169 GO WEST...

With the apartment in Nice booked, that is where the official journey ends and our own path is forged. We discussed at length what the next steps were, banding ideas around, looking for the best way to get from the south of France back to Blighty.

The direct route is right up the centre of France, up to Lyon, up to Paris, over to Calais, through the tunnel and bosh, back home. But what if we didn't take the direct route?

I've been thinking about heading to northern Spain and getting the ferry back for some time. Not only does it negate the long drive from south to northern France, but it adds another part to the adventure!

There is a ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth, which takes about 30 hours to complete the journey, but it is a floating hotel/bar/disco, and a break from driving might be just the thing we need!

When I checked last year, I was sure it was a few hundred pounds. Now that we had dates, I went to the Brittney Ferries website and found that, for two people, in a car with a cabin, the trip is an eye-watering £600+. This stopped us all in our tracks. It was clearly too much.

As before, though, Carl chimed in with his "This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, don't worry about the price" shout. Again, he was dead right.

After crunching some numbers and working out that each cabin sleeps 4, so we only need two, the decision was made that we should go for it!

I'll be honest, I was chuffed. I love the idea of our journey including Spain too now, and it gives us a chance to visit San Sebastian, which is apparently stunning with amazing food, and Bilbao, which is on my list of cities to visit before I die.

It also means we can stop off somewhere on the way from Nice to Spain to break the journey up. We asked AI where a good spot to visit would be, and it suggested Sète, describing it as "a lovely destination if you're looking for somewhere less touristy than nearby Montpellier but with genuine Mediterranean charm and good beaches". It has the nickname "Venice of Languedoc" due to its network of canals. It looks stunning (see image above).

A REALLY quick look at Booking.com threw up a private apartment in the city centre with parking and a private pool for just £75 per night! We discussed maybe spending a couple of nights here, again, to decompress and have a look around instead of just charging through the country.

This also opened up the option of Derek and Nikki jumping in the cars with us in Nice and doing the trip home with us. Lisa will speak to them both to sound them out. It would be nice if they were to hitch a ride, and what a ride it will be, hugging the Med across the bottom of France before skirting around the Pyrenees and reaching the Bay of Biscay.