Home in Time for Tea

Until now, I've avoided Spain on summer road trips because of mass tourism along the coast. It's not my cup of tea, yet I know not to write off a whole place just because it's popular, and the beaches of Mallorca had caught my beady eye. So this year we headed in new directions. Our journey took us to some rural parts of France , satisfying my need to 'discover' something. En route we enjoyed distinctive and vibrant Barcelona and a heatwave, before setting off to Mallorca on the overnight ferry. Clermont Ferrand At the volcanic park 'Parc Naturel Regionale des Volcans d'Auvergne' we quickly found a gentle hilly trail, thanks to the helpful visitor centre lady's instructions, saving us wasting time (and data squabbling with Google maps). With our 3-year-old in tow, and 35 degree heat, we missed the most dramatic views, but our trail offered wonderful panoramas.  The whole place was remote, clean, and very green. The little one c...

      Road Trips in Europe (For my   actual road trips across various parts of Europe, and photos, see the road trips and links at the end of this page) There’s just something about waking up in a totally different place every morning, and heading where the wind takes you... Road trips and car hire are a fantastic way to get about in Europe and see a variety of diverse places in a modest amount of time. Whether you’re hoping to experience a taster of different countries, see different sights, or eat different foods, planning a road trip is the best way to enjoy a range of experiences. It is the best way to do what you want, when you want. The general main points which are important to remember when planning or going on a road trip are as follows: -           Cities are fun to visit but save the proper city break for just that – a city break. The traffic can be stressful and it can ...

Road Tripping in Western Europe: Journey to Elba through Belgium, French Alps, South of France, Northern Italy, Tuscany, and Switzerland It's the night before we leave for our road trip to Tuscany's Elba Island and I haven't packed. We have been planning to visit too many places and I'm so excited about every one of them, I'm worried we won't actually get to Elba so I try and pick out a few unnecessary ones - Richard is as helpful as when he suggested I only take one pair of shoes when I'd filled my suitcase... What a pointless piece of advice!  Eventually I resolve to decide along the way without worrying about planning our road trip too religiously. We never did much planning on our first road trip and we saw so much - maybe we'll just as lucky this time, if not more... Annecy, Haute Savoie, France We made our first overnight stop in Annecy in the French Alps because it was highlighted on our map and we were feeling inquisitive (...