What have I done? I seem to have acquired a house on the River Dordogne in South West France. Google tells me it’s “10 h 59 min (645.5 mi) via A20/L’Occitane” from my home on the southern bank of the River Thames  in Kew, London. 

Alternatively, on my bike it would be 43 h (557.7 mi) via Ouistreham, FR – Portsmouth, UK – or by foot around 150 hours, which would probably be fun, if I had the time.  Ryanair, though, can get me there in a couple of hours.

Am I crazy?  Or is there some sense in this apparent recklessness?

This website will record the process of me trying to answer this question. A combination of visitors’ book and journal, it will describe my own activities and, more importantly, those of the friends and colleagues who will be joining me here from time to time, and who will, I hope, provide much of the content for the site.

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Meanwhile, suffice it to say that Bergerac is an ancient and interesting town; that the climate is friendly for most of the year; that the surrounding country is beautiful and ideal for cycling and running; and that the great river at the bottom of my garden is frequented by some of the best rowers in France. (Who are, of course, almost as fast as the best rowers in England…)