APRIL 11 - Up early for the drive to the ferry at Pembroke Dock in Wales. Originally, our transport left from Fishguard, but Stena Line cancelled the trip. Fortunately, they automatically placed us on an Irish Ferries departure at roughly the same time, but at a different port. I knew far enough ahead of time that I could seamlessly change our travel plan.
Most of the drive is along the M4, skirting north of Bristol and across the Severin River on the impressive Prince of Wales Bridge. Now entering Wales, with its flag of a red dragon on a field of green. Signs now posted both in English and Welsh. Learn that the Welsh word for ‘services’ is ‘gwasanaethau’.
No pictures of the ferry, wasn’t much to show anyway. There were at least five levels for cars below deck. Like most ferries, there was a race for the best chairs with a view of the gray, endless expanse. A bit of rolling seas but not too bad. The windows looking out from the lounge deck are heavily stained with salt. Odette is sorely disappointed that we do not see any animal en route, save a few gulls.
Driving in the British Iles takes a bit of getting used to. Besides the need to invert sense of left and right, the roads themselves present a challenge. Other than the main freeways, normal country roads and city streets tend to be just a bit wider than the average vehicle. This means that buses and trucks tend to take up slightly more than their lane. Smaller country roads are much narrower than this, often just one lane, forcing drivers to negotiate in deciding who goes first. The situation is complicated by parking, as street parking usually takes up some of the lane space. Even on a busy city street, there may be need to wait for other vehicles to pass.
United Kingdom (England) IRepublic of Ireland