I was unwell toward the end of the voyage, including the first 2 or 3 days in London. In the meantime, the trip was being planned in my absence. The first I knew of it was that I was to collect one of the two hired cars. Members of the group had been to the AA, and the tour route concluded. 

I knew nothing about the other members of our party, their wealth or their ambitions. I doubt that anyone had any idea of how long we would be travelling or how much it would cost. No one seemed to care anyway. 

There were never any arguments or discontents while we spent the eight weeks together. We lived rough and tough indeed, slept mostly alongside the car or in camping grounds, and we had no fear.  

Often, we would awake in the morning with our sleeping bags covered in frost. The route involved going North from Calais in France, where we landed after leaving London. We continued along with the East Coast of Europe and on to Stockholm in Sweden. From there, we travelled back southward through Central Europe via Switzerland, Austria, and Sorrento in Southern Italy. We were to return to London via the French Rivera. In all, we travelled 8000 miles in 8 weeks. 

Everybody had prepared themselves for the journey except me. I hurriedly visited an ex-army supply shop and purchased a "less than appropriate" sleeping bag on the way to collect the car. I had no idea what I was about to encounter and had to tolerate the inadequacy for the duration of the trip.

Crossing the English Channel had its moments; I was fascinated nonetheless. The ferry was very basic; I spent the crossing sitting near two engineers discussing the engine. The experience filled me with emotion. It was all so new to me; I was on my own and in an unfamiliar world.

We were the last to board the ferry; consequently, our car was the last loaded. When we returned to the car, it had a flat front tyre. Being the first car that needed to leave, imagine our plight having to get the vehicle off and allow all the other cars to disembark. 

A characteristic that began to emerge within my nature and became more apparent as I matured was that people tended to depend on me. I had to go and get the car as if no one else could. I did almost all the driving, and now all stood and waited for me to manage the flat tyre dilemma.

We landed in Calais and spent our first night on Dunkirk beach. Calais fascinated us since it had been a major port from the 5th century. At the time, it was an important centre for trade with England. It suffered much destruction during the battle for France in 1940, having been  bombed by the Germans during World War II