CarFest 2026 at Silverstone: Our Family Weekend of Cars, Music, Food and Festival Fun

 If you've followed Entertaining Elliot for a while, you'll probably know that we're big fans of CarFest. So when we were lucky enough to be invited back to CarFest 2026, this time at its new home at Silverstone, we were very excited to see what the weekend had in store.

We decided to head along for both Saturday and Sunday, staying in a local hotel rather than camping. This turned out to be a pretty good decision when we arrived at Silverstone on Saturday morning to discover that the heavens had well and truly opened! 

Still, a bit of rain wasn't going to stop us. We loaded up the wagon, pulled on our waterproofs and headed into CarFest.

Saturday: Making the most of CarFest in the rain

We arrived at around 10.30am, and our first stop was one that the kids were very happy about.

We spotted the Subway stand, where they were handing out free samples of sandwiches, cookies and Coke Zero.

Now, I should probably point out that getting freebies is a major highlight of CarFest for our Elliot and Erin. Give them a free sample AND a giveaway and you've basically made their day. Subway were very generous, not only were they giving out free samples we even managed to win some Subway merch! 

We decided to give KidsFest a miss for the day and save that for Sunday. Instead, we headed into the main festival area to see what we could find.

RetroFest and a little Back to the Future magic

Erin and I headed over to RetroFest, where we discovered that the Back to the Future musical was performing a few songs. I loved hearing the Power of Love live and it definitely made me want to get tickets for the show when it goes on tour next year. 

And things got even better when we bumped into Marty McFly afterwards!

While Erin and I were enjoying the RetroFest entertainment, Paul and Elliot were busy checking out the cars.

Once we'd all met back up, we decided it was probably a good idea to sort out our spot for the evening. We found a decent place for our camping chairs and created our own little camp, complete with a bit of tarpaulin to try and keep us dry.

At this point, the rain was still very much making itself known.

Setting up our chairs for the evening..in the rain!

FoodFest: One of our CarFest highlights

One area we never want to miss at CarFest is FoodFest.

We love wandering around the food stalls, trying samples and discovering things we'd never normally pick up in the supermarket.

And, as you'd expect, there were plenty of freebies!

We picked up lots of free nuts from Whitworths and sampled all sorts of tasty things, including flavoured rum and fudge.

We also bought some mint Aero rocky road and onion bhajis, while other freebies included mash potato and strawberry mousse.

Basically, we ate our way around FoodFest!

Cars, stalls and a lot more rain

While Paul headed over to the track to watch some of the car show, the kids and I had a wander around the stalls.

Erin was particularly tempted by the dumplings and, naturally, the squishies.

We were enjoying exploring, but the rain was really starting to come down by this point, so we found somewhere to shelter for a while.

Once we'd dried off a little, we headed over to the Cars at CarFest area.

There were loads of stands and cars to look at, and one of the biggest highlights for us was the Hot Wheels area, which had full-size Hot Wheels cars.

It was seriously cool seeing the toy cars we'd all recognise from the shelves brought to life at full size. There were lots of toys to play with too so we spent a good amount of time there sheltering from the showers.

There were also plenty more freebies to be found around the car area, which kept the kids happy!

An evening of live music

Eventually, it was time to head back to our chairs and settle in for the evening.

Despite the weather, we were determined to make the most of it and fortunately the rain did ease up. However this did mean it was a bit squelchy underfoot! 

And what an evening of music it turned out to be.

We watched:

• James Morrison
• Rick Parfitt Jnr's band
• Sugababes
• Tom Jones

Rick Parfitt Jnr's band were absolutely amazing. This was our third time seeing them at CarFest and, honestly, they blow me away every single year with their energy! Their setlist is packed with crowd-pleasers and we had a brilliant time singing along to Bohemian Rhapsody.

Then it was time for the legend that is Tom Jones. Watching him perform live at CarFest was definitely one of those moments that made us forget about the rain for a while. As soon as he started singing, his voice was absolutely crystal clear — you could have heard a pin drop. It was incredible to hear that voice live, and such a memorable way to round off the evening.

Tom Jones - legend

By around 11pm, we'd had enough festival fun for one day. We packed everything up and headed back to our hotel at the Novotel in Milton Keynes.

After a very wet day, a warm, dry hotel room was VERY welcome.

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Sunday: Sunshine, KidsFest and the Silent Disco

Thankfully, Sunday arrived with something Saturday had been seriously lacking.

Sunshine!

And what a difference it made.

We started the day in KidsFest, which we'd deliberately saved for Sunday. There were loads of characters wandering around, and we got to meet The Mandalorian and even Slimer from Ghostbusters.

And yes... we had another free Subway 😋

After spending some time in KidsFest, we decided to head over towards the rest of the festival.  To get there, we had to cross the Silverstone track, which was actually pretty cool in itself. There was something slightly surreal about walking across a proper racing circuit as part of our day at CarFest!

We also had a wander around SpaFest, which had a much more relaxed, wellbeing-focused feel than the rest of the festival. There were different wellness and self-care stalls, activities and things to browse, with plenty of space to sit and take a breather. It wasn't really our cup of tea as a family, so we didn't spend a huge amount of time there, but it was a nice place to wander around and enjoy the sunshine for a little while!

A surprise YouTube moment for Paul

One of the unexpected highlights of the day came when Paul spotted a talk happening in the Inspiration Tent.

It was Jason Graystone, a British entrepreneur, investor, trading educator and YouTuber. who Paul follows. We had no idea he was appearing so it was great timing for Paul! He met him afterward and a signed book which made his day.

Meeting Jason Grayston in Spafest

Crafts, games and the North Pole

Heading back into Starfest, we spent some time in the Away Resorts area, which had games and crafts for the children. 

There was also a rather unexpected destination at CarFest...

The North Pole!

The kids got to visit Santa, which felt slightly surreal in the middle of a sunny August festival. 

Where else can you go from looking at classic cars to meeting Santa in the same afternoon?!

Back to FoodFest

Obviously, we couldn't visit CarFest without another wander around FoodFest.

This time we discovered giant Scotch eggs, which were as enormous as they sound.

And while wandering around, we also had a bit of a celebrity encounter when we bumped into Francis Bourgeois. His trainspotting videos always pop up on my tiktok!

Splitting up for the afternoon

Later in the afternoon, Paul and Elliot headed off to explore the Silverstone Museum while Erin and I stayed at the festival. The sunshine made such a difference and we had a lovely couple of hours just having a wander. 

It was actually really nice being able to split up for a while and let everyone choose something they wanted to do. Paul and Elliot both agreed that the museum was well worth a visit!

Before we settled down to watch the evening entertainment, we met back up with the boys and managed to catch some of the track displays. The noise from the cars was incredible — you could really feel it as they came past! It was a great way to round off the afternoon and gave us a real taste of the Silverstone experience.

Our final night

We got ourselves comfortable in our camping chairs and settled down for another evening of live music.

Sunday night's line-up included:

• The Proclaimers
• Gabrielle
• Rick Astley
• Nile Rogers

We started the evening with The Proclaimers, and hearing 500 Miles live was so much fun. It's one of those songs that you simply can't sit through without singing along (in a Scottish accent!) and hearing the whole crowd joining in made it even better.

But for us, Rick Astley was definitely the star of the evening. This was our second time seeing him live and he's just brilliant. He had the whole crowd singing and dancing, and we absolutely loved watching him again. There's something about hearing those familiar songs live that makes for such a good festival performance. 

Nile Rodgers was Sunday night's headliner, but we decided to call it a night rather than stay until the very end. Well... that was the plan until we walked past the Silent Disco and couldn't resist stopping!

The Silent Disco

There were three different channels to choose from, with some absolute bangers mixed in with plenty of random tunes thrown in for good measure. I thoroughly enjoyed singing along to You Can't Stop the Beat from Hairspray, much to the embarrassment of the kids!

It was brilliant fun, and absolutely hilarious watching everyone singing and dancing — although very few people seemed to be doing either in time! With everyone listening to different channels, you had no idea what anyone else was dancing to, which made watching the crowd even funnier.

We ended up spending much longer in there than we'd planned and it turned out to be such a fun way to finish our weekend at CarFest.

Our favourite things about CarFest 2026

There was so much going on across the weekend that picking our favourites wasn't easy! We all had different things we enjoyed, but these were the bits that really stood out for us:

The atmosphere

Saturday was wet. Really, really wet. But despite spending much of the day trying to shelter from the rain, there was still such a good atmosphere around the festival. Then Sunday arrived with sunshine and it completely changed the feel of the weekend. We could wander around without worrying about getting soaked, sit down and enjoy the music, and generally relax a bit more. For us, it's that combination of music, cars, food, family activities and just being together that makes CarFest such a fun family weekend.

The Silent Disco

See above - we loved it, could have stayed all night! 

The Music

This is always a great part of Carfest and I love being able to see artists that I would never normally see live - Rick Astley was amazing as always but Tom Jones really surprised me. What a performer. 

Cars

I'm not the biggest petrolhead in the family, but even I can't help getting excited about the cars at CarFest! Being at Silverstone made the whole thing feel even more special, and the track displays were incredible. The Hot Wheels area was a particular favourite for all of us — seeing the full-size Hot Wheels cars was seriously cool, and the kids loved being able to play with the toys too. 

FoodFest

FoodFest is probably one of the areas we're always guaranteed to visit — and usually more than once! We love wandering around together, trying samples and finding things we'd never normally buy. The kids were particularly happy whenever we found somewhere handing out samples, so we definitely ate our way around the festival!

The children's activities

One of the things I love about CarFest is that Elliot and Erin can both find things they actually want to do, even though they're at quite different ages. We had characters, crafts, games, Santa, KidsFest and plenty of little activities to dip in and out of. Erin particularly enjoyed making slime and decorating bags, while Elliot really enjoyed the virtual car racing in the car section. He also loved looking at the comics in Retrofest! It meant we could all have our own highlights without anyone feeling like they'd been dragged around doing something they weren't interested in.

Feeling festive!

CarFest with kids: Our tips

If you're considering visiting CarFest as a family, here are a few things we'd recommend based on our weekend.

Don't try to do everything

There is SO much going on at CarFest that you simply can't see it all. We deliberately skipped KidsFest on Saturday and came back on Sunday, which worked really well for us.

Take waterproofs

Even if the forecast looks reasonable, take waterproofs. Saturday reminded us that British summer weather has absolutely no respect for festival plans. And even the sunshine on Sunday wasn't completely free of a couple of short showers. 

Bring camping chairs

If you're staying for the evening concerts, having somewhere to sit makes a huge difference.

We found a good spot and left our chairs there for the evening, creating our own little base.

Leave time to wander

Some of our favourite moments happened when we weren't following a strict plan — discovering stalls, stumbling across talks or bumping into people.

Embrace the freebies!

If your children are anything like ours, they'll love the sampling and giveaways around the festival. We came home with hats, tote bags, keyrings, pens, vouchers and enough nuts to last until Christmas! 

Would we go back to CarFest?

Absolutely.

We've been CarFest fans for a few years now, and this weekend reminded us why we keep coming back. Even with the rain on Saturday, we still had a brilliant time, and Sunday was everything we'd hoped for — sunshine, music, food, cars and plenty to keep us entertained.

For us, the best thing about CarFest is that it works really well for our family. We're not all interested in the same things, but we don't need to be. There's enough going on that we can each find things we enjoy, while still having plenty of time together.

And that's probably the biggest thing I'd say if you're considering going as a family. Don't worry if you're not all car enthusiasts — there's so much more to CarFest than the cars. Between the music, activities, celebrities and all the random things you come across while wandering around, there's something for pretty much everyone.

So if you're looking for a family festival where the adults aren't stuck watching the kids all weekend, and the kids aren't bored while you enjoy yourself, CarFest is definitely one we'd recommend putting on your list. 

Just don't forget your waterproofs 😊☂

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Disclosure: We were lucky enough to be invited to CarFest 2026 as guests. Our tickets were gifted, but everything we've shared in this post is based on our own experience and our honest opinions. We genuinely had a fab time! 

Our French Family Road Trip: An Epic Adventure from the North to the South

 Some holidays are carefully planned months in advance, with every hotel booked, every restaurant reserved and every day mapped out.

Our French adventure wasn't quite like that.

Yes, we had accommodation booked and we knew roughly where we were going, but one of the best things about travelling through France by car is that you can stop when something looks interesting.

And on this trip, we did exactly that!

Over the course of our French road trip, we swam in rivers, took a cable car to the top of a mountain, discovered a completely unexpected Celtic festival, swam in the Mediterranean Sea, explored some beautiful French towns and villages, spent a week at Le Pommier in the Ardèche and eventually made our way back north to Normandy to explore the D-Day beaches.

Day 1: Poole to La Ville-aux-Dames

Lucky for us, we live a ten minute drive from the ferry port so it was a nice easy start to our road trip. We did however realise halfway down the road that we'd forgotten the toothbrushes so there was a quick stop at Lidl! 

5 hours later and we were arriving in the Port of Cherbourg and quickly on our way. Our first nights accommodation was near Tours. It was really just a stopover rather than a destination in its own right, but it gave us somewhere to sleep before continuing our journey the following morning. 

We have an electric car so we were wondering how challenging the charging might be across France but we quickly realised that there are big Tesla charging stations in lots of locations. Our first charge was in Tours and we coincided this with a supermarket visit so top up on snacks and wine!

Day 2-3: River swims and a mountain view

We checked out of our campsite and headed to nearby Montrichard-Val-de-Cher, here we found a great park where the kids could play (Park Plage de Montrichard). We had a pretty long drive ahead so it was nice to let them burn some energy and have a swim in the river whilst the grown ups ate cheese and baguettes! A huge plus point about France is that there is free parking everywhere so it makes it so easy to stop along the way. 

Montrichard-Val-de-Cher

Soon we were back on the road and it was our longest drive of the holiday - around 4 hours, which ended up being more when we factored in charge stops and toilet breaks. 

As we continued driving south towards Saint-Jacques-des-Blats, it felt like we were watching France change right in front of us. The flatter countryside and towns gradually gave way to rolling hills, then increasingly dramatic mountains and deep green valleys. The roads became more winding, the scenery more rugged and the views much more spectacular. 

Eventually we made it to our accommodation and we were greeted with stunning views across the mountains. In the winter, the resort looks very different and is a busy ski resort but I think I much prefer the sunshine!

Taking the Cable Car Up the Mountain at Le Lioran

We stayed for two nights in the mountains so it was great to have a full day and not have to rush off to our next destination. We spent a leisurely morning by the pool whilst my husband and his friend Alex did some hiking in the local area. 

Pool with a view!

In the afternoon we headed into the nearby town of Le Lioran which was absolutely stunning and one of the most picturesque places we visited on our trip. Surrounded by mountains and lush green valleys, it felt like something straight out of a postcard, and there was plenty to keep us entertained once we arrived. We had a go on the mountain toboggan, which was great fun and Elliot even conquered his fears on the 10m free-fall jump in the trees! Getting the cable car up to to the top of the mountain was an absolute highlight of the holiday. 

Leaving Saint-Jacques-des-Blats and Heading South

The following morning it was time to pack the car again - we were getting quite good at this now! Our final destination of the day was our home for the next week - it was a 3 hour drive so we had planned to make a few stops along the way. 

Our first one was the town of Saugues - a completely unexpected and spontaneous stop, but driving through we noticed a festival going on so thought why not. We had in inadvertently stumbled upon a Celtic festival so there were lots of stalls, live music and people dancing in the street. We bought some locally made ice-cream which definitely made the stop worthwhile! 

The weather was HOT so it was decided that our next stop would be Plage du Vivier, a lovely natural swimming spot on the River Allier, tucked into the dramatic landscape of the Haut-Allier gorges. The kids loved cooling off in the river and it was a gorgeous spot for our lunch picnic. (More bread and cheese of course!)

Plage du Vivier

Finally Arriving at Le Pommier Campsite

After several days of driving south through France, we finally arrived at Le Pommier in the Ardèche. We'd travelled through rivers, mountains and little French towns to get there, so arriving at our home for the next week felt like a real milestone in the trip. It was great to unpack properly! And then, as if France wanted to give us a proper welcome, we were treated to the most beautiful sunset on our very first evening. It was the perfect start to our stay at Le Pommier and definitely set the tone for what was to come.

A Week in the Ardèche

A big part of our time at Le Pommier was spent in the waterpark, which was exactly what we needed in the soaring summer temperatures. With plenty of pools and slides, it kept the kids entertained while the grown-ups could enjoy a slightly slower pace. Being away with friends meant the kids always had someone to play with - although this didn't stop them from dragging me onto a waterslide! 

Le Pommier waterpark

We also enjoyed time exploring beyond the campsite. Vogüé was one of our favourite nearby stops, a beautiful medieval village tucked alongside the Ardèche River. The village is dominated by its impressive medieval castle, which sits above the rooftops and gives Vogüé its unmistakable character. We enjoyed exploring the streets and taking in the views, although the heat was intense when we visited. Naturally, we had to finish our visit with ice cream, which was very welcome in the heat. 

Vogüé - spot the family member who was hot and bothered!

Adventure Beyond the Campsite

For the more adventurous members of the family, there was a Via Ferrata nearby, which Elliot tackled with Paul. A via ferrata is essentially a protected climbing route, with metal ladders, steps, cables and bridges built into the rock face. It's a brilliant way to experience the mountains without needing to be an experienced climber, although it certainly looked like it required a good head for heights!

Elliot and Alex mid climb

Elliot absolutely loved it. He got to climb high above the ground, navigate the different sections of the route and take in some pretty spectacular views along the way. Check out Paul's vlog of the experience - here. 

Another highlight for Elliot and Erin was kayaking at Pont d'Arc. They spent the day on the River Ardèche, paddling through the spectacular gorge and beneath the famous natural arch that gives the area its name. 

The Pont d'Arc itself is pretty incredible to see. This enormous natural limestone arch spans the river and has become one of the most iconic sights in the Ardèche. Seeing it from the water, rather than simply driving past or viewing it from above, made the experience even more memorable for them.  

Good Food, Good Friends & Summer Nights

It wasn't just fun in the daytime, we had some brilliant evenings with our friends including barbeques and pizza nights. We even hosted an Eclipse party at our cabin - although the eclipse itself was a bit of an anti-climax thanks to the clouds!

Elliot got to try escargot for the first time when we had a lovely meal at  Le Relais Saint German. Although judging by his response, I think it might be his last time! 

A Day Trip to Montpellier and the Mediterranean

One of the highlights of our week at Le Pommier was taking a day trip to Montpellier. After spending so much time surrounded by the mountains and countryside of the Ardèche, it was lovely to head towards the Mediterranean and experience something completely different. 

We headed to the coast first and went for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea, which was absolutely glorious. The water was warm, the sun was shining and, after the intense heat we'd been experiencing, being able to cool off in the sea was just perfect. The kids could have stayed in the water all day, and to be honest, I wasn't in much of a hurry to get out either!

We finally managed to get them out of the sea with the promise of lunch, and we headed into the city. We loved the mix of grand historic buildings, pretty streets and lively squares and there was a real buzz about the place. 

We spent a few hours just having a wander and eventually found ourselves by the new water fountains on the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle. And with temperatures soaring, they couldn't have come at a better time! The fountains are made up of more than 100 jets of water set into the ground, with some shooting several metres into the air and others creating refreshing sprays and mist.

Of course Erin couldn't resist dipping her toes....and ended up completely drenched! Thank goodness for spare clothes in the car 😁

Leaving Le Pommier: Clermont-Ferrand and Puy de Dôme

Eventually, it was time to say goodbye to Le Pommier (and also our friends who were heading in a different direction) and continue our journey north. After a week of sunshine, swimming and adventures in the Ardèche, we packed up the car once again and headed towards Clermont-Ferrand.

We stayed in an apartment right in the city, which gave us the chance to have a little wander around and experience Clermont-Ferrand before moving on. And, much to Erin's delight, she managed to find yet another set of fountains to run through! 

The following morning we headed to Puy de Dôme, one of the most spectacular landmarks in the Auvergne. Standing at 1,465 metres above sea level, the volcanic peak dominates the surrounding landscape and offers incredible views across the region. 

We decided to split up for the journey to the top. Paul chose to hike up, while the kids and I took the Panoramique des Dômes train. The train winds its way up the side of the volcano, making the journey itself part of the experience, and gave us plenty of opportunity to admire the views as we climbed.

Once we reached the summit, we met back up and spent some time taking in the incredible panorama. With the incredible views and open landscape below, Puy de Dôme is a popular spot for paragliding, and we watched several people launch themselves from the mountain and glide out over the valleys. It was amazing to watch them floating almost effortlessly through the sky, with the volcanic landscape stretching out beneath them.

From Puy de Dôme to Amboise

After our morning at Puy de Dôme, we packed ourselves back into the car and continued north towards Amboise in the Loire Valley. By this point we'd covered a serious number of miles, so we made a quick stop along the way to recharge the car (and tummies!) before carrying on with our journey.

We arrived in Amboise later in the day and, after so much travelling, decided to have a properly chilled evening. There was no rushing off to explore or trying to squeeze another attraction into the day — we simply settled in, had some food and enjoyed a quiet evening. We stayed in a great apartment just on the outskirts of the town - see here. 

We were up early the following morning, though, because we wanted to make the most of our short time in Amboise. With just a few hours to explore the town before getting back on the road, we headed out to discover the pretty streets, historic buildings and riverside setting before continuing our French adventure north.

A Quick Stop in Le Mans

After leaving Amboise, we continued north towards Normandy, stopping in Le Mans to break up the journey. We hadn't planned on spending ages there, but with the Musée des 24 Heures du Mans right by the famous circuit, it seemed rude not to have a look!

For just €7, we could get access to the circuit, so Paul and Elliot headed inside to have a look around while Erin and I had a little break from the car. As luck would have it, they were also treated to some live action, with motorbikes out on the track while they were there.

Mont Saint-Michel - bucketlist destination!

By the time we left Le Mans, we were ready to reach our next stop. We checked into the ibis budget Pontorson Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, dropped our suitcases off and, rather than settling in for the evening, decided to head straight for Mont Saint-Michel.

We were keen to visit without spending a fortune, so instead of paying the very pricey parking fees around Mont Saint-Michel, we parked in Beauvoir at Parc des Brèches. From there, we could walk along the river on a pedestrian path towards the island. It turned out to be a really lovely way to arrive, and it was much more enjoyable than simply parking up and jumping on a shuttle. 

As we walked, the sun was starting to go down, giving us some beautiful views across the surrounding countryside and towards Mont Saint-Michel. We stopped for a while to watch the sunset, which was one of those unexpected little moments that turned out to be one of my favourite moments of the whole trip!

By the time we reached Mont Saint-Michel, it was starting to get dark. The island was still really busy, but there was something quite magical about exploring the narrow streets and old buildings as the evening set in. We wandered around, taking in the atmosphere and seeing the island lit up, although it definitely wasn't the peaceful, empty experience you might imagine from some of the photographs! I can only imagine how busy it gets in the daytime in peak season. 

Eventually, it was time to head back. Rather than walking all the way back along the river in the dark, we made use of the free shuttle bus, which took us back towards the main car park area. From there, we had the final walk back to Beauvoir to collect the car. 

We ended up walking almost 22,000 steps and it ended up being a very late night for us all but Mont St Michel was a bucket list location that was well worth it!  

Our Final Stop: Bayeux

The following morning, we had a few hours to enjoy nearby Alligator Bay before continuing on to Bayeux. It was a great way to start the day, especially after our late evening at Mont Saint-Michel, and gave us something fun to do before getting back on the road.

We then drove on to the historic town of Bayeux, which was our final stop of the road trip. We were staying for two nights at Logis du Grand Pin, giving us a couple of days to explore the area before making our way to Cherbourg for the ferry home.

Logis Du Grand Pin - our lovely last accomodation

We wandered through the town, browsed the shops and took in the beautiful Bayeux Cathedral. Sadly the Bayeux Tapestry was on holiday in London so we weren't able to see that but none the less, the town one of the loveliest places we visited on our trip!

And, of course, exploring France wouldn't be complete without sampling some of the local treats. We found handmade sweets and macarons, which didn't last very long once the kids spotted them! 

Our Final Full Day in Normandy

Our last full day in France didn't get off to quite the start we'd hoped for. We woke up to lots of rain, so our original plans needed a bit of rearranging. Rather than let the weather put a dampener on the day, we decided to embrace the fact that we were in Normandy and head to the Bayeux Museum of the Battle of Normandy.

We spent a couple of hours inside the museum, which worked out perfectly while the rain poured down outside. It was also a really useful introduction to the history of the area and helped set the scene for the places we were planning to visit later in the day. And, importantly, we stayed dry!

By lunchtime, we were ready for some food, so we headed to E.Leclerc supermarket and discovered La Kitchen. This turned out to be a brilliant budget-friendly find. We had amazing burgers that came with fries, a drink and even a cream cake — all for a really reasonable price. After a morning spent hiding from the rain, it was exactly what we needed.

Next, we headed to the Normandy American Cemetery. Thankfully, the weather had started to clear by this point, and by the time we arrived the rain had stopped. The cemetery is an incredibly moving place. Walking through the rows of perfectly aligned white crosses, with more than 9,000 American servicemen buried there, really brings home the sheer scale of the sacrifice made during the D-Day landings. 

It is peaceful and beautifully maintained, but seeing row after row of graves makes it impossible not to think about the individual stories behind them and how many young men never made it home.

From the cemetery, we drove on to Omaha Beach, one of the most famous of the Normandy landing beaches. By the time we arrived, the rain had completely cleared and, amazingly, the sun had come out!

One of the things we particularly wanted to see at Omaha Beach was Les Braves, the striking sculpture that stands in the sand overlooking the sea. Made up of sweeping, curved sections of steel, the memorial is dedicated to the soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach and is intended to represent their courage and the journey from darkness towards hope.

It's an incredibly powerful memorial, but seeing the kids playing on the sand nearby also brought home just how different the beach is today from that terrible day in 1944.

We'd spent the morning learning about the Battle of Normandy and seeing the rows of graves at the cemetery, so being able to actually stand on the beach where the D-Day landings took place made everything we'd learned feel much more real. 

Our Final Day – One Last Taste of Normandy

Our final day in France was another case of squeezing as much as possible into the time we had. After checking out of Logis du Grand Pin, we headed towards Sainte-Mère-Église, the Normandy town famous for the paratrooper who famously became caught on the church roof during the D-Day landings.

Sainte-Mère-Église - a recreation of the famous paratrooper

We had a wander around the town, taking in the church and the D-Day history that is still such a huge part of Sainte-Mère-Église. We also happened to come across a French market, which meant we couldn't resist having a look around. Before long, we were following our noses towards the food stalls and ended up with freshly made crêpes and sausage baguettes for lunch. Sometimes the best meals are the ones you don't plan! 

From there, we continued towards Utah Beach, stopping at a German bunker overlooking the beach along the way. It was another opportunity to see the landscape and understand just how the D-Day landings unfolded, rather than simply reading about them in a museum.

German bunker overlooking Utah Beach

Utah Beach

We then headed down to Utah Beach itself, where we spent some time looking at the memorials and taking in the coastline. After everything we'd seen during our time in Normandy, it was a fitting final stop. We'd visited museums, cemeteries, beaches and historic sites, and the whole experience had given the kids a much better understanding of what happened here in 1944.

And then, because no French road trip is complete without one final supermarket dash, we stopped at another supermarket to stock up on a few essentials for home. Naturally, this included cheap French wine and plenty of Bret's crisps. Priorities!

With the car suitably loaded with French goodies, we finally made our way to Cherbourg and boarded the ferry back to England. Here we reunited with our friends and it was great to hear what they'd been up to in the last week on their French adventure.

And that was it — our French road trip was officially over. We'd travelled thousands of miles, visited an enormous variety of places and somehow managed to fit mountains, rivers, beaches, medieval villages, volcanoes, a famous island, D-Day history and an awful lot of baguettes into one family adventure!