Normandy, Here We Come

Managed to get organised and leave at 9h30 and we made good progress, stopping at the "Pont de Millau for a picnic lunch in the sunshine. We took our time and visited the exhibition to watch a short video about it's construction and then while Christian had a siesta, I walked up to the viewpoint to take some photos. We both did this a several years ago with Andy and Maureen and I was pleased to still be able to do it without a problem.
Big mistake; we hadn't booked anywhere for the night as we weren't sure how far we'd get. Stopped in Cosne d'Allier and saw there was accomodation at a château that's now been turned into a conference centre. They had space but with a meal of radish for starters and spag bol for the main course we headed into town. The hotel on the main road, which we'd been directed to,  was a family affair and if you've travelled in France you'll have come across these old, tired establishments. Still, we were tired too and fed up, the owner was pleasant, the room was clean and adequate and there didn't seem to be any other villages for quite a distance, so we booked in.
Went for a stroll and had a beer in what really was a bit of a one horse town and came back to find that our car had been bashed on the wing. Fortunately, someone had taken the cattle lorry's number so off we went to the Gendarmerie. They were very pleasant and helpful and found the company but there was no reply when they phoned. Christian tried to phone later too but with no luck.
Had dinner at the hotel which was simple but good enough feeling that disappointed with the end of what had started ourt as a lovely day but realising that it could have been worse.
Weather:
Temperature ranged 16°-20° as we travelled, sunny