Jour une – Le Grand Depart
Marc and Dan arrived around 1830 last night and as soon as I see the pair of them (unpleasant as they are to look at) I can feel my nervousness starting to turn to excitement. This is crazy, we really are going to do it!
Our final night before the start is a hoot! We have a fantastic evening laughing and joking and with far too much red wine. In fact it’s a FB friend (thanks Kate!) who eventually reminds me that perhaps we shouldn’t still be up and partying at getting on for midnight.
I have to say after a few glasses the humour gets quite boisterous and it’s entirely possible Jo is actually now glad we have finally gone!
One thing is for sure as long as Dan gets his special dessert he will be fine!
I don’t get much sleep and early the following morning, a bit worse for wear we get ready for the off!
We have our croissants and “Dan au chocolat” and Trevor joins us (thanks Trevor!) I think perhaps mostly to see us actually leave with his own eyes.
A few last minute preparations……
….and then we say our final au revoirs (which I can assure you do not get any easier, please don’t make me talk about it!) and then we are off!….
….next stop Portsmouth.
We fly through Kingston……pause briefly at Hampton Court……and then press on towards Woking.
It’s grey and damp but it’s not actually raining and we even get some sunshine now and again.
The first test of friendship (I say “friendship but between you and I have never really liked them!) comes quite early on this trip as the route I have chosen takes us along very pretty tow paths alongside the canal through Woking.
….see pretty right?
The problem is they are also muddy, slippy bumpy and apparently never ending! We pause for elevenses at the side of the road in Farnborough and decide that tow paths are a rubbish way to get to Monte Carlo. We don’t do anymore!
We pause to pick up lunch courtesy of Co Op Oldiham and shortly afterwards have our first lay by lunch.
Btw Marc may only be 49.97 but good god he needs a lot of comfort breaks! Dan and I may have to fashion some special apparatus, perhaps with some pulley gadget that means he can go whilst still pedalling otherwise we are NEVER going to get there!
A little while later we blithely cycle past a “road closed” sign assuming that it doesn’t apply to us because we are special. It does apply to us….…..
….and we have to go cross country through the wilderness (rule one, never turn around!)
As we pass through Alton a little later i take the opportunity to bring a bit of culture to proceedings. This is verbatim how it goes …
Me – Alton, this is near where Jane Austen lived.
Dan- who?
Me – you know, Jane Austen
Dan – who?
Me – Jane Austen for goodness sake!
Dan – Who?
Me – never mind
On paper today is one of our easier days but we do manage a few hills and for me at least the shock of “pannier syndrome” (all 15kg of it) as we climb them is a bit of a physical and, perhaps more damagingly, mental blow…..
…..this is not as easy as it should be!
A little while later we come across he highly motivational sight of….
….which of course means it’s time for proper refreshment. …
The last 12 miles prove to be real drag (nothing to do with having a pint honest) and seemingly never ending but eventually we can see the spinnaker tower in the distance. We grind out the last few miles and after a bit of toing and froing around what must be most complicated road system in the world we stumble across the ferry port.
Mission almost accomplished for the day we roll another mile or so a down to GunWharf Quays and make ourselves comfortable in the first restaurant we see…the tried and tested answer to all things food. Pizza Express!
Back to the port where they let us jump to the front of the queue and board first (see told you we were special!)
We get our first look ate our “inside 2/4 berth en-suite” and in fact it’s not as hideous as perhaps I imagined it could have been…I mean it’s not great but still.
As we sit at the bar whilst I am typing this up (nightmare internet access by the way hence lateness, poor spelling and odd photos I can’t remove!) the cabaret has started which can only mean one thing….bed time.