Laon to Harrogate

Given that the hotel is on the 'holiday' route between the channel ports and the south of France, it should have been no surprise that we would meet someone we know. But surprised we were because we meet the estate agents, who are selling our gite, at breakfast. I resist the urge to ask them why they are not at home pushing our property and waved a cheery goodbye as we headed north and they headed south.

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Whilst we are still 2 hours away from Boulogne, the fact that it is windy should not have bothered me too much, but the truth is I'm not looking forward to the channel crossing. Passing through a peage as we come off the motorway, I noticed several policemen standing shivering in the strong cold wind (it was 8c and the coldest we'd experienced so far this year was 16c) by the side of the toll booths (this is an excellent place to stop and examine any suspicious cars as they pass through). This not only reminds me that the crossing might be rough but also that we haven't packed any overcoats. Bum.

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In order to keep myself amused whilst Jan dozes and I drive, I play little games. Games, like seeing how far I can get without the tank running dry, or estimating the speed of an overtaking car and then seeing if I can overtake the car in front without braking. Just fun really, but sometimes a little unnerving for Jan. Anyway, after one slightly close encounter, Jan said "You're playing games with yourself again", to which I replied, "at least it's a playing with yourself game that's not frowned upon by the Catholic Church!"

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We arive at Boulogne after 1101 kilometres and 11 hours 55 minutes of actual driving. (I suppose that's an interesting nugget for someone. Ed.) Having stuffed myself with Mercalm, we took advice and sat in the centre of the catamaran on the lowest deck, and given that the sea was very calm, we had an outstandingly smooth crossing. Just excellent. At 50 minutes, with a free ticket, this is the way to travel! What more could you want? I'm a sailor!

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The roads in England are busy. Very busy, and a lot different to the north of France, but we arrive safely in Harrogate after 1545 kms and 16 hours and 47 minutes driving. Like every good Italian Mamma, mum has prepared pasta with a rich tomato sauce followed by salad and the meat that was cooked in the sauce. Yum. She has also found a very meaty Chilean rosé to wash it all down, but, of course, I didn't have any.