Awoke at 7.15am to the sound of my alarm. Today has been the first day on the trip that I have had to set it. I had a boat to catch and if I wanted to make it beyond the port of Calais tonight it was going to have to be an early one.
By 9am I was already 10km already out of Dover and enjoying the early morning and the fact there was a lot less traffic on this stretch of the A2. The countryside was flat but looked nice in the morning sun.
I kept looking in the distance hoping to catch the first glimpse of the sea but it was only when I was a mile from Dover that it came dramatically into view.
The road went steeply down as I freewheeled into the port with the sun shining strongly onto the sea ahead. It was a lovely scene. It was 10.15am and I knew there was a boat at 10.50am.
A mad dash through ticket sales, customs, check in and embarkation got me on boat with a few minutes to spare. The boat was quite large and I always enjoy checking out the facilities on board so this took a good while.
I then went on the top deck to enjoy the famous white cliffs as they fell away into the distance. Only a few minutes into the crossing Calais began to come into view. I settled into a comfy armchair with a good view of the French coastline and spent my last sterling on large cups of coffee.
Just before docking an announcement on the PA asked that all those who wish to return immediately to the UK please go to reception to get their ticket stamped. It seemed a shame to me to head back without even having gone ashore. So even with the abolition of duty free it must still be worth doing the 'booze cruise'.
My route today was to take me along the Cote D'Opale to the port of Bologne about 40km away. I really enjoyed this stretch. Even 40km into France you could look back across the wild coast and see the cliffs of Dover in the distance.
Along the way I stopped at a garage for a sandwich. The garage did not have a shop but advertised Sandwiches on the window. As I was leaving a man fixing a car called to me and I said I was looking for something to eat.
He then got out from under the car and went inside and 2 minutes later had a great fromage et jambon baguette for me. It was yum and not even the tiniest taste of oil.
Hitting Bologne at 4pm I decided to push it a bit and go the extra 40km to Montreuil, a beautiful walled village where I was to spend the first of my many nights in France.
By 9am I was already 10km already out of Dover and enjoying the early morning and the fact there was a lot less traffic on this stretch of the A2. The countryside was flat but looked nice in the morning sun. 
I kept looking in the distance hoping to catch the first glimpse of the sea but it was only when I was a mile from Dover that it came dramatically into view.
The road went steeply down as I freewheeled into the port with the sun shining strongly onto the sea ahead. It was a lovely scene. It was 10.15am and I knew there was a boat at 10.50am.
A mad dash through ticket sales, customs, check in and embarkation got me on boat with a few minutes to spare. The boat was quite large and I always enjoy checking out the facilities on board so this took a good while.
I then went on the top deck to enjoy the famous white cliffs as they fell away into the distance. Only a few minutes into the crossing Calais began to come into view. I settled into a comfy armchair with a good view of the French coastline and spent my last sterling on large cups of coffee. 
Just before docking an announcement on the PA asked that all those who wish to return immediately to the UK please go to reception to get their ticket stamped. It seemed a shame to me to head back without even having gone ashore. So even with the abolition of duty free it must still be worth doing the 'booze cruise'.
My route today was to take me along the Cote D'Opale to the port of Bologne about 40km away. I really enjoyed this stretch. Even 40km into France you could look back across the wild coast and see the cliffs of Dover in the distance.
Along the way I stopped at a garage for a sandwich. The garage did not have a shop but advertised Sandwiches on the window. As I was leaving a man fixing a car called to me and I said I was looking for something to eat.
He then got out from under the car and went inside and 2 minutes later had a great fromage et jambon baguette for me. It was yum and not even the tiniest taste of oil.
Hitting Bologne at 4pm I decided to push it a bit and go the extra 40km to Montreuil, a beautiful walled village where I was to spend the first of my many nights in France.
1 comment:
Hi Peter
So excited to have accidently come across this. I have never "blogged" before! You are doing a trip that I'd always hoped to do when I take early retirement though using a camper van rather than a bike! My kids were aware of this plan including my son Darragh who sadly died of SADS 4 yrs ago at age 21. Will be following your trip and hopefully getting the hang of this "blogging"
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