A crisp yet mild air greeted us as we put our few things back in the campervan. We are loading up ready for our ferry crossing from Poole to Jersey. After yesterdays fun it was time to start the journey for real.
The clock on the dashboard reminds us it is 6 am as we trundle out of Wareham town centre. We are today heading to Poole Ferry Terminal to catch our ferry to Jersey.
The 6 am drive doesn’t pass without its stresses. But, if I had to move a 10 foot wide mobile home from A to B, I would choose 6am in the morning too.
So I suppose we could have no complaints when we got stuck behind someone doing exactly that.
This made our 20-minute drive 30. But we made it. Boarding the ferry was a smooth as it could be. We wait in line, confident we would soon be trundling aboard.
The ferry crossing from Poole to Jersey – We board
Sure enough, 30 minutes later we nestled into our reserved seats in the Ocean Plus lounge. A £7 upgrade ensured we had a table to spread out on.
One thing we promise ourselves is that we need to learn how to disable the alarm on the campervan. Rocking around below deck, it is bound to sound off at some time.
Scheduled to stop first at Guernsey, 75% of the 3-hour crossing passed without incident. A mild sickness feeling, exaggerated by tiredness, makes the final part not quite as enjoyable.
Max had the right idea, snoozing in mummy’s arms for 90 minutes, waking up full of beans. The short hop from Guernsey to Jersey was quiet and event free.
The time comes and we all traipse back to cars and vans. We disembark with no real story to tell. Some lines got held up by tardy passengers returning to them, but not us.
We creep off the boat onto land. A ‘straight-on’ instead of a left turn sees us sightsee 5 miles of country lanes. Soon we are back on the A1 and on track.
The A1 on Jersey is chalk and cheese compared to the A1 in London I am used to!
The ferry crossing from Poole to Jersey – Arriving at Jersey
We make it to our families house, who we are visiting. A beautiful Mediterranean style bungalow. Situated at the end of a tree-lined lane, it is the perfect place to spend the next 48 hours.
The rest of the day we spend around the pool. Watching the kids jumping in out, a cold drink or two.
A sip of cold beer and I close my eyes. Children shouting and laughing. Usually followed by a splash. The family dog barking, edging closer to the pool but retreating as soon as the threat of water appears.
There is a shout, followed by tears. Max takes a double wasp sting to his right eye. The cream is applied, but the tears still flow. Ice cubes and wet cotton wool fails too.
An ice lolly does the trick! Remarkable.
The afternoon merges into the evening with a BBQ for 15. A long day draws to a close and with full tummies and a mildly fuzzy head, we head to bed. A good nights sleep is needed, ready for a day at one of Jersey’s glorious beaches tomorrow.
