Overnight ferry crossing - Portsmouth - St.Malo - Brittany Ferries, aboard Bretagne - 17/18th September
Now we're on the south coast, we are well-placed for ferry crossings from Portsmouth. The Pompey - St. Malo crossing is the longest Channel crossing, taking eleven hours out (overnight) and nearly nine hours back (daytime). Much prefer this to the equivalent time flying economy class or in the car, heading up to Scotland. Unlike with those other means of travel, I could actually enjoy the crossings and saw them as part of the holiday (rather than a grind at the beginning and end).
The sailing time was 8.30pm, but we left in good time, getting to the continental ferry port about two hours earlier. Didn't have to wait too long in the car as began loading vehicles onto the car decks soon after we arrived. Sun setting over Portsmouth Harbour as we boarded. Once aboard, found our cabin. An expensive extra (about £65 for a twin, ensuite) but it was worth it for an overnight crossing and assurance that we'd be less tired when we got to France. I'd expected a pokey bunk, like they have on sleeper trains. I think some were, but we had twin beds and, considering we were aboard a ferry taking 600 or so people, it was quite roomy.
After dumping our stuff here, we went up to the top, open decks to enjoy the afterglow of the sunset over the harbour. Many now very familiar landmarks: Fawley, Portsdown Hill, of course the Spinnaker Tower, but had views of the harbour we don't normally see. Close to the ferry port were retired / scraped naval warships such as the Arc Royal and HMS Bristol.
When the ferry left, making a very tight turn in the harbour (bow facing the land when we'd boarded), it was more of less dark. The stars coming out - Arcturus, constellations of the Great Bear, Corona Borealis, Summer Triangle (strictly and asterism), Perseus, Pegasus. I was in two minds, though about all the lights. On the one hand, they made the departure from Portsmouth much more interesting and memorable. Had it been in darkness, we'd have missed it all. The Spinnaker Tower was striking, the colour of the light underneath the viewing area changing from through blues and purples. Thanks the illumination of the other key buildings / features around the harbour: HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and Gunwharf Keys, before passing through the harbour entrance (wasn't aware of this). Then, the Southsea shore. Non-the less, the spread of light all along the shore and the skyglow rammed home how urbanised the south coast is. As I'd tried to ram home in protest letters about light pollution in the 1990s, it made everything look more urbanised by night than day. To the west, beyond the glow of the M27 corridor was glow from Bournemouth-Poole. Even on the more rural IOW, there was a fair bit of light. Both the Fawley power station chimney and the IOW TV mast became lines of vertical red lights (necessary for aircraft), the latter, visible well out to sea. But was quite so much lighting at the oil refinery necessary? Quite a bit of light offshore, too from tankers / shipping, excepting the dark container ship which left the Solent, behind us. Most notably, a tanker moored off the eastern IOW, among the ships which seemingly just park there. Looked as if it was a gas tanker, so I guess they had their reasons for mooring well off-shore, with the F'off lighting. The south coast skyglow was still visible well after the land here had disappeared over the horizon.
Various facilities onboard, including a bar with stage, a self-service cafe, games rooms, "duty-free" shop. Lower decks all vehicles. All the cabins on level 6, salon seating on level 9, the second from the top. In the bar was a stage. CCEng said, "This is surreal: part concert, part bar, pat boat.".
Though tempting to stay up all night watching the stars / land / sea, thought it would be more sensible to try and get some sleep and be fairly alert in the morning. Cold on deck, in any case. Intially the movement of the boat was slightly giddying, but used to that, got some, if not broken sleep in the cabin. Dreams of sailing up the Rance, looking at the rocks.
Saturday 18th September - Arrival: St. Malo - Dinan - Dinan Port
An novel, though disorientating day. First of all, disorientating on board the ferry: disadvantage of European time, an hour ahead, was darker mornings at this time of the year. Admittedly, had the blind down, but woke up at 6:45am, felt more like 4:00am. As we were due to dock at 8:15am, no time to lie in. Got up a bit before CCEng (no less dosey). One of the first on the open deck, the brighter stars of Orion still visible in the twilight. Breton coast now in view, flashing lighthouse on Cap Fréhel. Crew members hosing down the deck, making it wet underfoot. When CCEng emerged from the cabin, went and had a quick cup of tea in the self-service cafe. The both went out on deck as it quickly got light. Rocky islands, islets, bouys and lighthouses nearing St. Malo. Pity we had to miss much of the arrival vacating the cabin and waiting in the car, on the car deck. As Brittany Ferries said in the pamphlets given to us before boarding, a complicated logistical exercise loading / unloading cars, vans and lorries off a ship this size.
Off the ship just before 9:00am. Found a car park near the port, just outside the walled old town. Pricey but handy. From then on, spent a few hours looking around St. Malo: the old town, beach, the Petit Be, pier near the port. Began by walking onto the ramparts, passed the cathedral, enjoying the views down to the beach, across to the islets of the Grand Bé, Petit Bé, and more distant Cézembre. Thought, though, we ought to get a proper breakfast. After some searching found somewhere with lots of outside seating in the square. Menus, helpfully in English as well as French. For about 12 Euros, had a galette (buckwheat pancake filled with ham, bacon and cheese), bread, croissants and a hot chocolate. Needed to buy a bottle of water later from a small grocery shop as the day warmed up, but the breakfast filled us up for much of the day. Didn't need lunch. Full of food, then, we continued our wanderings round the old town, the ramparts and shops. Watched the Bretagne ferry load up with more vehicles, leave and head out to sea, departing at 10:30am. Walked out across the sandy beach to the Petit Be. Given the warning notices in French English and German - fort courants - I was warey of the tide. Particularly as I didn't know what it was doing. The warnings said, do not venture out onto the causeway connecting the GB and PB with the beach, on the flood tide when the water was within ten metres of the causeway. Now it was well within that distance. I'd seen the tide go out a bit during the morning, but didn't know if it was turning or not. We got onto the Petit Bé, then. Viewed the tomb of Chateaubriand, a poet, on the east side. Watched the ferry head out to sea, the Condor catamaran (from Poole, also stopping at Jersey) speed towards the shore, admired the flowers. All very restful, but resisted the temptation to dose because of the tide. Got back across alright, though afterwards we saw the tide was coming in, and coming in quite quickly. By lunchtime, the causeway was underwater. Walked out onto the pier near the port, lighthouse at the end, watched the catamaran leave.
Left St. Malo about 2ish. Stopped off for a grocery shop just across the Barrage de la Rance. When we got to Dinan,
I didn't expect it to have quite such a mad feel to it - there was some sort of running event on, making it extra busy. It was still going on early evening when we tried to find our gite. We did, but flappery ensued for a time as the road we'd intended to take down the hill, underneath the viaduct was closed. Tired, then, when we arrived, but
felt a bit better after a cup of tea, followed by an evening wander along the Rance through the port, across the Pont Gothique, along the other side to the waterworks. Back again, there being no other bridge. Port area bustling in the evening sunshine (the plus side to the hour ahead) with boats and eateries. Views of the viaduct beyond the bridge.
