Ramada Inn Encore Derby

... by 9.30 but about 9.50 I realised that I was stalling: the huge reality of the situation was causing me to shy away and dither rather than taking action - it was probably behind my stomach cramps too. :-)

This was not really a surprise - the North Staffs (and South Cheshire) region has been my primary area of residence for 10 of the last 12 years, and is the only place I have lived where ...

... dinner last Saturday - it was fantastic! And to say to my mum - can't wait for our second christmas dinner this Sunday - woohoo!

Very excited at the moment about going on our adventure - but going to miss all our fantastic friends and family!

Ash

Ps won't miss the cold mind. brrr.

Today, for the first time, I saw what it will all look like on the road - and now you can too. The pictures attached show everything that is to be taken (excluding what is kept on my person) in a loaded state.

As you can see I have eventually opted for panniers to drop the weight and it improves handling dramatically ...

... for now ;-)), I'm most excited about the sleeper train, it's so much more interesting then sitting in Manchester Airport for 4 hours! We'll be squeezing into a tiny cabin, with a triple bunk bed on an 11 hour journey...shutting the curtains in Germany and opening them in Denmark.....and it's cheaper (what with a lack of luggage limits saving me from extortionate Easy Jet add-ons!)

I'll keep updating this as I start booking hostels and buying things for Denmark!

So I'm back in Stoke after my brief trip back to Cumbria (where, sadly I did not see everybody that I could have). I would just like to say now that if I didn't get a chance to catch up with anyone during the whirlwind that was the last couple of months then I'm sorry and I'll see you down the road.

With a little over 10 days til departure three goals need to be achieved:

1 ...

So there we have it - the ferry is booked! I will be taking the 'King of Scandanavia' out of the country at 1700 on the 5th December. It's another one of those milestone events that forces one to reflect on the reality of the situation; however fear has given way to anticipation on that score.

For a few hours yesterday I considered "copping out" with the Dover to Calais crossing - being cheaper ...

... 45 minutes while he takes his break, what a joke! We stop at a service station and I wait around while he takes his break and we get on our way again. Finally I arrive at Helena and Phil's house at 00:30 and sneak in a get straight to bed. What a day!!!

... who has come to return us to normality.

Normality? Whatever’s that going to be? The stay in Portugal may have offset any kind of celebratory homecoming or did it help to ease us gradually back down to earth, after what has undoubtedly been the adventure of a lifetime? We’ve seen fantastic sights and experienced amazing things that will stay with us forever. This was a trip that was only in our dreams and was never ...

... going to the Derby Museum and Art Gallery. We only saw a little bit of the museum because there is just so much to see we ran out of time. The most impressive was a 10 meter long boat which was only found a few years ago under the silt in the Trent River right here in Derby. It has been carbon dated to 3500 years ago, can you imagine that! It is over 10 meters long and was made from the hollowed out trunk of one single tree. It was found with some of ...

... filmed within Chatsworth House. The gardens and fountains, statue gallery and main entrance all depicted Mr Darcey's mansion in the movie. So go rent the movie and you will see the splendor of this mansion. The Peak District backdrop to Chatsworth is what really makes this place a real gem. Yes, the multitude of gardens, water fountains and walking paths are wonderful but the surrounding Peak ...