la Belle France

If you enjoy reading the adventures of Margot Renard I'm guessing that you, like me, are a lover of France and all things French.

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Many years have passed since I first visited the country, though the memories remain as vivid as ever. At the age of four I was bundled into the back of my Dad's Ford Cortina, along with my brother and my sister, and told we were setting out on a trip to 'the continent'. Of course, in those days (I'm talking the late 1970s here) France was a very different place. Autoroutes were few and far between, SatNavs hadn't been invented, and cars were far less reliable than they are today. With no mobile phones, no internet or Booking.com, finding places to stay relied on paper maps and public telephones, but this only added to the sense of adventure. Encountering another vehicle with a GB sticker would be a cause for celebration, prompting much waving from windows and flashing of headlights. Looking back, it was only in adulthood that I realised what a challenge these trips aboard must have been for my mother and father.

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I've been back to France pretty much every year since and love it more than ever. Full of incredibly varied and beautiful scenery, and with a cultural history to match anywhere on the planet, it's a wonderful place to travel. And, of course, the gastronomy is up there with the best.

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I hope in the pages of my novels I've given an authentic taste of modern France, warts and all (although, if you've spent any time in the company of Margot Renard you'll know I'm a sucker for great scenery). If you're in need of any further inspiration check out the links at the bottom of the page.

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Bon voyages!