After a such a lovely Indian summer at the end of October, it was unfortunate having cold and wet days in which to prepare for my departure. So it was that when it was time to get the van moved out and on to my drive, it had to be done in the rain.

Although my sailing wasn't due to leave until 22. 30 on Sunday 2nd of November, I decided to begin my 70 mile journey whilst it was still light. The drive down the A3 was uneventful and done in fairly light traffic. In spite of having five hours in hand when I reached Portsmouth, already there were two long queues waiting for check in to open. We didn't have long to wait. They opened within fifteen minutes. Gradually I crawled towards the kiosk to be greeted by a young 'mademoiselle' who only required my passport and booking reference. She handed me a boarding card and an electronic cabin door key, then said Excuse me I need to measure your caravan. With that she left her cabin and disappeared behind the car. I've heard that measuring happens at some ports, but I haven't met it before. Having satisfied herself, she returned to her seat, smiled sweetly and told me to proceed. I went forward to where we were sorted into various lanes according to the size and type of our vehicles. . As we were told to be back at our vehicles at 20. 00 hours, I went into my van to enjoy a pre-prepared dinner. The Cap Finistere docked just before 8pm and shortly afterwards we moved to the quayside and formed queues ready forboarding.

Eventually my queue began to move forward, so I started the engine, slipped into gear and stalled. .......... Started the engine again, selected first gear. .... and stalled again. I then realized that however much I pressed the accelerator, the revs didn't increase. Panic. ..........!!! The Brittany Ferries guy was frantically waving me to come forward and I could do nothing. I got out to tell him, and then went back to the car. I switched on and off a few times, and eventually the engine behaved as normal. I was able to get on my way. The joys of modern technology!! Long gone is the cable which connected the pedal to the fuel pump. Now it's a sensor which sends electronic signals to the computer. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I know which is more reliable. However, I'm relieved to say the fault didn't show itself again.

By 9. 45 I was installed in my cabin, which was an inside one with two berths one at ground level and the other one reached by a ladder. With a small wardrobe and ensuite shower and toilet room, it's adequate for the two night crossing. Internet is available in various places on board, although the connection is extremely slow. Sea conditions in the channel were moderate so I was able to enjoy a good night's sleep. At 7am we docked in Roscoff for a change of crew and to allow a few cars to board.

The stay was supposed to be of 90 minutes duration but it was 11. 30am before we were under way. The reason for the over-long visit was never explained.

The rocky coastline together with all the outcrops of rock sticking up out of the sea must make it difficult for the ship the size of Cap Finistere to berth in Roscoff. On our second night, spent in Biscay I was aware of rather more rolling in the ship. A couple of times I felt I was about to be tipped out of bed! Most people on board were up early ready for the 6. 45 arrival. We were called to rejoin our vehicles. But then the wait started I suppose that's the penalty for having a ferry with only one loading deck. Although vehicles are stored on three levels, two decks wait whilst the lowest is cleared. Even cars on the mezzanine were unloaded before we were waved forward. Thus I didn't move until 45 minutes after the first vehicle rolled off the ramp.

By 8. 15 I had left the dockyard area behind and was heading for the AP68, then the AP1 the toll motorway to Burgos. It isn't essential to use this toll route but it saves having to drive through towns and along single carriageway roads. And the service areas make it convenient for breaks. If one is heading for the Costa del Sol, this toll is the only one you need use. There are toll motorways around Madrid but there's no benefit in using them the dual carriageways are fine. . By the time Burgos was reached, my dashboard info was indicating that I'd reached a height of 3260 feet. Not surprising that my mpg figure was a disappointing 26. 7mpg. Since last year the kiosk attendants at the toll booths have joined the unemployed and tolls tickets now need to be put into a machine with the indicated fee. From Bilbao the charge is 21. 50 After Burgos the road to Madrid is an excellent dual carriageway surface. . My route plan was to stop overnight at Riaza, a village not far from the main road, then journey on the next day, through Segovia and Avila, but when I arrived close to my stop, the rain had started, the dashboard was showing 6C and the sky was black. A quick decision was needed. I gambled on finding better weather over the mountains and closer to Madrid. The climb over Somosierra was ahead of me so dropping down a couple of gears, I began the long pull to the top. When the tunnel was reached, outside temperature was down to 2C and then came the long run down the other side. But already I could see brighter weather ahead. I reached La Cabrera at Km57 a useful night halt which I've used several times in the past, but decided to plod on through Madrid and head for Aranjuez 60 or so miles away to the south of the city. By the time I was in Madrid the temperature had risen to a much better 17C with a bright blue sky. I chose to follow Tom tom's suggestion for the M40 ring road, but a peculiarity of this route is that the exit for the A4 is made from lane three the fast lane so it's a hair raising few minutes getting the outfit into the fast moving traffic flow. Not many drivers want to slow down to let a towed caravan in front of them. There are three ring roads around the city. The M30 goes the closest to the centre, then the M40 makes a slightly wider ring, and finally the M50 which is the outer ring. The M50 usually carries the least traffic but it adds approximately 12 miles to the journey if driving north/south.

It was around 4. 15pm as I arrived at the camp site at Aranjuez and decided to book for two nights. Always plenty of room at this time of year so I selected a pitch with a fairly easy reverse angle. But it's never easy when travelling without a passenger to guide you back. . After having got out of the car twice to check for trees, a neighbour came to guide me. Satisfied with my position, I got out to thank him and to my utter surprise, he said I've just been reading your blog. Apparently he saw my CT sticker in the back window, but also recognised me from a picture.

Legs went down first then I plumbed in the water, connected the electric and got the kettle on for a long awaited cup of tea. With the water boiler filling, I sat back for a well-earned rest. By the time I'd recuperated from the day's efforts it was almost dark but then realized there was no water at the taps. Outside to investigate at the Aquaroll. There was no sound from the pump. A quick check with a multimeter showed 13volts at the socket, so having filled the boiler, the pump decided it had reached the end of its life. All I could do was leave it till tomorrow.

Pictures are at Portsmouth.

Third pic is the new crew boarding at Roscoff.

This blog with more pictures may be followed at http://jondogoescaravanning. wordpress. com/who-we-were-who-i-am/ Find it in the European section.