🐰💜 Buddy’s Journey – Day 10: We’re Home 🏡

10 Days. Thousands of Miles. One Very Special Little Girl. 💜

I honestly don't know where to start…

After 10 days on the road, thousands of miles, four countries, countless stops, beautiful places, unexpected moments, laughs, challenges, stressful moments, tired moments and memories that we will carry forever…

We are finally home. 🏡🐰💜

Tonight, we finally pulled back into County Durham.

And as much as I knew this moment was coming, I don't think anything could have prepared me for how emotional it would feel.

Because this wasn't just the end of a road trip.

This was the end of Buddy's Journey to Benidorm and Back.

And somehow, it feels like the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.

🚗 The Final Push

Today was the longest day of the entire journey.

We left Tours early this morning and began the final push north.

Tours ➡️ Calais ➡️ Ferry ➡️ Dover ➡️ County Durham.

There were miles and miles of road ahead of us.

We drove through France, heading towards Calais, knowing that once we reached the ferry, we would be crossing back over the Channel and heading into the UK.

The ferry crossing felt like another little milestone.

Spain was now behind us.

France was almost behind us.

And home was getting closer and closer.

But there was something strange about knowing the journey was nearly over.

For the last 10 days, every morning we had woken up knowing there was another destination ahead.

Another road to travel.

Another place to see.

Another memory to make.

And suddenly, we were heading home.

🏡 Coming Back to County Durham

After arriving back in Dover, we still had that final long drive ahead of us.

And honestly… that last part felt different.

We were tired.

Really tired.

Ten days of early mornings, long drives, getting in and out of the car, exploring, navigating unfamiliar roads, crossing borders, catching ferries and constantly being on the move had definitely caught up with us.

But there was also that feeling of "we've actually done it."

We kept going.

Even on the difficult days.

Even when we were exhausted.

Even when emotions were overwhelming.

Even when the miles seemed endless.

And eventually, the familiar roads started appearing.

The roads we know.

The places we recognise.

The roads that lead home.

And then, finally…

County Durham.

🏡💜

🐰 This Was Never Just a Road Trip

When we set off 10 days ago, I knew this journey was going to be huge.

But I don't think I truly realised just how much it would mean.

Because this wasn't simply a road trip.

This wasn't just about getting from one place to another.

This was Buddy travelling to the places Millie loved.

🐰💜

This was taking a little piece of Millie with us through France, into Spain and all the way back home again.

This was visiting places she had been.

Walking streets she had walked.

Seeing views she had seen.

Standing in places where she had once stood.

Remembering the holiday we shared with her in 2022.

And while we were doing all of that, we were making completely new memories too.

Memories without her physically being beside us, but somehow with her present in every single one.

💜 Ten Days of Everything

These 10 days have contained so much.

There have been moments where I've laughed until my face hurt.

Moments where we have joked about things that probably wouldn't have been funny to anyone else.

Moments where we've eaten in places we would never normally have stopped.

Moments where we've taken the wrong turn, made mistakes, found expensive fuel when cheaper fuel was literally across the road and wondered what on earth we were doing! 😂

There have been beautiful mountains.

Sunshine.

Rain.

Tunnels.

Ferries.

Borders.

Busy roads.

Quiet roads.

Long stretches of nothing but countryside.

Service stations.

Hotel rooms.

Beach walks.

Markets.

Ice cream.

Spanish food.

British Sunday dinner in Spain.

And so many miles.

Thousands of them.

But there have also been moments where the reality of everything has hit me incredibly hard.

Because behind every mile was the reason we were doing this.

Millie.

🐰 Buddy Has Been With Us Every Step

From the moment we left home, Buddy has been travelling with us.

She has crossed the Channel.

Travelled through France.

Passed through the Pyrenees.

Reached Spain.

Made it to Benidorm.

Visited places that Millie loved.

And then turned around and travelled all the way back again.

She has been sitting there beside us through every part of this adventure.

And carrying that little piece of Millie with us has made this journey feel so incredibly special.

There were times when looking at Buddy brought a smile.

And times when it brought tears.

Because Buddy isn't just a bunny.

She represents memories.

She represents Millie.

She represents the little girl who should have been sitting beside us, excited about where we were going next, singing, laughing and asking how much longer until we arrived.

I can picture her doing it.

I can imagine her excitement.

And I wish more than anything that she could have experienced this journey with us.

💜 The Places We Visited

One of the most emotional parts of this journey was returning to Benidorm.

Because we weren't visiting somewhere completely new.

We were returning to somewhere we had memories with Millie.

Four years ago, she was there.

She was happy.

She was enjoying the sunshine.

She was exploring.

She was eating ice cream.

She was making memories.

And four years later, we were walking those same streets again.

Only this time, she wasn't physically there.

That was incredibly hard.

But at the same time, being there made me feel close to her.

Everywhere we looked, there was another memory.

Another little reminder.

Another moment where I could think:

"Millie was here."

And now, when I look back at this journey, I know we have added another chapter to those memories.

🌈 The Moments I Will Never Forget

There are so many little moments from these 10 days that I know will stay with me.

The rainbow in France.

The Pyrenees.

The tunnels Millie would have loved.

Listening to her song.

Walking through Benidorm.

Eating her favourite ice cream.

Taking Makayla to the beach.

Playing cards.

Laughing together.

Watching the scenery change as we travelled across countries.

The ferry crossings.

The endless roads.

The random stops.

The tiredness.

The excitement.

The tears.

The laughter.

And Buddy sitting there through it all. 🐰

Some of these memories might seem small to somebody else.

But to us, they aren't small at all.

They're pieces of this journey.

Pieces of Millie's story.

Pieces of our family.

And pieces of a trip that we will never be able to repeat in quite the same way.

💔 There Were Hard Moments Too

I don't want to pretend this journey was easy.

It wasn't.

There were moments where grief caught up with me.

Moments where I desperately wished Millie was there.

Moments where I would look at something and immediately think about what she would have said or done.

Moments where I wanted to turn around and tell her about something we'd just seen.

Moments where the reality of doing this without her felt unbearable.

Because no matter how many miles we travelled, there was always that one person missing.

My girl.

And grief doesn't disappear because you're busy.

It doesn't disappear because you're travelling.

It doesn't disappear because you're making memories.

Sometimes you can be laughing one minute and crying the next.

Sometimes you can be completely exhausted and still have a million thoughts going through your head.

But perhaps that's what this journey has taught me most.

That we can carry grief and love at the same time.

We can miss someone desperately and still smile.

We can cry and still laugh.

We can hurt and still make memories.

And we can keep moving forward while carrying someone we will never stop loving.

💜 For Millie

When we left home 10 days ago, we knew exactly why we were going.

For Millie.

Every mile.

Every road.

Every country.

Every memory.

Every photograph.

Every moment.

She was part of this journey.

And she always will be.

We cannot bring her back.

We cannot change what happened.

But we can keep talking about her.

We can keep saying her name.

We can keep sharing her story.

We can keep making memories in her name.

And we can keep carrying her with us wherever life takes us.

That is what Buddy's Journey has been about.

Not leaving Millie behind.

But taking her with us.

🏡 And Now We're Home

Tonight, after everything, Buddy is home too.

The car is finally parked.

The bags will eventually be unpacked.

The miles are behind us.

And tomorrow, life will begin to settle back into something resembling normality.

But I don't think we will ever look at this journey as just a holiday or a road trip.

It was something much more personal than that.

It was 10 days of remembering.

10 days of travelling.

10 days of laughter and tears.

10 days of seeing the world while carrying a little piece of our girl with us.

And now we have hundreds of photographs, countless memories and stories that we will probably still be talking about for years to come.

🐰💜 The End of Buddy's Journey… But Not Millie's

Buddy's Journey to Benidorm and Back may be over.

The wheels have stopped.

The miles are done.

We're home.

But Millie's journey through our hearts will never end.

She will always be part of our family.

She will always be part of our memories.

She will always be part of the places we visit, the stories we tell and the adventures we have.

And wherever we go next, somehow, a little piece of Millie will come with us.

Because that's what love does.

It stays.

💜 10 Days. Thousands of Miles. 4 Countries.

We set off with Buddy.

We travelled through France.

Crossed into Spain.

Reached Benidorm.

Walked in Millie's footsteps.

Made new memories.

Turned around.

And travelled all the way home again.

And we did it.

We made it home.

After everything.

After every mile.

After every emotional moment.

After every early morning and every long drive.

We made it.

And we did it for my girl.

My Millie Rose. 💜🐰

Forever 9.

Forever loved.

Forever remembered.

Forever my beautiful girl.

Always with us.

🏡🐰💜 Buddy's Journey – 2026: COMPLETE. 💜🐰🏡