We arrived at Brownhills in plenty of time to have a nose around the other vehicles n offer in the showroom, but Pete was insistent that I didn’t look in any of the Swift Escape display models so as not to spoil the surprise. With time to kill and bellies to fill (!), we made use of the on site bistro and had a tasty full English breakfast.
Full of food and excitement, it wasn’t long before we were introduced to our new travelling companion, who we have decided to name Dora (yes, the explorer!). Two hours of instruction, a quick unpack and re-pack from old to new vehicle and we were free to set sail in our new home on wheels. She’s ‘only’ 6.92 metres but she looks huge to us ex campervanners! We were sad to say goodbye to Rosie, our lovely compact VW California, but I have no doubt she will find another loving home and travel many happy miles with her new family.
The journey back down to Dover was epic, hindered by us taking an accidental and longer than necessary detour in addition to the average speed of 30 mph due to the nasty weather. We had a hairy moment on the M20 on the approach to Dover as a strong gust almost knocked us off the road. Luckily, Pete’s driving skills are far superior to mine and disaster was averted. We arrived in Dover unscathed, if a little shaken.
On arrival in the port, we were informed our ferry was running 40 minutes late, we didn’t see this as a problem as it gave us a little extra chill / eat / nap time before embarking. Luckily we were holed up in Dora as 40 minutes actually ended up being 11 hours! With a great many car passengers getting increasingly peeved at the delays and lack of info from the ferry company, we were very thankful that despite the gale force winds, rain and hail, Dora was doing a gleaming job of keeping us warm and dry.
No fewer than 14 hours after our arrival in Dover, we finally boarded the ferry to Calais....no, actually, we had booked a return to Calais, but we ended up being put on the ferry to Dunkerque instead; winner, 10 miles less for Pete to drive, looks like the delay was worth it after all....
The crossing was, unsurprisingly, a little rougher than I would have liked. I love travelling but I’m not really good with ferries or planes; I don’t get travel sick, but ever the optimist, I tend to worry that we’re going to sink/crash and die if the weather is anything but windless and sunny. It’s something I’m working on, to a degree of success. Pete, on the other hand, being the scientific and technical guru that he is, actually understands how these things work and loves nothing better than to watch and listen to the things that make me think we’re going to sink/crash and die as he knows that the chances of us surviving the journey are far greater than I think!
Rough crossing over, we then spent the best part of an hour watching the Captain’s 60 point turn before docking in Dunkerque, followed by a botched attempt by the port crew to lower the loading ramps onto the boat; it was like watching a seaborne version of Fawlty Towers. They managed it in the end and boat firmly docked, loading ramps in place, we set sail again, arriving at our overnight stop in Wachtendonk a few hours later.
After a fish pie supper courtesy of Marks and Spencer, baked in our new onboard OVEN (another novelty for ex campervanners!), a couple of glasses of wine and a walk in the rain to stretch our legs, we were ready for bed. Pete had already experienced the delights of the Luton bed in Dover, but as I wanted to keep tabs on what was happening with the ferry delays, I had spent a restless night on the sofa. Needless to say, the bed didn’t disappoint and I was out like a light.
We carried on the final leg of our journey the following day, all the better for a good nights’ sleep in a blissfully quiet stellplatz. 4 hours later and we were back at our static home and reunited with Powell, who had spent the weekend with his best friend Chas’ka and her mum and dad. We missed him like crazy but being the mad dash it was, we didn’t feel it was fair to drag him with us when we knew there would be no time to take him on long walks. Thankfully that’s the last time we’ll have to leave him anywhere other than at home for a few hours.
Powell has already given static Dora the seal of approval; having eaten his tea in the dining area last night, she immediately got the paws up from him. Dora in motion, however, will take him a bit longer to get used to.
So, we’ve reached the first big mile marker; we have Dora, our long term travelling buddy and we’re looking forward to munching up the miles with her. The next few months before we set sail on our big adventure, will see us getting away as much as possible and learning all about how she ticks, just how quickly we can take a shower, how long the battery really lasts and how long the solar panel will allow us to live off grid for, along with the age old questions...how many pairs of shoes can Sue get away with taking and do we really need to buy ‘special’ loo roll??
That’s all for now.
Sue
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