Calais

An early start. Walking by 7.10am. Not by choice obviously but I had 11 miles to cover before a 12.10pm deadline for ferry check-in.

Uneventful walk although I did have my first barbed wire fence to cross. Amused by some of the local signs. Not sure if they have had folk blindly following sat-navs and driving whopping SUVs down these little paths but strangely they don’t see a problem for half the year.

Had a horrific ferry crossing as rain forced me inside only to be faced with thousands of over-excited school children on bus trips abroad. Suspect their minders had sensibly found solace in a bar somewhere leaving their charges to go feral. Oddly there seemed to be less of them the longer the crossing went on. Suspect we were leaving a long trail of gently bobbing heads behind us, or perhaps they had just found someone else to annoy.

It took some time to negotiate leaving the port. Barbed wire everywhere. I did seem to be the only person attempting to walk from the port to town. At least the French seem pleased to see me. Even declared it a national holiday, calling it Bastille Day presumably as Stuart Day would be too difficult for them to pronounce. I think fireworks are a bit over the top though.

Tonight’s hotel suggested a local restaurant. Took one look at their menu and headed off for a PaniniLand instead. Meal deal of kebab sandwich, frites and a drink came to 7€50 which I think the gaffer back home will consider more suitable for a pilgrim with 90 dinners to fund.Read more