We Are Off!

With my bike reassembled youngest son and I did a test fit of our bikes on his new car bike rack that fits on the back. Then we went for a short test drive to check the rack security and stability. By 2pm the car was packed and we departed for Dover. I was immediately reminded about UK road congestion. It was a five hour drive from Manchester to Dover followed by a further two hours waiting for our sailing time.

Quite a bit of congestion getting into Dover Port.

I was quite pleased when I observered the red painted line on the pavement beside the road. It designates the bike route to the ferry terminal.

After clearing customs and immagration we were allocated a line and waited for the instructions to board. I couldn't help but notice the sign on the rear window of the small car in front of us.

The ferry took an hour to reach Calais. Both the UK and French immigration and customs clearances were completed at Dover so it was simply a matter of driving off the ferry and heading south. What a traffic contrast. The French roads were good and traffic travelled at speed. We used three toll roads to reach Tours, France in six hours. By then it was 10pm and after a shower we headed to be in our small rental apartment. Daniel did very well coping with driving on the wrong side of the road. Now I'm exhausted and need sleep. But tomorrow is another day!