England 2009 - Day 2 Tuesday

The next day we were up at 4am. I had made sandwiches for us, so we packed up our food and got it into the car. We were away from our house by 5am. By the time we reached Bordeaux it was daylight. We had a great run north, not following the directions that Numpty had insisted on giving me the day before. His plan, which was quite obviously the best one, according to him, was to go up the Route Nationale, through all the little towns and villages. Out plan was the péage – good roads, especially with a heavily laden car, and fast. Guess who took the better option!

The day went almost without a hitch - probably because Numpty was not involved in any way! We reached Le Havre over an hour before we had to get on the ferry. When we had to show our passports there was a problem with the dog passport, so we were sent to another person, who sorted out the small misunderstanding. He was a very cute person, I might add!

We managed to get the car on the ferry, very carefully, only grounding a couple of times. We were on the deck when we set sail, talking to a lady who was out there having a cigarette. We stayed there for about half an hour chatting, and then went in. I think we were looking for the shop or something and chatting about where we could find it, when a voice answered us. It was a Scottish voice, so I asked him where he was from. It turned out he was from my hometown in Scotland. We ended up chatting to him all evening – he was really nice! He’s a long distance lorry driver, so always back and forth on the continent, and we ended up all having a really good laugh and it also meant I had someone to join me in fag breaks outside on the deck. It’s the most enjoyable ferry crossing I think I’ve ever had! He and I went up to the top deck as we were entering Portsmouth Harbour. Anyway, we swapped numbers and have been texting since!

Getting off the ferry was a little less complicated than going on, as no one was interested in the slightest in seeing the dog passport. What’s the point of having them, if they’re not checked? We went straight to Portchester Castle so the poor dog could have a bit of a run, and then went to Grandma’s for the night. I do wish she would use her radiators as I was freezing all night! It was lovely to see her, but a very short, flying visit.