Only slightly later than planned…

That’s because I missed my scheduled ferry from Calais this morning! A combination of factors meant I had difficulty finding the P and O check in desk so by the time I get their it was closed, even though my ferry wasn’t sailing for well over an hour. I now know that their operation when it comes to foot passengers is very much a one man and his dog operation. Or, in this case, one woman! most ferry companies seem to have given up on carrying foot passengers, leaving P and O the only one – and the next ferry wasn’t until 15;00, five hours later.

Still, I had a very nice hall to myself, a couple of staff and a pair of recreated Bleriot aeroplanes.

However, there was wifi and plug sockets, so I managed to get some work done and the time passed quickly. When it came time to get on the bus to get onto the ferry (you’re not allowed to walk on and off anymore) there were juat four of us. Me, another chap and his two children. So I can kind of see why all the other ferry companies had shut their counters down completely. It seems the days of foot passengers pitching up to catch ferries across the channel to the UK are almost over. We’re a dying breed…

In truth the whole ferry was quiet. it seemed packed on the way in with an endless stream of HGVs leaving its bowels, but when I went for a look around once we’d left port there were few passengers in the duty free of cafe and one of the cafe’s wasn’t even opened. ah well, at least Dawn’s happy with my duty free shopping – a large bottle of Chanel No5!

Now I’m back in the UK, aboard a train that seems really tiny after all the ones I’ve been aboard recently. A SET Javelin is carrying me to London.

More to follow…

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul