NEED TO KNOW

■ ZOE CHAMBERLAIN and her family visited CharenteMaritime courtesy of Charentes Tourisme and Brittany Ferries. Mid-season 2019 fares from Portsmouth to Caen start from £350 return for a car and family of four with Brittany Ferries. Book online at brittanyferries.co.uk or call 0330 159 7000. For more information on the Charente-Maritime region, visit the Atlantic Cognac website atlantic-cognac.com

■ Brittany Ferries operates longer routes from Portsmouth, Poole and Plymouth direct to Brittany and Normandy, which saves miles of unnecessary and costly driving. You can travel overnight in the comfort of your own cabin with en-suite facilities or be whisked across the channel in as little as three hours.