Ben Hatch – Road to Rouen

Brighton boy Ben Hatch does what every budding author and Francophile would love to do and pulls off a laugh out loud comedy charting the trials and tribulations of close-proximity campervan trips to France.

From Amazon: “Commissioned to write a guidebook about France (despite not speaking any French) he sets off with visions of relaxing chateaux and refined dining. Ten thousand miles later his family’s been attacked by a donkey, had a run-in with a death-cult and, after a near drowning and a calamitous wedding experience involving a British spy, his own marriage is in jeopardy. A combination of obsessions about mosquitoes, French gravel and vegetable theme parks mean it’s a bumpy ride as Ben takes a stand against tyrannical French pool attendants, finds himself running with the bulls in Pamplona and almost starring in a snuff movie after a near fatal decision to climb into a millionaire’s Chevrolet Blazer.

An Epic French odyssey (Daily Express)

Parents will either roar with laughter or roll their eyes with recognition at this family road-trip memoir. (Metro)

Campervanman Star Rating: stars-3.5 3.5/5