We got up early and collected bread and pain Au chocolat from the on-site bread seller and headed off to the ferry. The road was quiet through the villages.

We arrived at 9.30am at Dieppe ferry terminal just as they were opening up the check in. Our ferry is at 12 midday. The security guards checked inside the van as usual looking for stowaways. They didn’t check for meat and cheese in the fridge – now not allowed to be imported to the Uk from France due to foot and mouth disease.

We were then in the queue and had some time to make our cheese sandwiches from the remainder of the cheese. We packed a nice picnic of pain Au chocolat, sandwiches, crisps and apples. The food on the ferry is average and expensive.

Around 11.30 we were one of the first rows to drive onto the ferry. Once parked up we went up the stairs to find a prime seat near the window in the cafe area. Soon we were departing and Glenn went outside to get some dramatic snaps of the wind and waves.

It was a little rocky but not too bad. We felt fine and still managed to consume our cheese sandwiches and picnic.

After 4 hours we arrived in Newhaven and were one of the first off – then quickly through passport and customs – and on the way to Aylesbury before we knew it. We enjoyed seeing the English countryside.

The M25 had a very rough ribbed surface and there was the normal traffic jam around Heathrow. We managed to get off onto the M40 then cut across to Aylesbury via Thame. After 2.5 hours we were in Aylesbury and had a lovely welcome by Helen. We all felt the sad missing Rab who should have been there too.

It was good to see Helen and she made us a very good spaghetti bolognese dinner washed down with red wine.

We managed to stay up until 10.30pm – 11.30pm French time before collapsing into bed in a different country.