Okay,
perhaps it wasn’t the greatest idea we’ve ever had to make a trip from Brittany
to the UK and back again in less than 36 hours, but here’s how it came about in
such a hurry ……….
Steve and
I had been in our new home for about 6 weeks when we decided to get a dog. Not
just any dog of course, but a rescue dog, and not just any rescue dog. Oh no,
if we’re going to have a dog, while up to our ears in renovating a house, then
let’s make sure it’s one who has never lived in a house in his life, and is
therefore not house trained; add to that a background of abandonment and ill
treatment, which makes the poor thing frightened of just about everything and
everyone. Yes, let’s have THAT dog, oh and make it a BIG dog too - J
Welcome
to Merlin.
So, what
has this got to do with us going to the UK and back again in less than 36
hours? Well it all came down to two things.
The cost of travel
Someone to care for Merlin
Merlin's care was our paramount concern
We
realised that ferry costs were becoming startlingly high with the advent of the
summer holidays. A quick price check put a return trip on the ferry with the
Land Rover and trailer at an exorbitant €700 return! The Channel Tunnel was a more reasonable
€200, so the Tunnel it was.
Up until
this point, we had managed to avoid the Tunnel and for good reason. One only
has to turn on the news to see the trouble going on both sides of the Channel,
with riots and violence breaking out on an almost weekly basis. Delays and
frayed tempers are common place, hence we had always used the ferries. In
addition, it is almost a 7 hour drive for us to get to the Tunnel, compared
with a mere hour and a half to the closest ferry. But the Tunnel it was.
The next
big question was what to do about Merlin. A nervous and highly anxious dog, it
was untenable to even contemplate taking him with us. To expect any dog to
spend that length of time in a car without much of a break is totally unfair. Added
to this was the fact that the weather was too hot for him to spend time in the back of the Land Rover, plus when he is anxious he won’t eat or
drink properly; it was obvious that we needed to identify someone to care for
him.
What about me?
Thankfully,
help was at hand from a lovely lady called Wendy who agreed to care for Merlin
in her own home for 2 days and one night. We knew what a task she was taking on
and were extremely grateful to her. However, due to other commitments, her
window of opportunity for looking after Merlin was small, and in the end it was
either, make the trip in 4 days’ time, or leave it until September when the
prices go down a bit. Decision made; I
booked for 4 days’ time.
I had
little sleep the night before as I fretted about getting to Wendy’s in good
time with Merlin and trying to get him settled before we dashed off. We left
our house at 6am, and it was at this point that the Sat Nav decided;
“I know, let’s
go the scenic route”.
There ensued a frustrating journey, which at any other
time would have had me exclaiming in delight. “Oh look at those lovely woods”
or, “What a pleasant little one track road this is; and with so many lovely
twists and turns”! However, when you are towing a trailer with a fretful dog in transit, and on a tight
schedule it’s no joke. Thankfully, we arrived in good time and Merlin was
introduced to his temporary home – complete with 2 cats, which set his tail
wagging like a flag!
Off we
went in the direction of the Tunnel; ignoring the Sat Nav’s attempts to send us
back the same way, we managed to navigate to the main road and we were
off. As is my habit when we go on a road
trip, I had packed a picnic and flask. As is also my habit, I began to eat it
almost as soon as we were on our way. Steve on the other hand, was in his, “Man
on a Mission” mode, refusing all offers of ham and cheese sandwiches on fresh
baked soft white French bread, and snatching water only when necessity drove
him to it.
The miles
flew by, and finally I was able to appreciate the scenery and beauty of the
area, in which we are lucky enough to live.
We are lucky to live in such a lovely area
Sunrise in the Cote D'Armor
However,
my good mood quickly evaporated as we arrived at the Tunnel. After a drive of
almost 7 hours, the last thing we needed were delay, but, delays we had. Two
hours of them to be precise. As we sat
in the long static queue, we gave thanks that Merlin was not in the back of the
Land Rover. It was hot and tedious and he would have been a very unhappy dog. We
finally made it onto our train and made the quick 25 minute crossing to the UK.
THEN the
fun began L we had been spoiled by
the wide open spaces of France, and had almost forgotten the congestion on the
roads in England. It seemed that the M25 was one giant car park. The M1 was no
better, with bumper to bumper tail backs for miles. It was Friday evening rush
hour and the whole world seemed to be on a journey to somewhere. What should
have been a 4 hour trip took 6 hours and once again, we were grateful that we
had not brought Merlin.
We finally
made it to our destination in Derbyshire and immediately ordered a Chinese
takeaway! Some things are just necessary J
After
refuelling ourselves, we set about loading up. Our belongings had been stored
at Steve’s mum’s, and so into the attic, shed and bedroom closet we went,
rooting out boxes, suitcases, guitars, speakers, amplifiers and much more. It
was a bit like Christmas, with long forgotten things seeing the light of day
once again. Needless to say it rained as we were loading!
Packed to the top!
Steve
soon had it all packed up, covered and amazingly, we were ready to leave again
in less than 4 hours. However, we had one more destination …………. Tesco!
Thankfully,
open 24 hours and close by, we made a trolley dash around, picking up the
things we either can’t get in France, or, which are so ridiculously expensive
as to make them prohibitive. Top of the list was Bisto gravy, followed closely
by mushy peas (for Steve not me I hasten to add, I tend not to eat anything
which is luminous green) brown sauce, and Tilda Basmati rice. Heinz beans were of course in the mix, as well as
Walker’s crisps and some Cadbury’s chocolate – all good healthy stuff of course
J
Just got to do it!
We
managed to snatch a few uncomfortable hours’ sleep in the chair and on the sofa
before it was 6 am again and time to leave.
Once again, despite it being a Saturday we hit the traffic and queued
for another 2 hours on the M1 L How
people manage to do this every day of the week is beyond me.
Arriving
with an hour to spare, I had the mother of all headaches; a combination of lack
of sleep, lack of proper food and stress. Leaving Steve to snooze in the Land Rover I set
off for the Duty Free shop in search of paracetamol. Of course we had bought
paracetamol in Tesco but could I find them? Of course not, so off I went.
Picking a pack up, I squinted at the price – wait for it – a whopping €4.95 for
12 paracetamol! “What?” I raged loudly at no one in particular “€4.95? These
are 16p in Tesco” and with that I stuffed them back on the shelf and decided to
put up with the headache.
“Did you
get some?” asked Steve when I got back.
“Are you
kidding?” was my response, “They want €4.95 for them, not likely, I’ll find the
ones I got in Tesco”
He nodded
in understanding, “Paracetamol rage?” he asked knowing me all too well.
I
admitted somewhat sheepishly there had been paracetamol rage in the shop.
There
then ensued a LOT of rooting, rummaging and generally annoying behaviour as I determined
to find the lost tablets, my headache worsening by the minute. Finally I
managed to find them, and felt extremely satisfied in NOT having wasted €4.95. I felt better almost immediately J
Thankfully,
the return Tunnel was free of delays and we even managed to get on an earlier
train. As we drove off in France, we both exhaled. We were home, and despite
having the 7 hour return trip ahead of us, we felt a sense of relief. There was
not one hold up on the way home, no traffic jams, no road works, no stress,
just a lovely drive through the wide open spaces of the country we are proud to
call our home.
We called
at home and literally threw everything in the door before going to pick Merlin
up.
Stuff!
More stuff!
It was late when we got there, but Merlin had his bags packed and was ready to
come home. He had, of course, been fine. He had made friends with the cats, and
also met some tame sheep and been spoiled rotten by his auntie Wendy J
Home again
I think
it took all three of us a good week to get over the journey and settle back
into a routine again. It was tiring beyond belief, but for the first time in
six years, we have all our stuff in one place – at home.
Feels good
J
I looked
at Steve and smiled. He had driven the whole 1400 mile round trip without once
losing his cool or getting rattled. He had also turned in to the wild man of
Borneo! I mean it had only been 2 days for goodness sake, but without regular
grooming, Steve reverts to caveman mode. His bristles grow at an alarming rate,
and his hair, well, let’s not go there. Let’s just say we were both glad when
he showered and shaved the next day!
***
Merlin
has been with us now for almost three months and has become somewhat of a celebrity.
He has his own Facebook page;
AND he
has his story in print and available as a download from Amazon;
In this short story, you can read all about Merlin and the progress he has made to date in his new home. We love him dearly and he has quickly become a part of our lives and has a special place in our hearts.
Please visit
my website at www.freyabarrington.com
for more details about my writing.
I have a new book due out, entitled Caught in Traffick, which given this trip is quite appropriate! The book will be published very soon, so watch out for that one.
Happy
Summer everyone
Freya
What an epic dash! I don't miss the English motorway queues either.
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