbe Town Square. He did not have any croissants, but was happy to let me eat my own that I bought in the Boullangerie…
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…
No mobile signal as caamped by a river in a valley. Added this post later. Spent the night about 4k north of Niort on the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise, opposite Chateau Beurre-Baillon. We did 18k today, which is good going, as long as I could stop Topsy's boots…
Last night we had decided not to push on the 4k to St Perdoux and had camped in a field. We didb't leave till 9.00AM, so a late start. Arrived in St. Perdoux to find that the Bar-Tabac was permanently closed, and got water from the cemetery . Was about…
Being threatened with calling the gendarmes if I didn't move on, was a first today. I had just climbed a long, slow, hill after leavibg Paerhenay, having walked about 16k. I had decided to reward myself with a drink of water at the next flat place. A pile of paving…
As we sit in the tent, feeling hot, and the dogs pant (it was 32°C today), the met office are forecasting thundershowers until the morning. So I have checked that the tent is storm ready. We followed the river Thouet south of Aurvault. Initially there was a great din, that…
Happy was licking her paws last might, so I wondered if the pafs on her paws were being affected like Topsy's. So decided to get extra stocks of the acid toughening solution in Airvault, the next big town. This turned out to be a real slog to the outskirts, but…
Finally left Touars today, and after 2k of blacktop, hit the riverside paths that charachterised the day. Lots of families with caravans or shacks by the river out Sunday picnicing. River wide and often covered in floating weed, blown away at parts to give nice generous expanses of water. No…
It is forbidden in France, to call anything Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. So the Thouars cyber café, the only one that I have found in 5 weeks, misses out the "Fraternité"! So I have been holed up in there all day, downloading big audio files that I have nade in a…
1.5l of Vin Rosé at 2€, should be slow drinking. On a hot afternoon it is not! Took Topsy to the vet hete in Thouars this morning who diagnosed a right shoulder stiffness and a slightly reddened paw. So she is prescribed a steroid cream for the paw; a boot…
An ant running up your leg is not normally a problem. However anyone who has read my gear list will realise that once it gets to my pants, there is not much to stop it going anywhere it pleases! Otherwise a lunchtime picnique by the banks of the River Thouet…
I am sat in the courtyard of the Hôtel Splendide in Montreauil-Bellay, having the plât du jour of smokeď ham, mushroom wirh salad. Rather than fall asleep at the table, I have ordered a LARGE café au lait! We covered 8.5k in 2.5 hours under overcast skies. We stopped by…
Was up at dawn and provided room service with a coffee to Rosemary, who was struggling with the power of speach! The GR36 took me back to where we had eaten the previous night, to St Pierre's Square, where insude the restaurant the back piece had oak beams 18 ins…
How do you complain in French? That was today's task! The 2 emmergency power backups (good for 3 charges), only charged up to 2/4 little lights, so not charging fully. Decided to ask ( icely) the Orange shop on the Rue Nationale to exchange them for another solar charger/combined battry…
Some days you are just lucky. This was one of them. After a disasterous day yesterday, this was planned as a shopping replacement day, and it all worked, and more. On the advice of the very capable young lady Geraldine on the camping reception (who will later star on the…
Disaster! Mon charger-solaire à disparu environ 8 heures du soir hier, près du Fontaine devant l'eglise à Colognė. Si vous le retrouve, je suis devant l'eglise. Peter Minty My solar-charger has disapeared about 8PM yesterlday evening, near to the water fountain in front of the church at Cologné.…
Covered 20k today, but as Topsy tired, didn't do the final 3k into Marigny-Laillé, and camped in a field. There is a lot of cow pats, so hope they don't drive a herd through early in the morning! Terrain again good going with wide forestry paths, mainly with nice sandy…
After an evening socialising with Ben & Susie, I thought that I would have been more frail in the morning, but surprisingly O.K. Proofed boots; collected bread, then set off in moderate sun. We had a spell of crossing roads and motorways, dodging the Sunday joggers and cyclists who were…
"This is Emily from Nat West, is this a convenient time to call?" Standing in my birthday suit in a showee on a campsite in France, there gave been better times. "I need proof of ID, so di you have your bank card?" I occasionally forget the soap in the…
It''s that sickening feeling, when you reach for something, and it's not there. Like a dog lead. We had walk back 1k to retrieve them from a previous stop. Then there is today''s camping lesson. If you wish to make your backpack lighter, hang your washed shorts on the…
Navigating with a Spanish map in France is a not very helpful. In the midst of a downpour, the water hitting my pink plastic waterproof mobile cover, was sufficiently intense, as to cause the scale of the map to shrink from highly detailed, to a map of Europe, centered on…
Good start at 7PM. Like yesterdays, some of GR36 overgrown and a fight with brambles. Once passed this, some pleasant drovers tracks along ridges through wooded areas. Luckily overcast and cool till mid-day. Got chatting to several locall people on the way, including Dominique on his tractor, just outside the…
France, est ferméd. Have just struggled uphill for 1k in the mid-day sun (~30°C) to Mt.-St.-Jean (251m), to find the boukangerie closed, the post office/general store closed and the Bar Tabac not only closed on a Monday, but closed for his annual holidays! Am almost out of dog food, and…
Here in the Alpes Marcelles, the Sarthe river cuts deep into the junction of two tectonic plates, producing stunning walks along the edges of it's ridges. From St Léonard-des-Bois heading south to St Paul-le-Gaulter, has been the most rewarding walk so far. However I am not the only one to…
Dog sick in a tent is to be avoided. Luckily, I got Topsy out in time! The bar/store that I had piled into at La Roche-Mobile (the first and only one), after a long trek to join the GR36, only sold Cat food. OK with Happy, but Topsy suffered. I…
At 1PM, two very hot dogs collapsed by a seemingly insignificant "turn right" sign. This was actually very significant, and marked the end of our travels on the GR22 from Mt. St. Michel, taking in memorials to the Allies advance through Normandy in WW2, as they, like the GR22, headed…
We arrived in this chateaux containing village about 1.30, after a slow 8.45AM start from our campsite. Headed into Lignières-Orgreave and up at the boulangerie gor brealfast. The dogs had cat food for breakfast, as they had no dog food. Wolfed it down! Am sat at "The Annex" off the…
Said my goodbyes to the friars and evenan aged an interview over breakfast! (For the Audio Diary, whenever I can download the files). Left them with a couple of bottles of wine for their hospitality. Stopped off at the Tourist Information to use the Internet, whicheck was a mistake, as…
Breakfast with the Friars: Pere Roch Andrew and Pere George. Very simple coffee and bread and jam/ honey, but very homely round their kitchen table. I am their only visitor. Roch very kindly took me on a shopping expedition in his car and we actually tracked down some camping gas…
Rain=No Sun=No solar electricity=mobile dies =No map! Tramped the 20k from Domfront to Bagnoles de l'Orme mainly in the rain. Luckily this was a dead straight forestry/Romania road, so navigating not a problem with the GR Red & White splashes of paint on the trees. Made good time and arrived…
The Romans not only left straight roads, they left a heritage of orgies. In my case, this consists of arriving on a Sunday morning at the only place open in Lonlay-l'Abbaye, the supermarket, and pigging out in the rain outside on a litre of milk, 2 chicken breasts quickly stuffed…
Started off the day late at 8.30, in part because the weather forecast was suggesting not too hot: 21 or 22C. HAve reached a woody section, which is wonderfully cool. First the Fort de Mortain, then Forêt de la Land Pourrie rise and finally, after a little lake and a…
Yesterday I crossed the centre of thr glacial valley that I have been following, to the northern side, ending up in the Puvlic Car Park in St. Michel de Montjoie. I thought from the map that it was a picnic spot. Well it was both, and to prove it, a…
I have just watched what I thought was a lorry enthusiast's outing, as one after anoither a series of refrigefated meat lorries went past. People tooted their horns and le patron and his wife from "Le Bar Normande" here on the Square of the tiny villagw of St. Crois waived…
The steeplejack was just trying to be helpful. When I asked for water, he pointed to a tap, to which was attached a yellow hose that ran 100 feet up to the top of the spire of the little church in Le Petit Celand. I gesticulated about the hose, so…
Having arrived late at the campsite in Avranche (about 8PM), a kind couple in a camper van gave me 2l of water for the dogs. This is the fellowship of travellers and is great. Just as yesterday I had stopped for coffee, when there was a cheery "Bonjour!", and so…
Nearly 84 years ago, on the 31st July 1944, General Patton of the US army, led 7 divisions over the bridge that I crossed this morning at Pontaubault, crossing the River Sélune, and heading to liberate Paris. This morning, you might have been forgiven for thinking that you could still…
Watching the sun set over Mont St. Michelle, sat by my tent on a small bluff at Point de Roche Touring. The mosquitos obviously enjoy the view too and have come to join me. So I have joined the dogs in the tent and pushed Happy back onto HER side…
A day for reflection on things uniquely French: Toilets with a hole in the ground; Sat Navs for walkers say "take the first exit at the roundabout" means turn right; "tout a droit, tout a droit" means keep going straight and NOT keep turning right! Terrain has changed from tree-lined…
Some things uniquely French happened today: • They still have those disgusting "hole in the ground" toilets. • A pedestrian using GPS, should be aware that when the voice aays "take the first exit off the roundabout", it means turn right. • In tbis mussel growing haven, of Le Vivier-sur-mer,…
Had a late 7PM start, as had to reset website password to enable Diary entries from this mobile. Saw the effectiveness of the GPS on my Memory Maps Ap that comes with the entire IGN 1:25,000 maps of France that I have loaded on my phone. Realised that I had…
Arrived at 8.03 in France, as the car rolled off the ferry into St. Malo. Minty Tours 2018 across France has started! Stopped off on a poo-covered piece of grass to re-pack (the French do NOT "pick up"!). Suspect that I am back to a 20kg pack. Rang a hotel…
An exhausting Day. An early morning walk to Abbotswood with old schoolfriend Adrian and the dogs, before bolting down a cooked breakfast and shooting off to the Cricket Field to run the marshalling for the Stow Motor Show. Cars trickled in at first with everything from a tiny vintage Ford…
Today, Minty Tours, on behalf of its readers, interviewed the BBC. Dominic Cotter from BBC Radio Gloucestershire, appeared at the front gate at 8AM, and was pounced on by Peter with a microphone. The result is on the Audio diary. Dominic and I, with his microphone on, went through the…
After setting the “mintytours.com” website to “go live” at about midnight last night, it was a struggle to get up for dawn. We were out by 5.50AM and did a 2 hour tour round the Abbotswood estate and Nether Swell. On top of this, I had a visit from the…
We did a 4 hour walk from 6PM (19kg pack), taking in The Battle of Stow war memorial; Donnington Brewery; Abbotswood to Lower Swell; Hyde Mill, and along the old railway line closed by Dr. Beaching, to Maugersbury, and home. Chris Lesley of Fairport Vonvention fame, was playing in the…
Today iy is the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Stow-on-the-Wold Community Land Trust (Stow CLT). An organisation that I set up almost exactly 3 years ago, to provide truly affordable housing for the people who live or work in Stow-on-the-Wold, our charming historic market town, set in the middle…
Those poor souls at WPLive who came in to work, whilst the rest of America was on holiday, deserve a medal! We struggled on the formating of my Diary and the Dogs Diary and finally got there at nearly 11PM my time! In between times, it has been another hot…