Leaving our Airbnb in Ancone, we cycled a couple of miles into the nearby town of Montelimar.

We then enjoyed half a day exploring the narrow streets, chic shops, open market, contemporary gallery and generally relaxing.

We collectively decided we were tired and therefore put the emphasis on taking it easy.

Montelimar is a very typical small French town and kept us entertained without delivering any particular highlights.

Lunch was a mix of market and supermarket buys: greengages, figs, crisps, quiche and sushi: eclectic but suiting our moods and fads very well.

The cycle to our next destination, the historic town of Viviers, was only just over an hour, but we crossed numerous bridges, encountered a huge hydro-electric power plant and seemed to be constantly changing direction.

The wind always seems to get up mid-afternoon in these parts, but with the temperature down a few degrees on recent days and some cloud cover, conditions were great for riding.

Wildlife was back in focus, with a black kite swiftly followed by terrapin and a bever feeding in riverside greenery. This was then overflown by a kingfisher, to cap a satisfying few minutes.

We made our way up narrow, twisty, cobbled streets to our accommodation in Viviers, a hotel in a huge monastery. impressive from the outside, inside it is decorated and furnished like a secondary school.

After waffles in a cafe and a rest we found our evening meal in the only restaurant in town that looked worth visiting and actually proved really good. Les Chevalliers fed us some excellent savoury galettes and some even better ice cream.