dst. (㎞) Today 29.20 Trip total ?? Odometer 1077.1
Six weeks until I see Jo, and I’ve got a broken tooth. Feeling just a little depressed today, the grey English weather isn’t helping. On re-checking the calendar I found that it’s seven weeks, not six.
A lazy day, I rode the 12 ㎞ or so through Studland and the coastal park to the ferry then paid my 80p to cross to Poole. The ferry prices are strange, I’ve paid anything from 80p to £3.50, and it would have cost £4.50 to cross Exmouth! The prices seem to depend on whether the ferry is oriented at tourism, or is a functional replacement for a bridge. Found that the ferry today doesn’t go to Jersey, so I bought a ticket on the , paid my £51, then lazed around in Poole on the Quay, watching the boats in the harbour and the passers-by. Directly across from where I was sitting is the boat-builder for one of the multi-millionaire off-shore cruiser boat firms, there are some fantastic looking boats being built.
The white cliffs as we leave from Poole
The ferry ride was a bit of an anti-climax, no reading material because I’d left it all in my bags, and nobody to talk to. One thing that caught my eye was a plaque with a map of Tasmania on the wall. The ferry is built in Tasmania, and seems to be more successful at crossing the English channel then they are at crossing Bass Strait.
A problem I found with leaving at 4 pm was that I didn’t arrive in Jersey until , after the tourist office had closed. With no idea of where to stay and it rapidly getting darker, I rode around and around looking for an affordable B&B and eventually found that £25 a night was all that was available — but only if I booked in for two nights!
A bite to eat and a walk along the foreshore, then I sat with a pint and listened to some Karaoke in a bar. Strangely, nearly everyone who tried could sing — one big guy called Andy had the most amazing deep voice. I left near closing time and nearly forgot which street was home, but found it after only one false start.
Where?
Swanage(50.6,-1.9666667), Studland, Poole, St Helier
