I’ve just completed the first leg of the trip – an incredibly quick 1 hour 10 minute trip from Ebbsfleet International in Kent to Lille Europe in France, via the new ‘it took us decades longer to do it, but we got there eventually’ high-speed rail link. It’s definitely worth the wait. Ebbsfleet International is an interesting station. What is Ebbsfleet? A very small place, that’s what it is. It seems to be a small village, ever-expanding with its new found fame and glory as the gateway to Europe. A housing developers dream. Now you too can work in France

Welcome to my European driving trip, visiting virtually every Western EU country and hopefully a handful of Eastern European nations over the course of two and a half weeks. I already have a head start – I went to Ireland for a wedding in July and I live in the UK so that’s two. I’ve often heard people say “I’d love to drive across the States” – usually on a motorbike or in a convertible. Well I’ve always thought it would be fantastic to drive around Europe, stopping off in as many places as possible. Going to real countries –