Today we traveled 84km to Mont de Marsan – most of the journey through hilly farmland. Many maize fields and small towns. We had breakfast at Orthez and stopped for coffee and cake at Hagetmau InterMarche (supermarket cafe).

The road was hilly (constant climbs and descents) until the last 15km when it flattened out. We had ideal cycling conditions – overcast and cool the whole day but without wind or rain.

Mont de Marson is a very attractive town, full of public sculptures and open spaces. It is situated at the confluence of three rivers and also has a large airforce base.

Our accommodation is a cheap but adequate hotel on the outskirts of town. Its biggest selling point is that it is right opposite a Carrefour supermarket (our first since arriving back in France). After we had cleaned up we bought a Carrefour picnic and went back into the town to explore.

We visited the local museum which is dedicated to local modern sculptors Charles Despiau and Robert Wlerick (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donjon_Lacataye). We ate our picnic in a romantic setting on the relics of a medieval wall near the river and the museum.