This year has been a year of many firsts. My latest first was driving to another country. It was also our first Christmas break as a family. We’re very much a family of flight takers, mainly because I was brought up in a household where holidays were trips to the Caribbean. So our Christmas break in Gent was a first for us. Our first time visiting Gent, our first time taking the car across the channel on a ferry and our first weekend break abroad as a family of three. Normally, it’s me and the Mini Me!
We went to Gent the weekend before Christmas thanks to a fabulous competition win from Inspireroo Magazine, but what with it being the Christmas period, it’s taken me a little while to share our experience on the blog. Mostly because I’ve been sick with flu and general pregnancy sickness for the last couple of weeks on top of the usual Christmas busy period and working! Sigh, talk about classic Circus Mum juggling skills right?
Pretty hearty meal on the DFDS ferry from Dover
Gent is about a 90 minute drive from the port of Dunkirk, France and the journey was a pretty straightforward and enjoyable one. You have to drive to Dover. We boarded really quickly and spent 2 hours on a DFDS Ferry playing games. You can buy lunch on board, which we did. The prices are really reasonable and the portions, massive! The King did all of the driving so he spent a bit of the ferry time catching up on sleep. He also spent time preparing for the second leg of the drive by purchasing the mandatory kit needed to drive legally through France to Belgium.
You must have the following when driving through France:
- Headlamp converters
- Breathalisers
- Hi-vis jackets for each passenger in the car
- GB sticker
- Spare bulbs
We stayed in an Aparthotel called Hotel Castelnou which was gorgeous and really well furnished for our family needs. Each suite has a spacious sitting area and a well kitted kitchenette. Although we didn’t use to make food, it came in very handy to store and re-heat our left overs from our over indulgent meals! I’d highly recommend it as it was a short walk or bus journey into the historic district of the city.
Our plush pad in Gent
Check out the enclosed kitchen
We were classic tourists, pulling out our maps and exploring the canal paths, beautiful cathedrals and the lively Christmas Market. I’m a crap map reader and sent us in the wrong direction on more than one occasion. Luckily, The King pulled out the City Mapper app and saved the day. It’s pretty clever and helped us navigate the buses and trams to venture further afield during our weekend break. You can do so much with your phones these days.
We had such an amazing time and packed lots into two days, including the Castle Gravensteen, St Christopher’s Cathedral, the Gent Christmas market and a ride on the big wheel.
I’m so glad I entered the competition on Inspireroo! I have to say a massive thanks to both the magazine and the Gent tourism board for all the information they provided for our stay. It was brilliant to do something different, particularly as it’s one of the last chances we’ll be going anywhere as a family of three.
We’re going to take some more driving holidays next year. We now know its a fab adventure and nowhere near as scary or complicated as I’d always imagined. We’ll certainly take another Christmas break. It was a great addition to the Christmas period!
I hope you enjoy the photos! See you on Circus Mums again soon xxx
Sounds amazing ….
Oh it was fab! I think we really need to make it an annual trip. Never thought I’d get into driving holidays!