Laurence Phillips (laurencephillips.com) has been escaping to France since boyhood and has written many and varied guides to the country, most recently a companion to Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes. He has been described by the French press as a charming bon vivant and by British critics as a witty and entertaining enthusiast. His passion for all things French has fuelled countless BBC radio broadcasts, including Radio 4’s Allez Lille, and his is a familiar voice on travel and arts programmes. In France, he has been honoured as a Commander of the Order of St Nectaire cheese and a Squire of the Confrérie des Sacres de la Champagne. Twice winner of the prestigious British Guild of Travel Writers Guidebook of the Year Award – for his Bradt guides Lille and Eurostar Cities – Phillips combines wanderlust with work as a theatre critic, playwright and songwriter.