Day 1 - Home to Bochum

Up bright and early for the 0815 ferry Dover to Calais. One small and significant problem.

Our neighbour that was due to take the keys and feed the cat was nowhere to be seen. It was too early to contact Seafrance or even our other neighbour. In the we loaded the car and set off about 9am.

Our second neighbour was happy to do it and we always feed her cat when she is away.

Sadly as we missed our sailing we have incurred a £19 surcharge on the ferry and a three hour later ferry.

Once off the ferry we were soon on the way eastwards.

The planned route via Gent, Antwerp, Eindhoven and Venlo, then across into Germany and a northern route into the Ruhr for our first overnight stop in Bochum.

The TomTom took us right to the hotel front door. With stops for a snack soup lunch in Belgium and a coffee break in Netherlands we took about five hours Calais to hotel. not bad considering we stuck to about 70mph most of the way and the various roadworks between Antwerp and the Eindhoven turn on the motorway destined for Liege/Luik.

Dinner was in a reconstructed old pub in Bochum - Fieges Stammhaus. Potato soup and schnitzel. The first of many I expect. Good local beer too.

Tomorrow east again to Nordhausen-Dora and Colditz.