Around one fifth of the British workforce will be looking to escape the UK for the long Easter and bank holiday break. But many will also want to avoid battling through the major airports or missing the big wedding.

Around one fifth of the British workforce will be looking to escape the UK for the long Easter and bank holiday break. Many will take off the three days between bank holidays, giving them a lengthy eleven days.

But many people will also want to avoid battling through the major airports or missing the big wedding.

The solution? Load everything in the car and hop across the channel to a cottage, villa or even a chateau in France. These days holiday lets often have flat screen TV with British channels, so you can stock up on vin du pays along with some fresh bread, pate and cheese and settle down for the royal event while the kids are happy in the games room or garden.

Holiday homes from home are still available throughout France, starting at just £200 a week. They range from romantic hideaways for two to comfortable farmhouses and chateaux where the extended family can relax.

With an early ferry crossing to Calais, you can reach Champagne country, Normandy, Brittany, the Loire Valley, Charente-Maritime and even the Dordogne in a day. And if you don’t want to travel far, there are some beautiful spots in the Nord/Pas de Calais, especially close to Le Touquet, Montreuil, Old Hesdin and St Valery sur Somme.