From Rat Race to Road Trip: Overlanding With Four Dogs!
February 2026 is not only the book birthday for my funny winter sports memoir Pups on Piste – A Ski Season in Italy, it is WINTER OLYMPIC MONTH in Cortina, Italy (one of the locations featured in my book!)
As an unofficial warm up act for the Winter Olympics, the Pups on Piste ebook is reduced to 99p/99c FOR A LIMITED TIME – a ski trip to Italy for less than the price of a coffee!
Since 1st of January, we’re back on the road!
On 7th of January, we were supposed to catch a ferry from Sète in France to Nador in Morocco, but we cancelled it because of my teeth! I broke two crowns and needed a root canal, apparently, which kept us near Castelnaudry in southern France for weekly appointments until the 26th. We’re still debating whether it’s worth crossing to Morocco now that we’ve been delayed for a month, but we’ll see how we feel when we get further south.
It’s been no hardship being stuck in lovely Languedoc. The weather has mostly been bright, if a little cold, but the scenery and little villages are beautiful. I hope you’ve been enjoying my blogs about them!
Our Dutch friends, Casper and Monique, visited us in the bastide town of Revel. We have known them for 22 years – we first met on a Hogmanay walking holiday in a Scottish lighthouse – and have stayed in touch ever since. Unfortunately, they had a rotten end to 2025. They were supposed to visit us at our farmhouse in Fanjeaux, but their motorhome, Rudolf, broke down in Mende. They were stuck for the entire festive period, awaiting a part. Although we invited them to stay, understandably, they didn’t want to leave Rudolf unattended in a car park. However, like us, they are now back on the road, have reached Morocco before us, and are looking forward to a FABULOUS 2026!
I read that in cycling terms, the Col de Montségur is a Category 2 mountain pass, popular with those slender, Lycra-clad aliens who chase gradients for glory. The same article revealed it to be known for scenic views, the highlight of which is a spectacular perspective of a historic castle ruin. Perched atop a pog – a knuckle of rock rising from the land like a huge pudding-shaped dumpling – the mountain itself propels the fortress of Montségur skyward.
12-volt electrical systems are at the very heart of any recreational vehicle – and it pays to understand them. To this end, I subscribe to 12-Volt Planet’s very useful and informative email newsletter, which pops informative articles, product reviews, and special offers into my inbox. They also have an excellent YouTube channel, 12 Volt Planet TV, a useful resource full of short, practical ‘How To’ guides.
As someone who started out her truck-conversion journey believing solar power and 12-volt electrics were, “tantamount to witchcraft,” I was delighted that 12-Volt planet chose to reflect on how far I’ve come, and interview me about our huge self-build – The Beast – for their website!
I shall hand you over to Joe for the introduction – and I hope you enjoy reading!
“When Jacqueline “Jackie” Lambert and her husband Mark were both made redundant in 2016, most people might have seen uncertainty. Jackie saw opportunity. Turning a love of travel into a full-time lifestyle on the road, they traded bricks and mortar for adventure and eventually converted a 24.5-tonne military truck into a fully off-grid home-on-wheels, affectionately known as The Beast.
Continue reading “From Caravan to Overland Truck: Jacqueline Lambert’s Off Grid Journey”
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