Cycling Brittany: Bognor Regis to Portsmouth
My first Brittany bicycle tour update: cycling in England, 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. Mine’s 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 yeah, 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.
Tour Information
It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:
- Photos: See my photos on Flickr
- The route: View my route around Brittany
- Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
- Tour page: Ride overview
Follow & Support
If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.
If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.