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Published: July 20th 2015
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Eurotunnel Train
Finding our place on the train. Thursday 16 July 2012
With a feeling of excitement and anticipation we woke ready for our first big adventure of the day - the Eurotunnel. We had two instructions that were sure to get us there on time. The first were the GPS coordinates. The second take exit 42. For the first time on this trip we chose the toll road. The receptionist at the hotel said it would cost 1€20 and take twenty minutes. So we programmed Polly and off we went. As we approached exit 42 we realised Polly had gone to sleep. A quick manouvre and we were through exit 42. Polly woke with a start, "If possible do a U turn". Do we ignore Polly or follow the easy-to-follow signs? The signs win. Passed the self check in, through UK immigration, drive to the waiting queues for our embarkation call up. All so easy. Meanwhile Polly wanted us somewhere else.
So far so good. Time to board. As we drove towards the train we witnessed three young women being detained. Their chance of freedom in the UK had been cut short. Where they'll end up we are still wondering. We drive onto the upper deck
The M40
The big truck build up on the M40. and find ourselves in a three-car compartment near the front. Safety doors are closed and we're off. It is not until we are half way across that our boarding pass is checked. Just as well it is in order. The trip takes about 35 minutes. In no time we are driving along the motorway in England.
There are big police checks on all trucks heading to Dover. On the opposite side of the motorway thousands of trucks are being stopped and checked. The double queue goes for some kilometres. The change from driving on the right to the left had gone smoothly although it is a strange sensation for both driver and navigator.
Our destination tonight is Norwich with a brief stop in Brightlingsea. We skirt around London, go through a tunnel under the Thames and head east. The road is busy but we make good progress. We are visiting an elderly cousin in Brightlingsea, a small town near Colchester, surrounded by water. We are shown through a modified two up two down house. How such large families lived in these homes is hard to imagine. You certainly could not accumulate a lot of possessions. We are taken
Brightlingsea
The much loved bathing sheds. for a beach side walk and admire the bathing sheds that line the water's edge. We are told one was bought about 20 years ago for nearly £800 and sold ten years later for £16,000. They seem to be a highly sought after possession.
Having had a wonderful catch up it was time to join the ever-increasing traffic flows and continue our journey east to Norwich. The roads were a mix of dual carriageway and two lane roads. So it was a matter of coping with bumper to bumper traffic and some fast driving in between, but always ready for that sudden tail back. Makes rush hour in Alexandra a breeze to cope with. Our hotel is a large complex on the outskirts of the city and tonight our fellow guests are a large group of elderly people from Nottingham. Perhaps they too have come to visit the sights of Norwich.
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