Really enjoyed the view in the morning, this time lit from the East. Behind us someone started setting up a large table with food and drink, and at lunchtime a whole crowd of motocross motorbikes turned up for their picnic lunch. It wasn’t long and they were back on their way, heading into the countryside.

We then were off ourselves, aiming for nearby Le Puy en Velay. Down as a must-see town in the guide book, we did our usual drive past, and I thought I’d got away with it, but Sophie was keen to see it on foot. There is dedicated motorhome parking, just a short, but somewhat steep, up and down, wander into the centre. It has some lovely old parts and we’d recommend a visit.

Right above the parking is the town’s iconic focal point of a chapel built on top of a ridiculously tall and narrow hill – an incredible sight. You can walk up, but this wasn’t our plan. Coincidentally, we bumped into Jacqui in the Super-U carpark earlier, and she’d actually been to the top, so we were really impressed.

I’d told Jacqui back at our overnight spot that we were aiming for a Park4night in the nearby small village of Polignac. She got there ahead of us, but being new to Park4night she’d assumed the SatNav would take her a sensible route, so she had an interesting journey, and definitively burnt some rubber on a steep section. I had already looked at the route proposed by our SatNav and realised by the extreme winding and wiggling that this could be uncomfortable, and fortunately we had a word with the SatNav and went a slightly longer route round.

Anyway, we soon found our way and joined Jacqui in the rural carpark on the edge of the hilltop town. It had a lovely open aspect, and was a great find.

Whenever we can, we try and suppress all end of day tiredness and do a visit before the sun sets. The sunlight is often at its very best, and the next day’s weather is never guaranteed. In a region with so many hills, it was a steep walk to the castle that topped the town. When we arrived, there was an unmanned turnstile, and the cost of entry was €5. Unbelievably, it would only accept tokens that had to be purchased down in the tourist office. Anyway, I was delighted, as being a Philistine my attitude was that I’ve seen a castle before, so why would I pay to see another one. The view would have been impressive though.

After that we meandered around the lovely village, with its incredible views, then back to our peaceful stop for the night.

*** Just to mention that our blogs can be up to a few weeks behind reality, as we’re always in catch-up mode ***