Getting to the start line...

Five years in the making and the day has finally dawned. Pity it dawned when despite having a 5 year notice, I am probably at my heaviest and unfittest.

Anyway no more words about weight only about the trip!

The stuff on the spare bed finally found its way into my panniers and the bar bag contents that's been slumbering on the dining room table in where it belongs.

We said our goodbyes which were always sad, leaving daughter to look after the dogs - long list written of stuff to look after whilst we're spinning pedals.

I snoozed enroute so lost about 40 miles of the journey. I guess switch off started!

Arriving at the Port we headed for an Aldi to get some bottled water. Another blog I found warned that carrying two 1.5L were strongly advised and as tomorrow is Sunday and France shut at 12.30, that was a good move.

We parked the car at the Brittany Ferries building and off loaded panniers and bikes. I stayed at the check in whilst Mr B moved the car to an NCP car park 20min walk away ( cheaper than Port car park so don't opt for the closest!)

Some serious looking German cyclists arrived. Front and back panniers with rack bags on Ridgeback bikes. They off loaded and went into the check in. I haven't seen them since.

Mr B arrived from his parking expedition and we wheeled the bikes towards the booths. I got a stare from the customs official and smiled. Then off towards the security check where we had to take a bag off the bike to put through a scanner. Mr B bleeped.  I didn't :)

Then a short pedal to mingle with cars with roofboxes to wait for 50min to board. Whilst there we met up with another cyclist on a road bike enroute to Barcelona. He had virtually nothing as gear only a very very small frame bag with flip flops and some toiletries. He is cycling down on 8 days hoping to do 100 miles a day to meet with his family for a week in Majorca.

Finally the call came and we boarded the Ferry. Bikes were stored in a separate room and we zeroed in on the reception to put our name down for a cabin. When we changed our dates from July to August we lost the cabin booking so relieved to be assigned a cabin after a 45min wait.

Dinner was good and filling. The service girl a bit forceful in deciding what you want!

Clocks adjusted to Central European time...

Bedtime zźzzzzzz

All the panniers and the rack bags loaded into the back of the car with the Thule Bike Carrier tilted forward to allow boot access

The cyclist we met who was cycling to Barcelona in 10 days from St. Malo - he was a lean machine!

Sunset on the Ferry

Getting fresh air on the Ferry

The new Aircraft Carrier in Portsmouth Harbour

Planning ahead

The Ferry trip is an overnighter but because we had to change our original dates, we lost the opportunity to book a cabin so there will be some running to the main reception on the Ferry to see if a cabin has become free. If that fails, it will be self-inflating mat and sleeping bag on the floor of the Ferry lounge!

So packing will commence in the morning - see the photos attached!

Extras that HAD to go with

My packing for the trip

So you want to know about our equipment?

We are keen tent campers but none of our regular equipment for the big tent would've worked on this trip. The packing needed to be lightweight and minimal - getting away with the least you can carry.

So in terms of equipment here goes:

Bike - I bought a new Dawes Galaxy Plus a year ago, just after Brexit vote but just before the pound nosedived to make imports so much more expensive. It is a brilliant but heavy bike (it's a Tourer!) which loves hills - despite me hating them! I've had comments about " is there a secret motor built in somewhere?" when I whizz past people up a hill. Don't think that will happen with all the panniers on though.

Tent - an Atom 3 which is lightweight, weighs less than 5kg. We have split the tent so I carry the outer and he carries the inner, poles and pegs (oh and the rubber mallet as the French campsites' ground is hard!). 

Sleeping mat - lightweight 650g 3/4  self-inflating mat

Sleeping bag - Snugpak 2 season Jungle Sleeping Bag with built-in mosquito net - 950g

A small gas burner - Campingaz Twister Plus weighing 263g

Panniers - All Ortlieb so waterproof. When we cycled EuroVelo 15 five years ago, I used my Dutch Agu panniers and got fed-up of the number of times I had to stop to put rain covers on. This time I'm ready whatever the weather!

Ortlieb Backroller Plus waterproof panniers and Ortlieb 24L rack pack. For the front bar bag I have an Ortlieb Ultimate6 Compact and Mr B has an Ortlieb Ultimate 6 Classic

RAVPower 26800mAh Portable Charger 26800, Premium Quality Battery Pack with 3 iSmart 2.0 USB Ports, High Speed 5.5A Max Output -  - http://amzn.eu/6xcT8Qq

RAVPower 16W Solar Charger with Dual USB Port (Foldable, Portable) High Efficiency Outdoor Solar Panel for iPhone, iPad, Galaxy, Camera -  http://amzn.eu/4h3vk1v

Trial and failure

We decided that it would be a good idea to do a test run with the bikes fully loaded to be followed by a night in the tent.

Initially my mad idea was to go camping away from home to simulate 'real' conditions but I was soon persuaded that it is not necessary - after all the house and the campsite is less than a mile apart. No need to spend money on a fake night - just camp in the back garden!

Anyway, we packed all the panniers and did our short 9 mile circuit ride. My bike performed very well - almost sighing with relief that it's finally a touring bike as that is what it's been since birth. At some very slight ups I felt I had a bit of a load but generally it was just another very pleasant ride.

Back home we unpacked the tent and proceeded with setting it up. The tent is daughter's borrowed by us and slightly bigger - a 3 man dome with an enclosed porch - than Mr B's 2 man (very) older version (never would've worked anyway as it is too small to put our panniers in for the night and it also tapers down towards the feet so sleeping mats wouldn't have fitted ).

Mr B will need to embrace patience which isn't always his virtue. Despite the 3 Atom being a much smaller tent than our large polycotton which we usually take to France, there was some impatience when poles got slightly stuck when they were threaded through. Careful now - don't want to sit with a ripped tent even before we've set off! I can see dark days after each ride when we need to pitch and both of us are tired.

So pitching done (with arguments about where it should be pitched on the back grass) and both mats and sleeping bags unfolded, mat and pillow inflated (very easy!) and ready for the night we went back into the house for an evening in comfy chairs and dinner before retiring to the cold English outdoors at 10pm.

Falling asleep was easy but it didn't last long. I woke up with my arms freezing despite being inside the sleeping bag and after employing all types of warming up tricks like rubbing arms, curling up, lying on my front, I just couldn't go back to sleep. Time? 2.30am

"Are you awake" I ask
"I am now" muffled reply from the dark shape next to me
"I am absolutely freezing!"
"Do you want to go back inside?"
"Yes please..."

Well that was the end of our English tent trial.

Despite the failure to stay the night, lessons were learnt.

1. Patience when pitching is paramount
2. How to inflate my sleeping mat
3. How to fold both my sleeping mat and bag away in the morning making small packs of both of them
4. Don't forget you need layers when sleeping in a thin tent! Memories of French nights springs to mind when the nights really cool down despite very hot days
5. When repacking the panniers make sure that they are the same height so that the rackbag doesn't look like it's about to fall off!

Better next time in Brittany!

Posing at the Village shop just after our trial run

We thought it worth that you see the load from behind!

Tent pitched in the backgarden ready for the nights' inhabitants

The porch area of the tent was useful to store our luggage in the night

Two days before departure

Welcome to my blog!

My assumption is that this blog will primarily be read by those interested in doing the same trip so for their benefit, I will post as much as possible to help with the pre-planning, the route, the packing and the whole trip. You probably searched online for St.Malo or Santander - or maybe just cycling abroad. Which ever way you landed here, I am pleased you found me! 

Anticipation, stress, excitement - all words that can define my fluctuating mood at the moment.

This trip has been in planning for years now.  To be exact, five years ago we cycled Eurovelo 15 from Basel to Rotterdam and got totally hooked on the the slow motion way to do a tour. Ever since coming back, we've been thinking about what we can do next and for some reason, cycling from St Malo to Santander was our next dream trip. It's been so long ago that we decided this is the one that I can't quite remember why. Might be the French influence as we camp annually in France and have come across touring cyclist with heavily laden bikes, pedalling away under the bright French sun.

"I wish I was them" was most probably what lead us to today - counting the hours down to our departure.