One for the road

From trading routes to a modern-day leisure focus, France’s rivers make the perfect casting-off point for a property search, says Joanna Leggett

With its distinctive landscapes – ranging from sandy beaches and islands to the Marais Poitevin wetlands and rolling countryside – the Vendée is hard to beat, writes Karen Tait

Pre-Covid, Kay and I were fortunate enough to take the caravan abroad for our main holiday every year, but we hadn’t done so since 2019. Although we often have a fairly good idea of where we might end

In the Catalan Pyrenees, everything is bigger. This larger-than-life landscape, 200km north of the soft sands of the Mediterranean coast, is where Catalonia’s colossal peaks mark the region’s borders

Distance 280 miles Time Three to seven days Start Würzburg Finish Füssen When to travel July to October for better overall weather conditions Top tip Consider a December trip to take in the traditiona

It’s 20-something degrees and my lungs are burning. “Don’t look up to see how far you’ve still to go; take it one step at a time,” I tell myself, approaching two-thirds of the way up Puy Mary. It’s wh