A Road Trip to Crete: Writing, Wandering and Rupert

This autumn, I’m trading deadlines and drizzle for sun-drenched roads and the scent of thyme drifting through the hills. I’m packing up the car, loading up my notebooks, and setting off on a road trip to Crete with my partner and my loyal companion Rupert curled up in the back seat, ears perked for adventure.

Rupert laying on the bed

We’re driving the whole way. Not for convenience, but for the story. For the slow unfolding of landscapes and languages, for the chance encounters in roadside cafés, and for the quiet hours behind the wheel when ideas surface like old friends. The route is ambitious: through the Eurotunnel, across France and Italy, down to Ancona, where we’ll board a ferry to Petres in Greece. From there, we’ll drive across the mainland to Athens, and finally sail out of Piraeus to Crete.

It’s not just a journey, it’s a creative pilgrimage.

🐾 Why Drive?

Flying would be faster, yes. But Rupert deserves more than a cargo hold and I deserve more than a blur of airports. This trip is about presence. About letting the rhythm of the road shape my thoughts and my writing. I want to feel the shift from the vineyards of Provence to the olive groves of the Peloponnese. I want to hear the dialects change, watch the architecture evolve, and meet people whose stories might just find their way into my next novel.

Rupert, of course, is thrilled. Its his first trip out of the UK but he's happy as ling as he is with me. He’ll grow partial to Greek sausages and long naps under taverna tables. I suspect he’ll be the real protagonist of this trip.

 ✍️ Writing on the Move

I’m bringing notebooks, voice recorders, and a half-edited manuscript that’s been whispering for attention. There’s something about movement that loosens the knots in a story. I plan to write in ferry lounges, roadside motels and beachside cafés. I’ll edit between mountain drives and ferry crossings while Ben drives. And I’ll collect character sketches from every place we pause—because every village has its secrets, and every stranger might be the next suspect or sleuth.

Crete itself is more than a destination. It’s a setting. A place I know well, and one I’ll soon know better. I’ll be staying for a couple of months, soaking in the rhythms of island life, and letting the landscape seep into my pages. The mountains, the myths, the quiet tension of a place that’s seen so much—it’s all fertile ground for crime fiction.

🌍 The Road Ahead

This trip is a reminder that stories don’t just live in our heads, they live in the world. In overheard conversations, in unexpected detours, in the way a sunset hits a crumbling wall. I’m hoping to meet characters who don’t know they’re characters yet. To find plot twists in ferry delays and subplots in local gossip.

And when I return, I’ll bring back more than souvenirs. I’ll bring back scenes, voices and maybe even a new title.

So here’s to the open road, to Rupert’s wagging tail, and to the stories waiting just beyond the next bend.

Have a great week

Love Helen xx