We are up early and leave Lancaster at 08.19 taking theM6 south.

A clear run with no heavy traffic or delays we stop for coffee at Stafford services and do the same through Birmingham (no delays) to Cherwell valley services on M42. What an overcrowded, dirty and poorly maintained site! We can’t find the ‘caravan parking’ so park with a dozen or so other caravans and motorhomes on the coach parking.

It is hot, 31°C. We have our lunch, visit the toilets (well used as expected but half of the ladies have no locks. Back on our way again on M43/M40 to M25 and London orbital, again no congestion or heavy traffic, except perhaps past Heathrow. Onto the M26/M20 and south towards Kent in tremendous heat (It is 31°C outside) but good moving traffic. We observe an incident on the northbound carriageway with a truck and several police vehicles and many police personnel, the northbound carriageway is closed for about 10 miles. We note the queue waiting at the next junction behind a line of police cars and know the frustration of what they are feeling! We arrive at Folkestone around 4.30pm, two hours early!

Too early for food, so go to the seaside village of Hythe, very old and picturesque with a long stoney beach to Folkestone. Unfortunately the car park has a 2 metre height barrier so not for us. We park on the hill overlooking the coast, cool under a massive pine tree and rest/nap for half an hour.

We drive back to Cheriton to the Clay Oven Indian Takeawayand buy a meal for two, chatting to Ali (the owner from Bangladesh) while we wait. His hard-work ethic and that of his five children is clear. We eat the starter and one main meal while we wait in Hymer and then drive up to Eurotunnel with a good hour required for check-in.

We do note a double lane of trucks about a mile long queuing to check-in at the freight terminal and think it does not bode well. We are correct! When we arrive, all crossings have been delayed by about 90 minutes, no reason except ‘an earlier incident’. We park up and rest up patiently in the heat lingering at the end of the day.

Finally we note our crossing (due at 21.53) is closed. A little panicked as we haven’t been called, we drive down to passport control and go through without any problem. We note a lot of police checking vehicles, it is now dark and they come inside checking spaces with torch and mirror. We leave on time at 21.53, arriving French time of 23.35, we drive the short distance to Camping Le Grand Gravelot and fall into bed hot and exhausted. What a day.

Later note: The police were searching for an escaped terror suspect Daniel Abed Khalife who escaped from Wandsworth prison earlier today, that was the cause of all the problems.