Day 55 to 57. Monday 10th June to Wednesday 12th June 2024.
Peruwelz, Belgium to Bray Dunes, France And England.
After a peaceful night alongside the river, Monday morning arrived bright and sunny plus we had some noisy visitors outside the van 
. Couldn’t let Meg out as she wanted to play with them.
Our next stop was Loon-Plage in France and the vet for Meg’s worming tablet. As we drove towards the French coast the weather deteriorated with sporadic rain showers. 
We managed a little bit of last minute shopping before making our way to our last stop on this trip – Bray Dunes. Which was, funnily enough our first stop on this trip .
After settling down we just sat in the van watching the rain. It cleared later and the sun came out which gave me the opportunity to do my ‘morning’ exercises.
As it got dark the parking area filled up. This stop is a favourite for those getting the tunnel or the ferry as they are just an hour’s drive away and it’s a great spot, right on the edge of the town with a mere 10 minute walk down to the magnificent beach. The only draw back is that it is almost always windy!
Anyway, drawing this trip to an end International Rescue received another distress call!
A lone UK female traveller (“Ali-Keys” as she’s now known!) had parked her van next to us. Arriving late, but still light enough, she had walked her dog to the beach and somewhere along the way, she had lost her keys 
.
Offering to help with a second look, we took torches and scoured her route and the beach to no avail. This was now approaching 1am!
Being fluent in French she called the local police who sent the beach patrol team down to us.
I must say, I am very impressed with the care and attention she received from the Gendarmerie. They were so kind, sending us home out of the cold 
while they all carried out a search, advising that if they found the keys they would be left at the Marie (town council offices).
So, International Rescue found themselves hosting more guests. Meg wasn’t keen on sharing her van with a dog she didn’t know but soon calmed down – especially as it meant she would be sleeping on our bed!
On Tuesday spare keys had been sent from home, guaranteed next day delivery. Yes, you guessed it, I’m writing this on Friday morning and as of last night, they have still had not arrived 
. We were treated with a Thank You lunch of moules et frites and a bottle of fizz, lovely 
.
Our Chunnel crossing was booked for Wednesday morning, having already changed the dates due to our early return, so our surprise guests booked themselves into a rental after waiting all day for the keys not to arrive.
We arrived back on UK soil on Wednesday midday and made our way to Southampton, breaking up our homeward journey.
We hope that our friend in need finally gets her keys today (and, as she thinks may be a possibility, her lost keys are inside the van).
International Rescue is now stood down for the summer, maybe 
Italy and Sicily did not disappoint, we need to go back and visit all the places on our wish list we didn’t get to this time.
The Italians we came into contact with were all kind, friendly and funny. The food was delicious, the weather was glorious and some of the views and vistas were outstanding.
So, that’s us until next time. Thanks for following, liking and commenting. Hope you enjoyed it. If you want to see more, get yourselves out there and do it.
Remember – Life is not a rehearsal 
Gareth, Kelly and Meg
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