The morning started with a healthy supper as it was way past midnight by the time we were boarded and sorted out.
Then it was off to bed, or more accurately a reclining seat, as all cabins were booked. The combination of the seat and sub zero temperatures on the ferry ( the only time this trip I have felt really cold) meant not much if any sleep. A few hours later, land was in sight and the last few thousand pedal strokes about to begin.
Because of restrictions on putting the bike on the train before 1000, I decided to cycle all the way home. Also, I was pretty sure Tim would never let me forget it, if I took the train for the final leg. Before heading off we had to say goodbye to as he cycled off home towards Dorset.
I was very lucky to have met up with Tim, despite not knowing each other before the trip, we got on really well with no arguments or tense moments throughout. It made a real difference travelling with somebody on this trip, not just in terms of practical things, such as someone to watch the bike while the other did the shopping, but also sharing the costs and probably more importantly, keeping each other’s spirits up. Fortunately, we shared a similar sense of humour and dislike of spending too much money, which helped.
Goodbyes said, we each headed off our own separate ways. For me that meant 20 mins trying to find my way out of Portsmouth , eventually via a very steep hill To Waterlooville and then on or alongside the A3 over the South Downs.
I had already decided my reward would be a decent breakfast in Petersfield.
The breakfast stop, also gave me a chance to recharge my Garmin, which was playing up and draining the battery very quickly. In fact it only lasted two hours and continued to play up. I was pretty sure I knew what the problem was, but didn’t immediately know how to fix it.
From then it was on through pretty Hampshire villages towards Woking. I’d let my navigation app “Komoot” plan a route and it always throws up a few surprises. This time an off road route through MOD training grounds, with the gentle purr of distant machine gun fire sporadically breaking the silence.
A slight change of route, a cut through an industrial estate and I was heading closer to home. Eventually hitting familiar territory near Windsor, with a final coffee break at Virginia water.
Then the last twenty miles or so to home and civilisation.
So that’s the end of the journey- I’ll probably write some more once I’ve had a few days R and R
Steady Pedals 