So this trip has been a while in the making. The ferry tickets were bought back in 2020 before the pandemic hit. Thanks to Brittany Ferries for making it so easy to change and rebook! The original ticket was booked as a return from Portsmouth to St. Malo, but as you can see from the map we are now sailing to Santander, a 2 day trip. Then down through Spain to meet up with Marcello in Lagos.
How to prepare though.
Equipment:
We will need to have bags to take our kit into the boat. 2 of these should do it, as recommended by Stuart
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- Highlander Cargo Bag 100L Durable Canvas Holdall Ideal for Travel or as a Sport Duffle Bag
- We also got a 60 litre one.
- I will need to be able to work on websites while travelling. Jackery 240, see it here in a test.
- It will charge from the leisure or vehicle battery – good for when driving, also from the van solar panel or from mains 240v. I think it will keep my lap top going for a good 4-6 hours
- Also, what about wifi access. A Kume 4g antenna and a huawai mifi may help. Luckily I can test it next week while on our pre-holiday with Sue’s Mum and Dad.
- Also, no room for our lovely but massive awning. So we will need a small, lightweight windbreak for sitting out in the shade of the awning on the side. Thanks to Janet who gave me this for my 60th Birthday! Very generous.
- Deck shoes for Sue – very smart ones.
But that is about it, I think.
Route:
This is the planned route so far:
- Southampton – Portsmouth
- Ferry from Portsmouth to Santander
- Santander to Lagos, Portugal
- Marco’s boat , Away Days, Lagos to Tangiers (park the van up in Portugal)
- 1-2 weeks in Tangiers
- Ferry back to Tarifa and then back to pick up the van.
- Up the Portuguese coast to see Eva in Pontevedra, or A Coruna.
- Along the north Spanish coast and up into France ab=ndstopping off for a few days to see Fran and Dave
- Then up to St Malo to see my old boss Sue Oliva
- Then the ferry from St Malo to Portsmouth
- Portsmouth to Southampton
And then after a couple of days rest down to Cornwall for a festival.
Phew…… Or so we thought
Having spoken in more detail with Marcelo we now understand that Morocco is closed for private vessels. So the alternative is that we sell to Ceuta which will still serve Marcelo’s purpose but as there is not much to see there, then we would sail back to Spain and go along more of the coast, possibly all the way to Valencia. From there, we would then fly/train back to Faro and pick up the van and continue the journey as planned.
Covid and Documentation:
We will have to get our covid docs and passenger locator forms sorted out. Printed out and on the phone in the apple wallet.
Also, van insurance and the V5 registration docs.
Also passports, driving licence.