The day started with a candidate for the most disgusting loo of the trip and another chilly mist. I winced as I got into my wet clothes and then got paddling to warm up.

At Damazan I stopped for a refuel. There was a choice of three boulangeries in this tiny village and it was a tough choice. In retrospect, I should have sampled all three. Instead, I went for the one with the biggest queue. I’m thinking of reviewing all of the delicacies I eat, so I’ll start with the flan pâtissier from Danazan.

The flan pâtissier makes your mouth water as you walk from the boulangerie to the bench you’ll eat it on, that’s if you don’t eat it on the way. A thin crust of pastry encloses a generous wedge of creamy custard that wobbles, but holds its shape. Topped with a sweet glaze, it sometimes has fruit in it, like the apricot flan I sampled way back on day 20 in Les Sables-d’Olonne. Highly recommended.

Autumn is here, although not autumn as I know it. The giveaway is that brown leaves are floating down from the plane trees and getting stuck on my bow, creating a fountain of water as I push them along. I feel like this amuses people as I paddle past and I can almost hear them say ‘well that must be annoying’.

There was one particular portage where I was faced with a 10-metre high bank covered in shrubs. I struggled out onto the muddy bank, my feet squirming in my flip flops. Immediately a cloud of mosquitos descended on me. I realised this route was futile but was trapped with the mozzies when the lock above me was drained, causing the canal to violently boil. I had a bit of fit, slapping at my face and legs and cursing. Finally, I escaped and had to go back down the canal to find a suitable get out, which was followed by a long portage.

I made it to the village just before Agen and portaged 4 locks in a row. I then wheeled my boat into the village to the house of Thierry and Marick, who had offered to host me through warmshowers. They had lived all over the world in Réunion, French Guiana, New-Caledonia, and Mayotte and clearly loved having travellers to stay. Also staying were Fanny and Aurélien who had been cycling around France for 4 months, whilst somehow keeping their jobs! We were spoiled with a delicious 5-course dinner which included a delightful parmentier de confit de canard. Thank you Thierry and Marick for such generous hospitality.