So here we go..... France the early days.

Having made our way to Longres a great walled city just North of Dijon we decided to stay for two nights in our first municipal campsite at an incredible 13€ a night. Facilities in the way of toilets far far better than the last place - no nesting birds and bird pooh in this one. 

Longres is the home of Longres Cheese which is small and round with a dip in the top so you can pour Champagne into it....how indulgent, let them eat cake.........

The cheese is aged in a cave or a cellar for 2 to 3 months and washed weekly....yes the French wash their cheese at the same intervals as themselves....ahhh lovely. Okay enough of the toilet humor. Oh yes and they do their own beer too.

We walked the ramparts of Longres and then the next day we took a 15km walk along the Roman Roads and encountered a number of interesting sights, Napoleonic Forts, Roman Fountains, and Ancient Escargots formations.

We moved from Longres on  Philippa's 47th birthday...how old is that????? and made our way to Royat in the Auvergen region and the home of Volvic water and the highest concentration of Volcanoes in France. So to celebrate I cooked and we cracked open a bottle of Champagne from Camel Valley not France, Coals to Newcastle springs to mind....