Day 59- Portsmouth to Bournemouth.
We had a longer ride today which included 2 short ferry crossings which saved a huge amount of distance.
The first ferry rides was down near the Naval Museum so it was a short trip which Steve and I made to get some breakfast near the terminal. We found something at the Co-Op that resembled coffee and I had 3 average hash browns.
Crossing the ferry was simple and short and we alighted to begin the rest of the ride. I had some problem with my radar light and tried to sort it out… I made my was along the route on the Garmin and after a few kms I got a call from Steve to say was I ok and I said I was happy to take my time as I have a constant cough and sore throat.
Anyway after another 5 or so kms I was not seeing the others and Chris rang to say I was heading inland and not along the coast. So after a bit of planning I was able to redesign a route to get back to the coast in time for the next ferry ride at Warswash. This meant I was going.to do about 110 kms for the day….. bugger!
Anyway I caught up the the other 2 having a coffee waiting for me and the second ferry which was due to leave at about 10.00 am.
To be frank I was really pleased with the way I adjusted the ride to get back on course. I am not sure what happened with the Garmin after getting off the ferry in Portsmouth…. It was saying I was on course but it seemed to have a mind of its own,
We hopped on the second ferry at Warswash which was tiny but we and our bikes together with about 8 other locals made the trip across the inlet
After this it was on to Plymouth where the big cruise ships are anchored in the harbour. The travel through this part of the route was through industrial and port related country. Very dull and required good navigation with Chris leading the charge. We stopped at a Webber distributor who was cooking some lovely chicken tortillas which we got for free!
After this it was on to the New Forest which is a huge area of reserved land for local animals and wild life. We saw many wild horses along the route which seemed very docile.
We stopped at a little town called Minstead where the town was having their annual fair. The pace was buzzing and we had sandwiches and cakes with a cup of English tea.
After this we continued through the forest which included some good climbing at various times.
After this we moved to to Christchurch for a drink and a photo for Chris. It seems to be a lovely little town with many visitors for the summer.
Speaking of the weather it was about 20 degrees most of the day with clouds and intermittent sunshine.
After Christchurch it was on Bournemouth which seemed to take forever for me… my Garmin and battery were both flat so for the last 20kms I could not see the route.
When we arrived at our accommodation at 5.00 pm there was a bit of confusion as they were expecting us at 7.00 pm…. Anyway sanity prevailed and we were in the room and showered pretty quickly.
I must admit I was a bit under the weather today with a cough and sore throat, I was also feeling a little weak in the legs… anyway I made it through the day of 110 kms , the biggest day for me on this ride.
Happy that I can now have a rest for another day of riding tomorrow
The pictures today are:
The route including my detour
The second ferry and what we crossed
Me waiting at the ferry terminal!
Photos of the town fair in Minstead
The New Forest !!!
Afternoon tea in Christchurch
A photo of our room in Bournemouth…. Very comfortable
