No, no, no, no, no. This is not about pigs. All will be revealed.

Today has essentially been a driving day. Basil has hauled his 4.25 tonne bulk down 240 miles of French motorway to move Team Basil nearer to the warmth, which we have decided is our initial aim.

When we left the motorway, just north of Lyon, the temperature was a lovely 18° C, unfortunately I had planned an overnight stop inland, and as we steadily climbed out of the Rhone valley the temperature slowly fell to 12°!

Our overnight stop is on a small, free aire (45.953608, 4.586735) just outside the little village of Oingt. This is one of the “official” most beautiful villages in France which I painstakingly mapped out and which you can find here.

We had enough time to explore the village, which is not very big. Like many ancient villages in Europe it was originally founded around a castle located on a defensible high point. In the case of Oingt sometime before 1,000AD. Gradually the castle slowly morphed into a church and a small huddle of houses, all built out of the same gorgeous honey coloured sandstone, grew around it.

There is not a great deal to see. The church is pleasant and simple and there are some restaurants and arty shops. In the summer I suspect it is heaving, but at this time of year it is very quiet.

This is not the first Plus Beaux Village we’ve visited that looks like a movie set. The whole village appeared as if it had been restored in one go by the same contractor. Not a pot plant out of place. Sarah and I agreed it was a little too twee for us. We like our pretty villages a little rough around the edges.