Out of bed at 6.15 am. Seems a bit chilly and windy out there. I’m not as excited as I should be. Could it be because the wait is over? We got the car onto a ferry which was surprisingly full and said our goodbyes.
Left St. Helier harbour at approximately 7.30, not without difficulty because by that time the wind had developed into a storm. Apparently, the view from shore was much more frightening than what we actually experienced. The stern of the ship was lifting out of the water and screwing from side to side. It looked as though it was going to capsize. But it ploughed on!
After a while, I thought it would be a good idea to go up on the bridge to view things. It was, for about ten seconds at which time a great wave swept over the bow. Allan saw it coming and hit the deck. Not me! I was wet through. However, it didn’t dampen my spirits which now were pretty high, once I’d got used to the fact that we were on our way. We went below and had a good breakfast of bacon and eggs – on the house! Allan knew the steward.
10am. St. Malo is very close now. Amazingly, it had turned out to be one of the smoothest crossings ever. Allan and I sat chatting as usual. The great thing is we always seem to have something to talk about.
10.35 am. Docked at last. Now we only have the car to wait for. Hope to be on the way by noon. The language is different but the rain’s the same – pouring down! We have just met a right pair of tramps on their way back to Jersey after a month in Spain. What a pair! They are soaked to the skin.
11.50 am. On the road at last! I am driving the first leg. So far the roads are vey good.
3.50 pm. Handed over to Allan after covering 140 miles. Not bad in this weather. Had lunch at 60mph. Driving with one hand and eating a roll with the other – a bit of a novelty. We have 125 miles to go to complete the first days planned mileage. Rain, rain, rain all the way. I was so scared by the “camions” – trucks. They drive much too fast for their size. And we are driving on the wrong side – for us. Their wheels are as high as my little Fiat 500.
5.30 pm. Saw our first chateau at Montrichard. This is some of the nicest countryside I have ever seen. We planned to make Bourges by nightfall. But the adverse weather conditions have beaten us by about 25 miles. Even so, we have covered 240 miles in about seven hours. If we had got off the boat in time, I’m sure we would have reached our objective.
We drove for some time in the dark, looking for somewhere to camp. Eventually, we found a field just off the main road. Who it belongs to or what it is, we don’t know. It took us about half an hour to erect the tent in the dark and pouring rain. We are quite proud of the feat. We are not complaining. If we had wanted comfort we could, as Allan says, “…saved for years and gone nowhere.” Now we have the stew on the stove and are certainly looking forward to it. After that – bed! Goodnight.
Speedo reading: 13791. 247 miles.