OUR FAMILY HOLIDAY ended on the third day; we just hadn’t realised yet. My wife and I had travelled to northern France with our three kids, aged seven months, two and five.

As the heat went over 40 degrees, almost every waking hour was spent trying to keep our seven-month-old baby cool. 

We had chosen Brittany over more southern destinations in France, because we wanted to avoid extreme heat for our young family. Instead, the recent heat dome hit hard in the area, bringing temperatures of up to 41 degrees.

It was deeply uncomfortable to do anything but exist in, and with three small children, it was too much of a challenge. 

A week into our planned two-week holiday, we packed up and came home.

Conor Dowling and family on holiday in scorching France. Conor Dowling Conor Dowling

Looking back now, we probably should have left even earlier. It is difficult to abandon a holiday you have saved all year for, but our days had become dominated by trying to keep three kids safe in conditions that were increasingly unmanageable.

The kids became lethargic, and encouraging them to eat and drink was a constant concern. It was the drier nappies that clinched our decision to return.

Worrying effects of extreme heat

It is hard to describe the feeling of not being able to cool down. The house we rented........

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