Day 1 of The Italian Job

Destination: Brittany Ferries, Portsmouth

For my travel to France I had opted to take an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen rather then travel by Eurotunnel to Calais.  The main reason for this was to gain an extra day for my trip and save a day in my annual leave.  By travelling overnight, and arriving in Caen, it meant I could reduce significantly reduce the amount of time I would need to drive in France before reaching my next stop.

At every point, I used Google maps to check and double check the mileages, the travel times and the time I was spending in the driving seat.  After all, this was the adventure of a lifetime and I didn’t want to be too tired to enjoy it!

Of course, everything was logged on my spreadsheet, and I’ve added a clip of that below. 

Image of a spreadsheet for Day 1 of The Italian Job

There were actually quite a few more columns, as I was also tracking things like costs, but I’ll go into more depth on that in the next few posts!

Ferry Crossing: the Mont St Michel

I reached Portsmouth in good time and proceeded to the Ferry terminal.  It was well signposted and so easy to reach I was almost concerned I was in the wrong place!  However I need not have worried, the ensuing 1.5 hour wait for passport control confirmed to me that I was.

Picture of the Mont St Michel ferry

I’d not been on a ferry for some years, and hadn’t been driving the last time so I guess the whole ’embarking’ process had passed me by.  I recommend having something to keep you occupied while you wait and possibly using the loo before you get to the ferry terminal because once you’re in the queue you have limited options!

As I had the TentBox, my car was judged to be a ‘tall vehicle’ which is why it took a bit longer to be onboarded.  So I assume any other ‘TentBoxers’ will face a similar wait.

I was really impressed with the check-in process once I got there though, just needed to show my passport.  Everything else appeared to be handled electronically as my car registration was linked to my booking.

Once boarded, I had a wander round the ferry, checking my cabin, the decks, duty free etc. I really liked my cabin, sofa/bed was comfy, bathroom was clean and nicely laid out, and I even had a lovely pressie from the crew!  

It wasn’t too long before we set sail and having waved goodbye to Portsmouth, I headed for the bar.  

A picture of Portsmouth harbour

Turns out it was Karaoke night onboard the Mont St Michel.  It was such good fun I ended up staying until midnight, expecting to sleep until at least 5am. 

This is a warning to anyone travelling overnight … the breakfast alarm sounds throughout the ferry just after 4am!  I was slightly less than enthusiastic about this, especially as I don’t eat breakfast.  But I headed down to the cafeteria and loaded up on caffeine for what was going to be a long day.

For those who do like a decent brekkie, it did seem very well organised and there was a good range of options available.  

Hello to the other side!

Heading up onto the deck, I could see the coast of France was now visible so it wasn’t going to be too long before we would be called to head down to our cars.

A picture of the French coastline

Turns out it was a blessing having waited so long to be onboarded as I was among the first off.  It was super quick and before I had chance to load my maps I was through the French border control and on my way!

It had been a while since I’ve driven in Europe and I was more than a little anxious once I was actually on the road.  So much so that I might have followed the campervan in front of me for a bit longer than I should.  I would very much recommend getting your SatNav sorted in advance, so that you aren’t stressed on arrival in France.

I use the Waze app, and have to say it was absolutely brilliant throughout my trip.  Remember to change your miles to kilometers and it’ll not only keep you safe but legal.

For details of my first full day in France, check out Day 2!!