Destination: Herefordshire, UK
So here I was, the very last day of my amazing adventure and it was time to head home. Although in truth, I guess I’d been heading towards home since I left Sicily!
It was Sunday morning and I really didn’t feel like an early start. I was planning to go to Rouen and do a tour around the town. But as with Paris, I’ve visted Rouen before, and wouldn’t be seeing anything new, so I wasn’t as excited as I could have been.
I decided to chill at the camp for a bit and have some breakfast before I set off. I returned my borrowed electric cable to reception, although there didn’t seem to be anyone around yet. I did wonder if everyone might still be recovering from the karaoke.
As I started the car, I noticed one of my headlights was out. I got my spare bulbs out of the boot, and realised that I didn’t have the right bulb. This was a problem, as in France, it’s illegal to drive in bad light with no headlights and it was a very grey day. At this point, the trip to Rouen went out the window. I decided to get to Calais asap and not risk driving in bad light with a headlight out. I didn’t want to get myself into trouble on the last day of my trip!
Stop 1: Calais
As I started my drive to Calais the heavens opened and the rain became torrential. I was really glad I had enjoyed so much good weather during my trip and felt very sorry for all the UK campers heading in the other direction. Right now I was super conscious of my dodgy headlight and just wanted to get to Calais before the day got any darker, so decided not to make any stops along the way.
However once I’d arrived safely in Calais, it was past lunchtime and I thought I might try to find some food. It was Sunday which meant my options were limited, as the Sunday trading laws aren’t quite as liberal in France as in the UK.
I parked up on the outskirts of Calais, then looked for a Maccies on Google Maps and decided to head there. But as I headed into town, I spotted a BK just off the main road on the Avenue Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I thought I’d give the BK a try as the Maccies menu in Europe is very meat heavy and there aren’t many veggie options. There were a couple of other UK vehicles in the car park, which gave me a bit of confidence as I went in to investigate.
I was in for a great surprise, it seems that BK have a much better veggie range in Europe, with no less than 6 different veggie options!
Feeling really happy with myself I tucked into my guilty pleasure. Took me a while to munch my way through my lunch, but then it was off to the Le Shuttle terminal to wait for my train.
The terminal is extremely easy to find, just head for Junction 42 on the A16 autoroute and follow the signs for ‘Tunnel sous la Manche‘ which translates to ‘tunnel under the Channel’. Honestly, you can’t miss it, the signs are everywhere.
Stop 2: Le Shuttle
For my travel home, I was going via the Eurotunnel or ‘Le Shuttle’ as it is now known. I was super excited about this as I’d never travelled on it before, and although I’d watch quite a few videos about it, I didn’t really know what to expect.
When you get to the terminal the first barrier you come to is for checking your ticket. As I had done everything online and it recognised my car registration there was nothing for me to do here. I was given a ‘boarding pass’ to hang onto my mirror and directed into the ‘tall vehicle’ lane as I had been on the ferry. This took me to a parking area in front of the passenger terminal where I parked up while I went inside.
I had registered for the Duty Free when I booked my ticket for Le Shuttle. But if you haven’t done that you can always go to the Le Shuttle website and do it online. You’ll need the QR code from your reservation when you pay.
I’d been buying ‘souvenirs’ on my trip so there wasn’t a whole bunch of stuff I wanted in the duty free. I bought some spirits, just because they were ridiculously cheap and some macarons as I’d developed quite a liking for them on my trip. Then it was back off to the car to wait to be called to the train.
There are large electronic signs detailing departures dotted around the car parking area, and announcements inside the terminal telling you when to get in line.
When the number on your boarding tag is called, you need to drive to the Border Controls which is signposted. For vehicles in the ‘tall vehicle’ parking, this means driving round behind the passenger terminal. You rejoin the rest of the vehicles the other side, and will then be directed into a lane for French passport control and customs.
We had quite a wait there, as the French border control were searching some vehicles. All vehicles were scanned with electric paddles and there were dogs sniffing around all of the cars. Once through, you enter a kind of ‘no mans land’ while you approach the UK border controls.
Having passed through those, you are into the boarding area to wait until you are boarded onto your train.
The trains are very long, and once you’ve gone as far as you think you can, someone will come along and move you as close as possible to the car in front. Although the trains are long, they are divided into ‘carriages’ by fire doors, which you would be able to exit from in case of emergency.
Once the train starts, you can see out through the little windows at the side while its moving towards the tunnel, and then before long, you’re in!
It’s bonkers how quickly you reach Folkestone. I think it was only just over half an hour and we were there, and straight off the train. They really don’t mess about. It’s all incredibly well organised, and they even put you on the right hand side of the road and direct you to the left, reminding you which side you need to be on.
Overnight: Home
It was a long old drive home, as Folkestone is a good 3.5 hours from where I live in Herefordshire. But I felt like I was flying.
I had just had the trip of my lifetime. So many years in the making. And no amount of dreaming could have conjured up the reality of my adventures.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about them, as much as I have loved sharing them. And I hope my scribbles have in some way given you inspiration for adventures of your own.
Aside from the sense of achievement, the horizons broadened and the friends made, this trip has made me realise there’s a whole world waiting. And it’s given me the confidence to go and explore it.
So, in case you are wondering … yes, there are more TentBox travels on the not too distant horizon … and perhaps I’ll see you along the way.
