Donna Kaye
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I know it’s rude to stare, but I can’t take my eyes off what’s going on at the next table. To my left, a waistcoated waiter with a medallion around his neck is ruthlessly but carefully slicing an undercooked duck cooked for a table of four Frenchmen. I can’t turn my head except to look at the dog, who is probably also fascinated by his waterfowl anatomy lesson.
Dog-friendly Holidays By Train
I shoot Art in case he decides to climb, and try not to think about the medieval silver torture device on a nearby tram.
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I didn’t reach for dinner at the butcher by accident. I’m in Rouen, the capital of the Normandy region in northern France, where the duck is found.
– Duck cooked with its own blood, port sauce and cognac is a delicious delicacy.
A dog might want to eat a bird, but I’m less interested. I turn to the bottle of Beaujolais and instead consider my route for the next day. I need to plan, because tomorrow we have a train to catch, and then another, and then another, because thanks to Byway Travel’s new initiative, I’ve traveled completely car-free across the continent. Company of Dogs – something that until recently was a logistical nightmare.
Traveling in Europe with your dog but without your own car is not as simple as taking the Eurostar. Although dogs are allowed on trains across the UK, Eurostar has a rather confusing no-dog policy. Before the pandemic, dog owners wanting to enter and exit France had to either take a ferry or go through the Channel Tunnel, or book a dog-friendly cabin on the DFDS Newcastle-Amsterdam ferry or walk on the Hull-Rotterdam P&O. passengers.
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Not only are the latter options more expensive, but traveling to and from ports can be dangerous while dragging your dog with you. For dog owners without their own cars, the continent has long felt much further away than the 34 kilometers required to cross the Straits of Dover.
But Byway’s new car-free, dog-friendly flights have opened up Europe to travelers on foot, making exploring the continent by train a real and enjoyable possibility. Our journey began the night before our early train in London Marylebone, where the Holmes Hotel provides dog-friendly beds and boarding. Then, after a brisk autumn walk among the vibrant leaves of Regent’s Park, we set off towards St Pancras to catch the Ashford International train. This is where Byway Trips gets smart and uses a relatively new service run by an American named Brenda: Le Pet Express.
After staying in France with her pets while flying from the US (to move to London to work in cybersecurity at the London Stock Exchange), Brenda was inspired to organize vans that her pets could use. The number of passengers traveling between the UK and France has decreased. In 2021 it finally replaced its computer servers with a specially adapted minibus with boxes on one side and individual seats on the other so passengers can always sit with their pets, and now operates a daily service between Ashford and Calais.
From in front of the train station, he loaded a group of us onto his red bus (three dogs, a cat, and four people), took us to the LeChâteau pet nursery as if we were on a school trip, and then dropped us off. We are at Calais-Fretoun station for our journey towards France. It may sound simple, but there is a lot of bureaucracy. Luckily it was Brenda’s idea; all we had to do was show our pet passports (or pet health certificates) and relax on the bus.
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However, traveling with animals in Europe is a bit more difficult than in the days before Brexit, so you have your own admin to do beforehand. All pets now need to have an EU-issued pet health certificate or pet passport (Art and I went to Ireland earlier this year). There are rules about what you can and cannot bring into the country; for example, dog food containing meat may be confiscated, so you will need to switch to a vegan or insect-based alternative such as Hownd or Grub Club. – and your pet needs to be wormed by a vet within five days of returning to the UK.
There are also rules about dogs on trains in France: Officially, they must either fit into a small carrier, or larger dogs must wear a leash and remain on lead at all times. In reality, this is rarely the case, and whether you have a dog or not, traveling through the countryside on a double-decker, air-conditioned train is a pleasure.
Dog-friendly Byways tours may need some tweaking. We had originally booked a hotel that was a 40-minute drive from the nearest green space – this changed due to demand – and we later found that our destination, Rouen, is not a very dog-friendly city, as you can’t get enough of it. Traveling with dogs on buses or trams. But it’s still a great, stress-free way to reach the continent. Choose your destination wisely and leave plenty of time to enjoy it – the 12 hours it took us to get home was a bit much for our three-day trip, so we’ll stay longer next time – and I doubt Art will do that. . Of course we order that duck.
Lottie Gross was a guest of Holmes Hotel and Byway Travel. A three-night journey via Kilffordd to Rouen costs £892 per person, including all trains from London St Pancras, the Le Pet Express service and three nights’ accommodation.
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To be automatically logged in, please refresh the page or go to another page on the website. Upgrade your browser to access Robin’s Nest, a small, secluded site offering fun Welsh holidays and pitches for caravans, caravans and campers. Robin’s Nest is a beautiful seaside village in Aberdyfi, near Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd.
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We are a small, peaceful place located in our Aber Diffie woodlands near Aberdoway/Aberdiff in Wales, on the shores of Ceredigion Bay and Snowdonia National Park.
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Staying at Caban Gwdhiw is the perfect little escape nestled in its own little corner of the site… Sadie and Grant do a fantastic job of ensuring a great stay
A cute little boutique nestled in the woods, come here for some quiet and beautiful features.
Cute little place, nice touches everywhere! Very clean, well maintained showers and toilets. It’s an absolutely beautiful place and the hosts were very welcoming.
We had a great holiday here with kids and partner. We stayed at Betty’s horse lodge and it was beautiful, us and the kids loved it. It is also a perfectly clean and tidy place with excellent eco showers. We will definitely return for another visit. Thanks for hosting us.
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The most beautiful camp we have ever stayed in! Everything you need is in the right place, great showers and a beautiful setting that the owners have cleverly used to give each pitch some privacy.
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We had a pleasant 3 night stay in Cerys vintage caravan. Very good location. All facilities on site were clean etc.
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