Travel and transport

Man: So, overall, was the river trip what you'd hoped? You went rather quiet on the last couple of days. Woman: Honestly? The cycling was glorious. Even the day it poured, I didn't mind: we had decent waterproofs and the cafés were cosy. And I'd been dreading sixty kilometres a day, but my legs coped perfectly well. What got to me was that little town with the Sunday market and the swimming spot below the bridge. Everyone we met told us to stay on for the festival on the Tuesday, and we couldn't, because the next four nights were booked and paid for. Man: I only booked everything so we wouldn't spend every evening hunting for a bed. Remember Portugal? Two hours in the dark knocking on doors. Woman: I know, and I'm not saying we should book nothing. That was miserable. Man: But in July, on a route that popular, just turning up would be a real gamble. Woman: Would it, though? The guesthouses in between were half empty. We saw vacancy signs everywhere. Man: That's true, actually. The only places that were full were the big towns at either end. Woman: So we book those, and leave the middle open. Man: Fair enough. The first and last nights fixed, and everything else we decide as we go.