so, the phone goes thursday “fancy a trip to spain then mat?” ( i knew i was going a few weeks before), yup, what leave wednesday says i? “no, ship out sunday, finish loading in holland monday morning, tip and ring in” that will do me fine, may even be back for the weekend!
so i get to the yard sunday morning, one other chap in, hes off to the albert hall solo to load in the evening. i have a mega step trailer so i guess im bringing it back with me (some trailers are being left down there with people coming home solo) as it will be needed on a different tour. so, my daily checks done, its off to ipswich, and a quick stop in tescos for some supplies and hit the road again. its an uneventful drive down to the m25, once again the wonderful toll on the queen elizabeth bridge snarls the traffic up for no reason whatsoever (why not scrap the toll on the bridge, and increase the tunnel slightly, preferably to a round number insead of something stupidly arkward just to hold people up even more?!!!) and onto the a2, destination dover. i get down there about half 2 and book onto the 4pm norfolk line. last time i was here i got turned round back home, hope this wont happen this time! thankfully, no calls (well it is a sunday!), and onto the boat. the time on the quay has given me
the chance to do some of my chores, so kettle goes on, bed gets made and stuff gets put away. its rather quiet down the docks, maybe due to a french holiday monday so loading the boat takes no time at all. were off at dunkirk, and heading north, a stop will be required for adble and some diesel though, im going to go via luxembourg so wont need too much motion lotion this time.on route i see a lot of trucks belonging to norbert netzer of germany, including some new ivecos which have the scania
pigeon logo on the side of the cab same as his topliners! i wonder which i would prefer to drive, a popemobile or a swedish erf…! I stop in holland for the nessecary, and park up on the industrial estate ready to load in the morning
nothing like a queue on the bridge to hold things up!!
new bedding for the tattoo fans…
not seen the dock this empty in a while
heavy traffic in belgium, this crash had happened in it and didnt help
i get awoken by a knock at the window, 30 minutes before the alarm goes off!! well i was told to load between 9 and 10 so the alarm was for half 9 as a comprimise. i get out of bed and find the estate deserted, i didnt realise it was a holiday everywhere! no wonder the chap gave me a knock. i squeeze on the bay, its tight, and i cant get out my side of the cab as im right against another truck, so i clamber across and head inside. the “4 boxes” i was told, is actually 6, and 3 set carts. so the stuff on the back of the trailer has to come off, and with a bit of creative stacking and securing, everything is on and ready to go, after a brush of the teeth, i head south towards antwerp and brussels. i have to stop just short of luxembourg for a 45 minute break, and get chatting to a driver from MLC of cheltenham, who is heading for mulhouse. i chew the fat with him for an hour and a half, and head off into luxembourg
i stop for fuel at the aral garage (if you have never been to luxembourg, the garages are huge, multi laned affairs due to it being so cheap, and when its busy, its easy to lose a lot of time queueing
in them!) luckily as its holiday time, there is only 1 other truck on a pump, so i swiftly get 728 litres, at a price of 597 euros, its 0.81 per litre at the moment!!! from here its a very short drive to the border, as i go through the truck area as directed, as soon as customs see im not planning on stopping due to the holiday, im stopped! after a check of my permit and a double check and me telling them 3 times who its for, im allowed on my way!! i decide the best course of action is to do a 10 hour driving day, so i do another hour or so’s driving, and stop for my tea, hot ham in pepper sauce, rice and a bowl of salad in a motorway services, at about a tenner, it isnt cheap, but it is delicious, and cooked in front of my eyes, and its also very filling! back into the truck, make a brew and chill out, and its time to press on. im hoping macon for the night or there abouts, as the sun is shining its a nice drive. it also holds a special place for me heading this way as my first ever european trip at 18 was made this way to a place called charmes in france, and it always reminds me of that trip 9 years ago (how time flys!!!)
not much room left in here…
bit tight on the bay…
looks like its one of our trucks the little wendy house!
with a bit of tipping and reloading were all in and ready to go!!
deserted french roads, good progress easily made!!!
so i make macon bang on my 10 hour driving and prk up for the night. one advantage of the public holiday is that come 10pm a lot of trucks start moving, so parking isnt a problem as there is plenty of space! after a shower and a spruce up, and the obligitory cup of tea, i press on south, hoping to make barcelona by the end of the day. i manage to get there in my time, and eventually locate the correct entrance after being told the wrong one by the local police!! i pull in to a few cheers from a couple of the americans there, and wander to the main portakabin, where i grab a couple of beers before hitting the hay for the night
i love this drive down here through france
■■■■ knows what this bloke had done, right by the peage and he dropped it over!!
with the mega step trailer on
climbing towards the spanish border
i get the feeling im going to see this sign a bit more in the next few weeks!!!
i get rudly awoken ak half 7 by my mate who has double driven down with some urgent stuff, who has just got there and wants to go for breakfast!! so the 3 of us go across the road, and while one of them orders a beer i have to have a coffee! after drinks, a bit of food and a chin wag, we wander back, and they are keen to unload us, so they tip us where we are parked, my mate heads off to his hotel, and me and the other driver head to catering for a drink before i ring in to the office. i have to now head north pretty much as far as i can get in a day, then trailer change thursday night with a guy coming south who has to go back to start something else, so i will be spendng the weekend in barcelona. so i head north, out of spain, its great running empty. i do a full 4 and a half hit, stop for my break and my tea, and carry on. over the stunning millau viaduct, and through the peage i notice the douane staring at me while on his phone. as i carry on, sure enough there is a van sat at the side of the road, and sure enough, he pulls out and follows me, then pulls me into the next services after a short stop with them, and them searching truck and trailer (they are always suspicious of us coming empty from spain, i guess as no one else really does it!), im on my way again, into the evening. i love the drive up through this part of france, known as the ‘massif centrale’, its up hill and down dale, stunning scenery, and with the sun out a true pleasure to drive. i get to clermond ferrand, and decide to stop here as any further may leave me really pushing it to get back to barcelona while im loaded, so i stop short. the services has a lot of parking spaces coned off, however there is a frenchman in there who tells me i should be fine,
and as someone esle pinched the last space i was about to go into, i dont have much choice but to stop there. im guessing as there are roadworks a bit further up they may be for the vehicles used on there. before long we are joined by several other trucks parking for the night, i hope i dont get rudely awoken!!!
bits of the stage everywhere
the business end. me and my old truck yet again side by side, nice to see both trailers with the old phone number on still!!!
because of height access, several little local flatbeds are being used to shuttle the steel inside the stadium for the stage to be built, what a cushty little number!!
being built
champions of europe im told (not that i could give a flying ■■■■ about football 
)
so, no wake up calls, and its a long but relaxing day chilling in the sun waiting my mates arrival. he got held up loading, so i end up getting a 24 hour break in the services!! he gets there in the evening, and we then change trailers and i head back down to barcelona, arriving about 6.30am. finally security turn up and open the gate, and im parked up and in bed before it gets too hot!! i will be here for the weekend, then back home, to ireland, and back to…barcelona!!!
i have acouple of videos to add and some more pics so i will update it soon
hope you have enjoyed my ramblings once again
… right im off to the pub
