Back over the boarder into France and instantly the countryside changes with different trees and rolling farm fields of crops and of course more vines.

First night back over the boarder and we are going though Armagnac country. Neither Paul or I have tried this type of drink before so decided to stop at a France Passion site that made it. Chateau Garreau, lovely place with a small museum showing old machinery and the history of Armagnac. Tasting of course, I think Paul appreciated this more as he is the Brandy and Whisky drinker and he treated himself to a bottle of the VSOP. Connor also had a blast here as the owner had a son the same age and even though they could not speak the same language they spent hours playing together.

Casteljaloux was the next stop. A lovely old town where Connor discovered a great tourist App that takes you on a treasure hunt of the town finding clues until you eventually get to a treasure spot which is a well hidden jar with badges. Each place has a different avatar on their badge. A really fun way for us all to find out about the town.

We have seen so many castles but Chateau Castelnaud is one to remember. An amazing castle perched on the side of a cliff next to a river. It has been restored and you can go around the castle which has been turned into a museum housing artifacts and weaponry. They also had blacksmith and fighting displays.

Rocamador parking provided a great location for us to do an Avatar treasure hunt with Connor and learn about this amazing town and castle etched into the cliff. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a crucial pilgrimage site on the “Way of Saint James”. It rises up 120, over three levels to the castle at the top. It had us puffing a bit walking around trying to find Connor’s treasure.

Gouffre (Caves) of Padirac provided our next stop. Amazing caves that you can visit. First we sent down stairs over 100m deep to the entrance of the caves which are over 10,000 years old. Once in the caves we boarded a boat that took us through the galleries to the largest of the cave’s stalactites and the impressive Salle du Grand Dôme with its 94-metre-high ceiling. They said Wow factor guaranteed and we were not let down.

So France Passion is allowing us to stop in various homestays and farms and the next one was very memorable and enjoyable – A Goat Farm. First we were a bit dubious as we pulled up into the big grass field. Once we made contact with the workers we were happily shown the farm and the cheese they make. They said come back at 6pm and see the milking. Oh boy! we didn’t only see the milking they had us hands on helping them. It was great fun mucking in and helping out. After that we had a lovely supper of goats cheese and pate from their shop.

Futuroscope Amusement Park was next on our travels. This place was fun and also educational with some of the latest technology used on it’s ride and shows. The final show was an aquatic fairy tale fantasy from Cirque du Soleil, we had no idea what they were saying but the visual and sound effects were outstanding.

As we waited for a ride at Futuroscope I had a quick look at where we could go tomorrow and saw that Le Mans was not too far away and in the right direction. When I looked up the circuit with a view to visit the museum I saw that the 24hr Moto GP was on for motorbikes. So the plan was hatched to go, parking was full for booking but we decided to turn up and see if we could get in for the day if not stop over.

After driving around almost the whole circuit area (slowed by a yellow vest protest) constantly getting told parking and pointing to the right we were about to give up. Then we spotted the sign that seemed to match what parking people had told us and we went to ask at the entrance. All we had to do was go up the road 200m and buy tickets, then we could go into the enclosed parking area (large fields) and stop there for free.

We found a quiet (less populated) spot away from the masses of big bike groups and their enormous bonfires and headed to the circuit. Wow I could not believe how many people there were and the number of motorbikes and tents. We had about a 30min walk to the circuit and all the way along every field and bit of grass had tents, bikes and cars parked up. We got there a few hours before the main 24hr race started. After wandering through the village area we found a spot to watch the start. Oh my was it loud! Really good fun to see though and the 1 GBR team that was in the race started in the lead, in the end after 24hrs they came second. Connor also got to ride his first motorbike by himself in the kids area which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was probably the noisiest night we have had in Rollie with the racing bikes through the night and also the local campers revving up bikes and partying.

Time for another France Passion site and this time a Cider Farm. Oh yes what a great stop, the owners were super friendly and showed us around the farm. Connor even got to have a ride in the tractor which brought a big grin to his face. Of course we bought cider as it was so yummy.

A few more town Aires and then another farm, this one a Snail Farm. We did not taste the snails as non cooked but we did buy some beer with a picture of a snail on the label.