24 Days 1459 Miles

Some holidays are remembered by the souvenirs you bring home.

Ours will probably be remembered by the amount of Roquefort cheese we somehow managed to squeeze into Bandit.

When we rolled back onto the ferry at Calais after twenty-four days exploring France, the odometer showed 1,764 miles since leaving Newhaven. We’d travelled from the Normandy coast to Paris, down through Toulouse and the Mediterranean, wandered vineyards, explored medieval villages, stood beneath impossible bridges and eaten enough pastries to keep several French bakers comfortably employed for the rest of the summer.

It had been one of those holidays where every day seemed to contain a story.

Starting the holiday before we’d even arrived

One of the reasons we enjoy travelling to France so much is that the holiday starts the moment you board the ferry.

Rather than the usual rush through Dover, we sailed overnight from Newhaven to Dieppe. Having a cabin meant we could unpack, relax, enjoy dinner, get a proper night’s sleep and wake up already in France.

There’s something rather satisfying about opening the cabin curtains and seeing another country waiting outside.

Instead of battling busy motorways after an early morning crossing, we simply drove off the ferry feeling refreshed. The roads were quieter, the pace immediately slower, and somehow our brains switched from “work mode” to “holiday mode” before we’d even left the port.

It remains one of our favourite ways to start a French adventure.

Letting France unfold

We’d originally planned to avoid as many toll roads as possible.

There’s something special about wandering through tiny villages where the church is older than your entire country and every village seems to have a bakery that smells as though someone has spent centuries perfecting croissants.

But reality has a habit of catching up with ambition.

When you’ve got a five or six-hour drive ahead, the autoroutes become rather attractive. They’re smooth, easy to drive and remarkably stress-free compared with British motorways.

We still took plenty of scenic routes.

Just perhaps not quite as many as Google Maps had originally hoped.

The bridge that stopped us talking

Every road trip has one moment where everyone simply goes quiet.

For us, it was crossing the Millau Viaduct.

You know it’s going to be impressive. You’ve seen the photographs.

They don’t prepare you for the real thing.

The bridge appears almost out of nowhere, soaring gracefully above the Tarn Valley as though someone decided to suspend a motorway from the clouds.

Even I stopped talking.

Dana later confirmed this was one of the most remarkable moments of the holiday.

Not because of the bridge.

Because I’d finally gone silent.

The surprise we never saw coming

If you’d asked us before leaving England what would surprise us most, neither of us would have answered a medieval mansion.

Yet that’s exactly what happened in Vabres-l’Abbaye.

The historic house itself was fascinating, but it was our wonderfully enthusiastic host, the ancient pigeon loft and the church bells that turned the visit into one of the most memorable stories of the trip.

Those bells didn’t simply ring.

They appeared to believe the entire village needed waking several times each morning, just in case anyone had accidentally slept through the previous performance.

It became one of those stories that somehow became funnier every time we retold it.

South is where our hearts stayed

Although every part of France had something different to offer, it was the south of France that really stole our hearts.

Long mornings on Mediterranean beaches.

Warm sea swims.

Lazy afternoons wandering through markets.

Evenings sitting outside restaurants while the air slowly cooled.

Life simply seemed to slow down.

Nobody appeared to be in much of a hurry.

After a few days, neither were we.

The meal we weren’t expecting

France is famous for incredible food.

Naturally, one of our favourite meals turned out to be…

…Japanese.

Our best meal of the holiday was at Le Maderos in Cap d’Agde, where the sushi was fresh, beautifully presented and absolutely delicious.

Travel has a funny way of doing that.

Sometimes the most memorable meal isn’t the one you’ve travelled hundreds of miles to find.

Bandit earns another passport stamp

Bandit, our faithful campervan, deserved a holiday almost as much as we did.

She carried two people, a bell tent, camping equipment, air conditioning, a fridge, chairs, tables, swimming kit, enough camera gear to document a small expedition and, by the end of the trip, an alarming quantity of cheese.

For 1,459 miles she barely complained.

Well…

Almost.

Climbing one particularly long hill on the journey north, she decided the turbocharger had become a little overenthusiastic and briefly threw an overboost warning.

We pulled over.

She had a little rest.

I reset the fault.

She seemed perfectly happy again.

I like to think she was simply asking for a coffee break.

France in numbers

Time away: 24 days

Miles driven: 1,764 miles (2,839 km)

Fuel used: 259.14 litres

Average fuel economy: Around 31 mpg

Fuel prices: Around €2.10 per litre

Exchange rate: €1 was roughly 86p

Favourite region: The south of France

Most memorable drive: The Millau Viaduct

Biggest surprise: The medieval mansion and bell-ringing adventures in Vabres-l’Abbaye

Best meal: Sushi at Le Maderos, Cap d’Agde

Cheese purchased: Slightly more than any sensible person should transport across Europe.

A final tip

If you’re returning from France with DFDS from Calais to Dover, do yourself a favour and book the Premier Lounge.

For around £18 per person, we found it excellent value. Comfortable seating, unlimited tea, coffee and soft drinks, plus a hot meal depending on your sailing time.

After a long drive north, it felt wonderfully civilised.

Looking back

When people ask about France, they usually want recommendations.

Which town?

Which campsite?

Which restaurant?

The truth is, those things matter.

But what stays with us are the moments in between.

Swimming in a warm Mediterranean sea before breakfast.

Buying pastries from yet another bakery we’d accidentally discovered.

Driving across a bridge that made us both fall silent.

Laughing at church bells with a mind of their own.

Watching another sunset with nowhere else we needed to be.

Twenty-four days sounds like a long holiday.

Looking back, it feels as though it passed in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, we brought home enough memories - and enough Roquefort - to make it last just a little longer.

End of a fantastic holiday