Left a sunny Embrun & climbed & climbed & passed cars coming down from the mountains covered in snow; oh dear...we hadn't brought snow chains as they weren't compulsory post 15thApril, mmm. Anyway, sunny & warm but at the top it was +1, low freezing cloud with skiers everywhere. A terrific road on the French side, just like the Italian job oddly. On the Italian side – mainly tunnels. Notable difference – French, sweeping roads, beautiful views; Italian, straight under it so we can drive fast! So, into tunnel in clouds & freezing, out of tunnel clear & +9... Another management decision to use Autostrada to bypass Torino (think Birmingham but with Armani) which was very industrialised as expected (home of Fiat?) Interesting – came from Gallic shrugs & Gaulloises to manic drivers & hand gesticulations, ... read more

Ooops yesterday was day 5...hey Management decision to take the peage to get us to & through Lyon ( aka Lion on satnav). Some great places on the way down to the motorway - Gamay, Montrachet, Beaune, Beaujolais..mmm! It rained. Then post peage to Vienne & satnav took us up a very steep hill, a very narrow road with hairpin bends to 500 metres above the Rhone – could have been more interesting if more than cars had come the other way..hey ho. Cathy, please give me some notice of hairpins on a 1 in 3 gradient? Lovely camp site by a river. Discovered post check in that the site is liable to flash floods & to exit on foot if the alarm is raised...hahaha! Mais oui – non! Tomorrow to Briancon & Les Alpes – ... read more

Shorter drive today & Cathy soon panicking as satnav closed down. Not plugged in correctly, so fine in the end. (I love her dearly, but searching for inner peace) This is a landscape of huge proportions – loads of wind turbines, enormous fields with machinery to match, straight roads that stretch for miles & beautiful old villages suffering from the march of time...but vineyards! 28 degs today – glorious! Camp site in a National Park – deserted save for 6 pitches & we being the only Brits..yay!... read more

Down to the ferry port, through passport control & ooops, missed the allocated lane due to poor signposting (honestly) like another couple in their RV. I thought, sod this, did a u-turn thinking that there had to be a way back which there was, et voila – sorted. Our partners in crime carried on & were embarrassingly escorted back with flashing lights..ha ha! Little things.. Things were going smoothly, mill pond crossing too. Off the ferry, through customs & Cathy hit the satnav to take to the next camp site. Five minutes later, oh dear...we're on a one way trip to the Eurotunnel entrance. I thought, sod this, did a turn into a pet sanctuary thinking that there had to be a way back which there was, et voila – sorted. (Sound familiar?) That was a ... read more

Au revoir peeps. Managed to miss the ferry lane on the dock. Navigator forgiven as per pre trip contract. First of many je pence...... read more