After a few false starts, we committed to a departure date and booked a spot on the Eurotunnel. No going back now! With our first adventure imminent – a brief 35 minute snooze in ‘Murphy’ as we whistle deep beneath “La Manche” – the surfboards went on the roof and…we were off!

With a nine hundred mile drive ahead and a fixed arrival date at the in-laws, our delayed departure meant the first change in plans of the trip was necessary.

Initially we had planned to head to Hel peninsula in the Baltic. In part because of the nice ring that “first stop – Hel!” has but also due to the excellent kitesurfing. So instead we plotted a route (more-or-less) ‘directly’ to Lomza via Le Parc Naturel Scarpe-Escaut (not a soul in sight) and Cologne (nice enough but don’t stretch for it).

Check out the rude window displays that call you names…

After 3 days on the road and way too many hours in the slow lane of the Autobahn, we crossed the border into Poland. Spotting a lake called Nieslysz west of Poznan we rolled into the excellent (read as ‘empty’!) campsite “Kormoran” and grabbed a waterside spot just in time for a sunset paddle and swim.

Although we left this beautiful spot after just one night to prepare for the small matter of our Catholic nuptials, with many more (dare I say better?) days and nights ahead it feels like the Bond Voyage has truly begun…