When planning the trip I had in mind to visit Prague, Venice and so on because the places have a “must see” factor about them. To be honest, I only put Troyes on the list because it’s half way between Montreux and Calais.

What a good move! This is such a lovely place and will certainly be getting a second visit in the future. The map of the city looks like a champagne cork on its side (quite apt as this is the Champagne region). The head of the cork is the old medieval city and the square bit is much newer stock.

It’s like stepping into a movie set, I can’t recall visiting a city in the UK with so many medieval buildings.

The newer section on the right is still comparatively old but looks ultra modern compared to the medieval parts.

There aren’t that many shops and the ones that are here a lot were shut. It’s Bastille Day in a couple of days so that may be something to do with it.

On the way back, one of the local hotels had an exhibition on the Templars. That’s quite appropriate as the Champagne region and the Troyes area is where they first started up.

The hotel itself dates back almost 1,000 years and is a fascinating piece of history all on its own.

I really like this place. The campsite is really nice, the staff are helpful and the 150 pitches come in all shapes and sizes so you will find something you like. I went to the Leader Price supermarket next door to buy some cases of beer to take home, and Merguez for my tea. The girl on the till remembered me from yesterday and tried helping me with my poor French which made the shopping trip all the easier.

Tomorrow it’s off to Buysschere up near Dunkirk. I’m only there for the one night before returning home so I’ll try and get up early to give me some extra time there.