So we’ve just finished our family vacation and what better place to visit than France!
We’re very lucky to have two very close friends that have a holiday home in the quant, quintessential French town of Saint Nikolas de Pelem, and had very kindly offered a special invitation for the Palmer family to stay for the week.
We’ve had one amazing week away let me tell you all about it 🙂 It’s a rainy March and we’ve got a 1 1/2 month old baby and a poorly mum. After thinking about a holiday we had the pleasure of being offered the week stay in our friend’s holiday home. So thinking of how we can get there, there’s only one real way, drive, all 11 hours minimum including a crossing. The amount of luggage and baby extras there’s really not many options for us other than to drive across, I think we’d need our very own jumbo jet we ended up packing that much. Now it went through my head to try and fly but it just wasn’t possible, and, I’ve driven to Switzerland before all 17 hours of it, in a row. So that was it we decided to drive and that’s where we left it for the next few months until a few days short of our holiday! It’s now late July and we’ve got a very active 6 month old that’s as mad as they come. Very inquisitive and one which doesn’t like to be restrained. We’re also thinking that when we went to Switzerland we had a land rover that went at the speed limit with no issues. This time we’re taking the journey in a 7 seater V6 with a 3.2 litre engine. One which isn’t as mobile as the land rover and probably more fuel hungry. It’s going to be a 60-65mph journey to maximise efficiency.
Re evaluating our trip and it’s not going to be possible to drive in one there’s going to be too many stops for Dottie, driving too slowly increasing the journey time and I’m going to be nackered! What’s our options?
We have a journey interrupted by the channel crossing. It’s 4 1/2 hours this side and 6 1/2 hours that side. It makes sense to find somewhere this side of the border to get to at a good time and what better setting that the south coast of England somewhere near Dover.
Finally settling on Ramsgate, a lovely town on a beautiful coastline, we find a Travelodge right on the seafront. We didn’t need 5 star, anything too fancy just offering a family room with a cot, a good price and a accessible car park just over the road.
We stopped a few times for Dottie and had another stop prior to the Dartford Crossing (What a bridge). Then it’s straight down in the beautiful Kent countryside.
So we finally arrive all sweaty but content after fantastic snack bags supplied by Mrs P kept us going with everything we needed for the long journey!
It was weird to hear a southern accent after living so many years up north and I completely forgot they don’t have gravy but apart from that what a town! 🙂 We arrived at the hotel and the car park was just round the corner with room outside to park and unpack the V6 beast.
On arriving to the room we were pleasantly surprised. It was very tidy, the extra bed was an actual bed not a sofa version and there was a very clean travel cot all set up ready for our sweaty baby 🙂 As you can see it can easily fit three too hahaha
So we had time to walk along the beach and show Dottie how much fun the sand is when it’s dry and not in Blackpool! She loved it and the view was amazing and we got to teach Beth how close to France we were. She also didn’t fully understand the tunnel and how it actually goes “Under the SEA!!” It still amazes me too. We enjoyed chippy tea (sans gravy) and got ourselves to bed early but not before a glass of wine and deserts from the Travelodge’s extensive menu.
Now the address for the hotel was Travelodge Ramsgate Seaview and as one to get up early and take a few snaps I can only tell you that what a view it is in the morning.
So we’ve got to Ramsgate, a very short trip to the Channel Tunnel station? port? crossing area? and after a quick fuel trip to Tesco we head on our way to Folkestone all excited for our underwater train journey and after a few grumbles from Dottie, she’s now laughing her head off.
I’ve never experienced such an easy crossing as we normally go to Dover for the ferry which ends up being a three hour chore which is expensive thanks to the on boat food/drink and doesn’t really give me any options to sleep as it’s swaying back and forth.
The trains are massive and with a high vehicle we cruise onto the silver bullet and park up according to the instructions translated over the tannoy.
So we’re now on the train with a journey and a half left but we’ve done stage one with a refreshing and simple stop over in beautiful Ramsgate.
So we’ve got a little journey left! Which I’ll let you know about in another post 🙂
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