Quai de la Villa, Epernay, France. 5pm, October 2025

Back in 2014, the boys and I drove to the Champagne region of France to watch le Tour. From our Epernay base we got see see the finish of stage 6 at Epernay and the start of stage 7 at nearby Reims. This latest trip was a long-intended re-creation of that. There was a lot more time to explore Epernay on this latest visit - which looks completely different when not besieged by crowds, barriers and advertising hoardings - and it yielded a chance to visit one of the incredibly fascinating champagne houses with a guided tour. And tastings. The single-level apartment at Quai de la Villa was perfectly located; I assumed that this old ruin behind was once a castle, but research revealed nothing, and a walk to the other side showed a residents car park...