At the very bottom of the Iberian Peninsula, occupying a notoriously strategic position overlooking the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, lies a narrow spit of land dominated by one enormous rock protruding skywards from its centre. Gibraltar is one of the remaining 14 British Overseas Territories, and at just two and a half…

In six days time we are going to be parking our van up and spending five nights in an Airbnb apartment in Puerto Banus. What luxury! We are planning on simply relaxing for five days when we get there as a sort of mini half term break for the kids. So that we…

You can’t pass through Catalonia and not visit its capital city, Barcelona. This is a huge city, the second biggest in Spain after Madrid, and it would be impossible to fully do it justice in just one day, so we don’t even try! Kate and I have been here before anyway, so we…

Our first stop in Spain is only half an hour from the border in the town of Figueres, just north of Girona. Well, actually we are camping for the night in the nearby town of Roses by the coast, but that’s only because we can’t find a campsite any closer. Tomorrow we are…

The region between Provence and the border with Spain is one of incredibly diverse topography as well as being steeped in history. The landscape here really does have it all; the tranquil beaches of the Mediterranean Sea, rolling countryside, vineyards, vast cities and the majestic Pyrenees. It is home to some of the…

As we leave Italy we immediately enter the Provence region of France which extends all the way to the banks of the Rhone to the East. Amongst many other things, this region is well known for its stunning coastline and Uber-chic beach resorts. Our drive takes us past the micro state of Monaco,…

Cinque Terre is a string of five small towns scattered along a two mile stretch of coastline in Liguria, North-West Italy. These ancient erstwhile fishing villages are not as remote as they once were. Yes, it is still very hard to reach them by road (I wouldn’t even bother), however they are easily…

We are now on our northerly retreat out of Italy and into Southern France. This route will take us back through one of the most celebrated regions of this country, Tuscany. One of the things this region is well known for is its healing thermal springs. There are several places you can go…

The drive from Rome to Naples is pretty uninspiring, it’s just motorway for about 140 miles. As you pass Naples however, the giant figure of Mount Vesuvius looms into view, dominating the skyline. It remains in view, giving us something interesting to look at the whole way around the bay of Naples as…

Rome is a big city, a proper metropolis. And like any metropolis it can be a bit rough round the edges. I had heard all the usual things about how it is over crowded, grimy and full of petty crime, and I was prepared for it to feel a bit, well, edgy. But,…