18th May Chester to Portsmouth
My heart sank when I picked it up the diminutive Peugeot 107 from the car hire depot; I wished I’d not been quite so parsimonious when ordering a ‘compact’ car. Surprisingly though, with my bike’s wheels removed and the seat-post fully down it fitted into the back of it quite nicely and the motorway grind south to Portsmouth was despatched frugally and efficiently. The car had to be returned before 5 o’clock so I had a couple of hours to kill at the port before my ferry sailed.
I was the only cyclist waiting to board and was directed onto the ship well before everyone else. Once boarded, I’d showered and eaten a very nice meal before we even set sail which proved to be a wise move as the seas were very rough – I‘m not too bad a sailor but I must admit I don’t like eating if the ship is pitching and rolling around. I checked out the on-board ‘entertainment’ in the bar - it was hilarious, even though I’m sure it wasn’t meant to be. In the ‘singer’s’ defence it must be a nightmare performing to a half empty room of people chatting away with their backs turned towards you. A couple of pints later I retired to my cabin at about 11 o’clock to sleep fitfully as the ship pitched and rolled its way to St Malo.
