Day 1 Taunton to Dover

Having picked up the van the day before, we had a head start in preparations for the epic journey. Smith and I were dispatched early Friday morning on a foraging mission to Asda whilst Vincenzo at long last started making holiday* arrangements by getting his Euros sorted.  Anyway when all sorted, van loaded and touching farewells done we set off for the first stage to pick up Geoff from Portishead. 

The M5 was slow from the Weston junction but fortunately we were only going as far as J20, then back roads from Clevedon to Geoff’s – and what a little alleyway that was to get to his – a really tight squeeze for the unit!  After further family farewells for the Kearney tribe (and making sure no young stowaways were aboard) we were off for the 4 and half hour drive to Dover. 

Vince had proudly done some background internet research announcing that as we had several hours to wait at Dover with the ferry not until 6:40 in morning, we could park up at “Marine Parade” around corner from ferry port. We had visions of a wide boulevard with sea views only to find we upset Tom Tom by ignoring this little road it tried to send us down causing us to retrace our steps.  When arriving in the correct road we found it was narrow with room for parking on one only side.  The road was flanked on one side by houses with on the other the parking lane, a fence and then the dual carriageway going directly into the port.  We parked, sat and ate our salads for dinner with the roar every 30 seconds of a heavy lorry whizzing past.  To exacerbate matters there was a loose manhole cover which every lorry hit with a mighty kerplang.  Decision made we couldn’t stay here for the night so we drove back 500 yards to a large car park where a couple of motorhomes were already parked.  Having set up for the night we adjourned to a local hostelry for a beverage, although mainly to use the loos as basic rule of our trip can’t be breached – he who uses toilet in van has to empty it!

The pub produced the weird concept of two Irish lads drinking shite from Cornwall (DoomBar does live up to first part of name) whilst the English lads were drinking Irelands finest!   There also seemed to be serious discussion about the workings of gas fridges between Geoff and Smith which left me befuddled – or possibly it was more the dreadful level of sound of the pub disco and the dress sense of the “young” lady customers which left me stupefied!

Anyway after a couple of beers we retired to van for our first sleep in the van – interrupted by some for visits outside to kill some of the car park weeds.

·         - oops apologies to the wives I forgot this is not a holiday but a cycling venture!