Bordeaux o miles running total 368 plus todays walking tour.

This is our first day without any cycling, and we are glad because at 8, when we wake up, it is pissing down outside. However, to ensure my compatriot does not seize up or get bored, I have booked a surprise at 10:30 a.m. We will join a historic walking tour of the old town. As she has a history degree and all that, she will enjoy this, and then we can use the rest of the day to dry out. Some may think this is not a nice surprise, but it was a surprise to my compatriot when the alarm went off, and who may have preferred to stay in bed!

We did some shopping yesterday for sun cream, which explains why it is raining so hard. We also bought needle and cotton as we both have split garments. Sue’s casual trousers and my cycling shorts are split. While my compatriot started the sewing class, I had a go at repairing two of the punctured innertubes to ensure we have spares for backup.

I have also surprised my compatriot on this trip by producing an outfit which she has never seen before. The man in black outfit with a black tee shirt and thin black jogging bottoms. They are perfect for a morning standing in the rain as they will dry quickly when the rain stops. I will deliver the milk tray to the lady later.

The weather app says it will dry up this afternoon, so we go for a long lunch followed by my compatriots tour of churches and cathedrals. I am not sure if she is absolving her sins or praying for better weather. She says she is checking out the finishing point for the Pilgrims on the St James way. We had passed many of these pilgrims as we cycled along the canal but had not been sure where they were headed. Now we know.

Having got bored with walking our own pilgrimage, we jump on the city tour bus to go further afield. It is now sunny, so perhaps we did our tours the wrong way round.

Our rest day over, tomorrow is going to be an interesting day with time constraints, so we need to get to bed early for an early start.