If there is one thing worse than returning to the UK with a motorhome in late October, it is returning to the UK with a motorhome in January!

Not, I hasten to add, that I've got any problem with returning home, it's just that UK winters are not camping friendly! So why return at all? Well just a small matter of the annual vehicle MOT (roadworthiness test) expiring at the end of January.

Rather than risk freezing weather (the van is not winterised, a polite phrase that basically means that the fresh and waste water tanks, water boiler and all related pipe work are prone to cracking in sub zero temperatures) we decided to pop back in October and bring forward the MOT test.

On cue, Britain's unusually mild autumn ceased as we arrived and even the hordes of Russians on the ferry from Dunkirk were well wrapped up as they braved the elements for their first glimpse of the white cliffs of Dover!

Our visit turned in to a blur of doctor's appointments (well we had 9 months of ailments to catch up on!), visits to our storage unit to get warm clothes, and the MOT test (passed, though we had to replace the front windscreen before the test thanks to a large crack caused by some wayward motorway grass strimming on the way up France).

As it was too cold to sleep in the van we fell on the hospitality of Angela's Mum, Jo, who naively invited us to eat the contents of her deep freeze whilst she was on holiday in Spain! The holiday in Spain was pre-planned, at least that is what Jo claimed!

We then descended on our secondary UK residence, Alan & Jane in Reading. Realising we were short of excitement and entertainment they took us to see Reading play Southampton in the football Championship, which actually turned out to be a good game!

The day after, we took over their 500-inch High Definition TV, made ourselves at home and let them cook dinner whilst we watched the top of the Premiership clash between Man Utd and Man City. As a lifelong Man U fan there is nothing more enjoyable than watching Man U thrash their inferior neighbours, sadly it turned out the other way round, a 6-1 loss, the worst defeat in living memory!

When Alan & Jane's fridge was empty we returned to Jo's house and her re-stocked freezer then on to Lesley & Bill, who sadly locked their fridge but took us for a stroll around Canterbury. This is a lovely old city but don't expect to get in the cathedral for free! The Church of England has a mere £8 billion investment portfolio and they still want £9.00 per person to visit the cathedral!

A priority for us in the UK was to buy up a load of basic food items ready for our return to Europe. It is interesting that the European Union, whilst never a political union, has always claimed to be an economic one. Despite open borders (for which we are very grateful after our Africa experiences) and "free" trade within the Union it is staggering how food costs vary.

Having assumed for years that British food costs were exorbitant compared to Europe, we have actually realised that the reverse is the case, most items are cheaper in the UK, hence the motorhome is now groaning under the weight of dried, tinned and preserved foods that will hopefully tied us over until our next visit.

One example of the disparity in pricing (picked because I like them!) is fresh cream cakes! A single chocolate éclair in France costs £1.60, 6 cream cakes including 2 chocolate éclairs in the UK cost £1.99.

Sadly a bottle of average chardonnay in the UK is approaching £5.99 now, compared to £1.50 in France. So the moral of the story is that you can have your cake and eat it as long as you are in Britain, but wash it down with a cup of tea!

Anyway, I digress as usual. After emptying various supermarkets we descended on high street charity shops to stock up with 80 or more second hand novels (what else is there to do on warm winter nights in Southern Europe….. answers on an email to Angela please) and some very tasteful and cheap second hand clothes (another area where UK prices are much cheaper than the rest of Europe!

In all too short a time we were driving back on to the ferry at Dover, though why we chose a 4am sailing is beyond me, have you ever tried to enjoy a full English breakfast at 4.30 in the morning, some things are not meant to be!

As northern France in winter is no different to southern Britain in winter we have not hung around to risk burst pipes and frozen ballcocks (if you pardon the phrase!) and are now back over the border in northern Spain which, thanks to the altitude, is also very cold. Did I mention that Spain is a mountainous country?

In conclusion, many thanks to Jo, Alan & Jane and Lesley & Bill for looking after us so well in the UK, it is always very much appreciated. To those of you we didn't get to see you can breathe a sigh of relief for now but we will be back in April!