59. Dune that

Salles - France

The end of the path and the start of the climb

Jac brought with her, from Holyport, the suggestion that we use the eBook services of the Maidenhead / Windsor library, of which we are still current. Amazing. Took a bit of setting up (you can see a theme developing) but, I must say, sharing a laptop that is sitting open on the table, laughing out loud with Iris while both reading The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson was a joy to be repeated tomorrow. The library also includes over six hundred Audiobooks so we enjoyed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 2 on our outing this afternoon, all for data - amazing.

The view activated my sailing itch

Ploughing up

女の子 Ninja

This afternoon we ventured forth to the immense Dune du Pilat, the largest sand dune in Europe at three kilometres long and one hundred and four metres high. We were late in the day with dreary weather and there were still a good number of people about and cars in the very orderly, metered, car park. There were many
shops and cafés, closed for the season but a poignant reminder that these places must be absolutely heaving in the high season. The walk to the dune is through lovely established forest and coming upon the dune really is impressive. There is the offering of stairs however we chose to plough up the dune in the absolutely amazing sand.  It had been a wet day and on cresting the top and traversing along the ridge, wherever the sand was dry Roman's little legs received a good sand-blasting.

Iris had also received a blasting for heading out, in Jandals on this rather inclement day however had the last laugh when the rest of us stumbled back to the car with our shoes two sizes too small due to egress of sand. 

Returning to the carpark's bank of officious carpark pay machines I was very surprised when the parking charge was €1.  A welcome relief from the rapacious UK.