By Philip

Miles : 7, Ascent : 180’

And here we are! The day has arrived for the start of this expedition. An early start to ensure we had time to complete the long list of final jobs, make lunch, pack, and catch the 11:38 train from Epsom Downs to Victoria. The funny thing is that it will take us longer to get to Roscoff than it did to get to Seattle last year! Preparing this time has felt much more familiar – I’m sure I won’t be able to find anything for a few days, but at least it all went into the panniers, which for me weighed in at 14.5Kg which isn’t bad for a four week holiday. The sun is out, and we’re looking forward to getting under way.

 A successful departure, with bikes loaded and the obligatory photos taken, and a little half mile bimble to Epsom Downs station. It’s nice being at the end of the line, so there were no people jostling to find seats while we negotiated two heavy bikes into the bike storage area. We’re on our way!

We arrived on time in to Victoria and then took our time reattaching panniers before walking through the station. The ride to Paddington was mostly (after cycling round Hyde Park corner — eek!) in Hyde Park and was delightful – peaceful, with lots of people walking, running, cycling and playing volleyball. It was a different way to see this very busy part of London. Approaching the station we passed a bride and bridesmaid in full regalia, just walking down Praed street. Paddington is heaving, but we found a spot to park up and eat some lunch … first meal stop of the trip!

Liz had warned me that it might be tricky getting the bikes on the train, but I hadn’t anticipated JUST how stressful it would be. The platform was announced 6 minutes before departure, and our carriage was the last but one furthest from the ticket barrier. A brisk walk, then luggage off and bikes on board … only to find it was physically impossible to mount the bike on the holders provided – basically our wheels/tyres are too fat. We ended up leaving them horizontal, with bunjies holding them in place. We are now waiting with bated breath to see the guard’s reaction when he sees them …

… and he was fine … realised what we’d done and why, and that the door was not completely obstructed. Now we can relax. The train is less than half full, and we are puzzled by the number of seats which are marked as reserved from London but are empty. We have moved from our windowless seats to seats with a view, and are chilling. 

The train journey was lovely – sunny all the way, and an amazing stretch at Dawlish along the coast. We arrived at Plymouth a few minutes late, and found unloading the bikes easier than loading them. A ride to the port once we’d reattached luggage, and then a trip to Aldi to buy salads for dinner, which we had on a convenient wall looking out over the harbour. Time to go and check in for our crossing. 

The check in was straightforward, but apparently we shouldn’t have gone past a traffic cone and got shouted at … I looked behind me and wobbled, and promptly fell off. Humph. No damage done but pride dented. Now queueing to get on the ferry, and then I’ll upload this blog post once we’ve found our cabin. A good, successful first day with six different legs.