From Durham to the French Riviera: our family road trip full of SUP, sunshine, and a story we'll never forget
Travel
Aug 15, 2026
Lia Fernandes
7 min read
Some trips you plan down to the last detail, and some you simply live, with the car packed with water, snacks, and the excitement of getting there. Our road trip from Durham to the French Riviera this summer was a bit of both — and let me tell you, it was worth every mile (and there were plenty).
After more than five years living in Durham, we've learned that a road trip through Europe always carries that little thrill of adventure. This time, we decided to bring along two SUPs and turn the trip into the whole family's first stand-up paddleboarding experience. Spoiler: it was so worth it.
We left Durham early in the morning, the car loaded with snacks, plenty of water, and just the right amount of Red Bull to power through. The first big leg was the ferry crossing from Dover to Calais — always a special moment, that feeling of properly leaving England behind.
From Calais, we drove straight to Reims, where we spent our first night at an Ibis hotel. We arrived after more than nine hours on the road, so tired we didn't even feel hungry — we just wanted to sleep.
The next day, what should have been a roughly nine-hour drive between Reims and Mougins ended up taking more than eleven, thanks to accidents that backed up traffic along the way. The motorway itself is excellent, with tolls and all, but that doesn't stop the unexpected from happening. A good lesson for anyone planning a long European road trip: always build in some extra time (and patience).
Our home base: a special little corner in Mougins le Haut
We arrived at our Airbnb in Mougins le Haut, up in the hills of the French Riviera, exhausted but relieved. It's a spacious flat with a generous bedroom and living room that we've rented for four years now, from the same host — a lovely English woman who lives in London. Having this familiar base that we know so well makes all the difference when it comes to truly unwinding on holiday.
Our SUP debut and the first beach days
Since we were still worn out from the drive on our first day, we opted for something more relaxed: Plage de la Bocca, about twenty minutes from the flat. It's quite an urban beach, but perfect for unwinding — we ended up spending the whole day there.
That evening, we headed to Grasse for dinner at a little spot called La Casa Latina. We had delicious cheese and beef empanadas and finished with some ice cream the region is famous for — worth the trip on its own.
Everyone's first time on a SUP
The next day brought the big new adventure: our whole family's first time trying stand-up paddleboarding. We chose Plage de la Garoupe, in Cap d'Antibes, known for being great for SUP. It's a small beach, and because of that, quite crowded, but we still managed to enjoy a full day of paddling and relaxing by the sea afterwards. IMG_7126.webp367.45 KB
Beaches and lakes made for paddling
Looking for other SUP spots, we headed to Lac de Saint-Cassien, a lake up in the mountains with great facilities for water sports — plenty of places nearby to rent equipment and grab a bite to eat. The wind was quite strong that day, so we stayed close to our starting point rather than paddling too far out. Still, it was a beautiful experience, with little "beaches" around the lake where people relax after their time on the water.
Football and a dream come true
That same evening, we got ready to watch a football match at Cannes' stadium, against Roma from Italy. It was the boys' first time at a real match, and it fulfilled a long-held dream of theirs — as our youngest, Felipe, likes to put it, it was finally "a real football game." Watching the pure joy on both their faces at the stadium was priceless. IMG_7428.webp446.42 KB
Over the following days, we went back to Plage de la Bocca a couple more times — always a reliable, easy choice for the quieter days.
Menton: a beautiful town, a tough day
One of the outings we were most looking forward to was visiting Menton, and the town didn't disappoint — absolutely lovely to walk around. Unfortunately, our youngest wasn't feeling well that day, and we had to head back earlier than we'd hoped. We also found the restaurants in the area quite geared towards tourists, lacking that authentic touch we usually look for when travelling. IMG_7195.webp711.41 KB
The icing on the cake: Saint-Tropez and Villefranche-sur-Mer
Then came the most special moment of the entire trip: Baie de Bonporteau, in Saint-Tropez. Honestly, it's one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen — water so clear it looks edited, but it's completely real. We stayed there the whole day, only leaving as the sun began to set.
We also set aside a day to paddle at Villefranche-sur-Mer, another gorgeous stop along the Riviera coastline, with that intensely blue sea only this region seems to have. IMG_7490.webp726.54 KB
Gorges du Verdon: closing the trip in style
To wrap up our time on the Riviera, we visited the Gorges du Verdon, one of the most perfect places we've ever been. It was quite windy that day, so paddling into the gorge itself wasn't allowed, but we still had a wonderful time paddling near the entrance and out on the lake — and best of all, the boys paddled largely on their own for much of it. A fitting farewell to the French Riviera.
The way home (and the story that became family legend)
On the way back, we retraced our roughly nine-hour drive to the Ibis hotel in Reims. And it was during that very stop that the story we now laugh about endlessly took place — though at the time, it was a whole ordeal.
I ordered a dish thinking it was beef. When it arrived, it didn't look great, and it didn't taste great either. I swapped it for Paulo's kebab and happily finished that instead — but he grew suspicious about what exactly he'd just eaten. A while later, it hit him: it was likely pork tripe. He only told me after we'd looked it up together and confirmed the suspicion, and I'll admit, I panicked a little in the moment, worried I might have eaten something poorly prepared. These days we laugh about it plenty, but it's gone down as the trip's official "tragicomic" moment.
The next day, we drove on to Calais, caught the ferry back, and headed straight home to Durham, wrapping up a trip we'll carry in our hearts — and in legs still tired from all that paddling.
What we learned for our next SUP road trip
Always build in extra time for long drives — accidents and unexpected delays happen even on excellent motorways.
If you're trying SUP for the first time as a family, look for beaches or lakes with calmer, more sheltered water.
Small beaches famous for water sports, like Plage de la Garoupe, tend to get crowded — arriving early really helps.
The most touristy restaurant isn't always the best choice — it's worth seeking out more local, authentic spots.
And above all, be patient with the unexpected — sometimes that's exactly where the best stories come from.
#Mougins#Saint-Tropez#Gorges du Verdon#Cannes#Provence#French Riviera#family road trip#SUP paddleboarding#Europe road trip#family travel
About the Author
Lia Fernandes
Journalist and writer covering aging well, health, and travel after 40.
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