JB’s On The Road Again ….

Each year I have to make the decision to renew the hosting of this blog and domain name, so having spent the money, use must be made and writing therefore continue. Each year I have to make the decision to continue to pay for my campervanning to support the writing, and enable other things. I’m still paying, while life still allows this to happen.

To this end, in February I finally made the decision after a year and a half to end the contract mid-May with the best work of my career. My first week of freedom last week was spent sorting stuff out and preparing, and Saturday saw me set off for the continent and warmth, via Plymouth. I wanted to do some travelling before squaring up at last to nana-hood which is due to begin around the end of July.

It’s alot of money to spend for the high-risk of sea-sickness hell, so much trust was placed in a weather forecast a week out for Plymouth, Bordeaux (Bay of Biscay) and Santander indicating only minor breezes, and drugs. It was 1.5 days of driving in British spring sunshine and an everything to plan departure on the Pont Aven ship yesterday. I was amazed at the number of cars, motorhomes/caravans and motorbikes driving onto it, and someone told me it was supposed to be the largest ferry in the world – holding around 600 or so vehicles. I’m glad I decided to splash out on a cabin, as I ended up going to bed at around 8pm absolutely shattered, and sleeping more or less through until 7 this morning. This is something of a first, as was my decision to join in the offered Tai Chi session. I would thoroughly recommend this ship and its facilities altho’ my bed was narrow and could have done with my own pillow. Best of all, the sea was flat.

Did you know there are around 25 species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises to you) to be found in the Bay of Biscay. I learnt that from a presentation given by a rep of the Orca charity, which partners with Brittany Ferries to monitor this marine life on its routes. I didn’t spend much time on deck today scouring the horizon for these creatures, given the very overcast and low visibility weather, but am told they can be seen regularly.

We arrived into Santander after about 23 hours to grey and rain – not what I had been hoping for 🙂 But never mind – empty roads, beautiful countryside along the N623 to Burgos, where I am now on a campsite for 2 nights. The rain cleared as I travelled the 126km further south and the temperature rose from 10! (- went over 1000m) to 20. Tomorrow I will explore this city, with next stop aiming for Segovia, north east of Madrid.

I’m doing a towns and cities road trip for the next 10-12 days, before heading to the coast around Javea/Denia. Happy days.