A perfect circle - Susie Kelly

Keen to discover some of France's lesser-known attractions, Susie Kelly and her husband Terry embarked with their two dogs on a 10,000 kilometre journey, where they encountered exploding gherkins, killer waves, chilli-flavoured chocolates, sinister submarines, and pitchforks grown in fields.

They crossed the historic paths of Charlemagne, Vauban and William the Bastard, and the battlefields of two world wars, and were bewitched by Bayeux's tapestry. Bovine-friendlycourses Camarguaisesand a transhumance provided entertainment; distressed birds required assistance, and hospitality was offered by characters kind, charming and quirky.

The camper van's exhaust falling off into the road on the first day, and one of the dogs persistently trying to eat the vehicle and its contents, did nothing to spoil their magical voyage along the Brittany, Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, the mountains of the Pyrenees and Alps, the length of the Rhine, the borders of north-eastern France, and the Channel.

This cornucopia of sights, sensations, legends and history is a must-read that will enchant Francophiles and armchair travellers everywhere.