Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in France (nearly) Saturday, 29th-April-2023. Bognor Regis to Portsmouth. 37 miles. Well, I’ve finally managed to get away again, and I’m currently sitting on the ferry to Saint-Malo. But what a nightmare to get on here. Or rather get past border patrol.
Every time I get stopped, and they ask if I’ve got anything sharp. And every time I declare the small knife I use for cooking. There then follows the argument that I can’t take it on. Why not? I ask; it’s no different to all the camper vans. They must have loads of knives. But they’ve locked them away in their vans, the border guard replies. Mines locked in my pannier, I say. But I don’t know you, she said. Do you know all the people in camper vans, then? What’s stopping them from taking their knives with them? I reply. Then off she trots to ask her supervisor.
She returns and says we’ll let you take it this time but don’t bring it again. It’s the same argument every single time. I don’t know why it’s so different for a cyclist compared to somebody in a camper van. Is it because cyclists are renowned for going on stabbing frenzies?
Everything Is So Stressful
It’s certainly been a frustrating month leading up to my getting away. I’ve been waiting for my new Irish passport to arrive since March. Oh yea, to all that don’t know, I now have an Irish passport. So once again, I can travel and stay in Europe for as long as I wish. I received an email last month telling me the passport would be issued on the sixth of this month. And I had hoped to receive it the following week and head abroad immediately. I even had everything packed and ready to go. Unfortunately, though, it didn’t arrive until the 18th of April. But that was fine. I didn’t need to be home until the 19th of May. But although I now had my Irish passport, my UK passport hadn’t turned up with it.
I then spent the next nine days, with everything packed, waiting to go the moment it turned up. My passport finally arrived yesterday, and I got on the first available ferry to France. But unfortunately, while I’ve been waiting, I’ve had a couple of hospital appointments come through. And I’ve now got to be home on the 8th of May. So as I’ve only got just over a week away now, I’m just going to cycle around Brittany.
To see where I spend each night, and the route I’ve taken on this tour, visit the Where’s Garry page. You can also follow my progress on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.
