France 2026: Day 1 – Newhaven to Clermont-Ferrand
By Nathan (Dad) • Published on 8/16/2026
And we’re off!
After all the planning, packing and inevitable last-minute panic, the Keen Family adventure has officially begun.
Our first day started at Newhaven, where we boarded the overnight ferry to Dieppe.
And yes, we were travelling in our electric car.
Eight people, luggage for what feels like a month, and an EV — what could possibly go wrong? 😂
Newhaven to Dieppe
We arrived at Newhaven ready to board the ferry and, thankfully, everything went pretty smoothly.
Getting six children and all our luggage onto a ferry without forgetting anyone was already a small victory.
Once we’d boarded, we settled in for the overnight crossing.
There’s something quite exciting about travelling overnight. You get on in England, settle down for the night, and wake up in France.
For the kids, it was all part of the adventure.
For us?
We were just hoping everyone would actually sleep!
Bonjour, France! 🇫🇷
After the overnight crossing, we arrived in Dieppe.
And just like that, we were properly into our French adventure.
There wasn’t much time to stop and explore Dieppe though, because we still had a fair distance to travel.
Our destination for the day was Clermont-Ferrand, right in the heart of France.
That meant getting back into the car and heading south.
Eight people, one EV and a lot of road
One of the things we were particularly interested in on this trip was seeing how travelling around France in an electric car would work for our family.
With eight people and all our luggage, we’re definitely not travelling light.
EV travel is something we’re already familiar with, but doing a proper long-distance European journey with the whole family is a different proposition.
So we’ll be keeping an eye on the charging stops, how easy they are to find, how long they take and, perhaps most importantly, how well we can keep six children entertained while we’re charging!
We’ll share more about that as the trip goes on.
Clermont-Ferrand
After a long day on the road, we eventually arrived in Clermont-Ferrand.
We weren’t looking for anything fancy for our first night. We simply needed somewhere comfortable to stop, get some sleep and recharge — both ourselves and the car.
We stayed overnight at an ibis budget.
It did exactly what we needed.
A bed, somewhere to freshen up and, most importantly, somewhere for all eight of us to finally stop moving!
After the ferry and the long drive, everyone was ready for a proper night’s sleep.
Day 1 done ✅
So that’s Day 1 of our France adventure complete.
Newhaven → Dieppe → Clermont-Ferrand
Overnight ferry.
Long drive.
Electric car.
Six children.
Eight Keens.
And somehow, we made it.
Tomorrow we’ll continue our journey and start getting properly into the holiday.
And that’s one of the things we’re looking forward to most about this trip — not just the destination, but everything that happens along the way.
Day 1: Complete. 🇬🇧➡️🇫🇷
Now for some sleep…
Hopefully.
The Keen Family ❤️
After all the planning, packing and inevitable last-minute panic, the Keen Family adventure has officially begun.
Our first day started at Newhaven, where we boarded the overnight ferry to Dieppe.
And yes, we were travelling in our electric car.
Eight people, luggage for what feels like a month, and an EV — what could possibly go wrong? 😂
Newhaven to Dieppe
We arrived at Newhaven ready to board the ferry and, thankfully, everything went pretty smoothly.
Getting six children and all our luggage onto a ferry without forgetting anyone was already a small victory.
Once we’d boarded, we settled in for the overnight crossing.
There’s something quite exciting about travelling overnight. You get on in England, settle down for the night, and wake up in France.
For the kids, it was all part of the adventure.
For us?
We were just hoping everyone would actually sleep!
Bonjour, France! 🇫🇷
After the overnight crossing, we arrived in Dieppe.
And just like that, we were properly into our French adventure.
There wasn’t much time to stop and explore Dieppe though, because we still had a fair distance to travel.
Our destination for the day was Clermont-Ferrand, right in the heart of France.
That meant getting back into the car and heading south.
Eight people, one EV and a lot of road
One of the things we were particularly interested in on this trip was seeing how travelling around France in an electric car would work for our family.
With eight people and all our luggage, we’re definitely not travelling light.
EV travel is something we’re already familiar with, but doing a proper long-distance European journey with the whole family is a different proposition.
So we’ll be keeping an eye on the charging stops, how easy they are to find, how long they take and, perhaps most importantly, how well we can keep six children entertained while we’re charging!
We’ll share more about that as the trip goes on.
Clermont-Ferrand
After a long day on the road, we eventually arrived in Clermont-Ferrand.
We weren’t looking for anything fancy for our first night. We simply needed somewhere comfortable to stop, get some sleep and recharge — both ourselves and the car.
We stayed overnight at an ibis budget.
It did exactly what we needed.
A bed, somewhere to freshen up and, most importantly, somewhere for all eight of us to finally stop moving!
After the ferry and the long drive, everyone was ready for a proper night’s sleep.
Day 1 done ✅
So that’s Day 1 of our France adventure complete.
Newhaven → Dieppe → Clermont-Ferrand
Overnight ferry.
Long drive.
Electric car.
Six children.
Eight Keens.
And somehow, we made it.
Tomorrow we’ll continue our journey and start getting properly into the holiday.
And that’s one of the things we’re looking forward to most about this trip — not just the destination, but everything that happens along the way.
Day 1: Complete. 🇬🇧➡️🇫🇷
Now for some sleep…
Hopefully.
The Keen Family ❤️