Day 1,Hotel Premiere Classe Orleans

A very early start saw us leaving home at 3.45am! In the rain and very dark.

We managed to get a Channel Tunnel crossing at 7.20am which went smoothly and we ate the breakfast sandwiches and orange juice we had with us.

Driving onto the Channel Tunnel train

Two Gendarmes walking away after stopping us!

The rain and mist persisted as we drove near the coast to Rouen then turned south. We had decided not to use the toll roads as it is very expensive, plus much nicer to see some of the villages etc.

A number of villages had wonderful displays of flowers lining the streets.

In the countryside we suddenly found ourselves stopped by the police, always a scary thought, hoping you have the papers France requires, but the Gendarme was very nice and we were cleared to continue our journey.

We stopped for a short while every couple of hours to stretch our legs and arrived in Orleans at 5pm local time ( one hour ahead of England). After a quick cuppa we will be going out for a meal.

The rain has stopped and the sun is out. 398 miles travelled from home has taken us 12 hours including the tunnel.