We are just heading around the Northern corner of France near to Brest. About to cross the Bay of Biscay. The journey so far overnight has been very quiet and calm – long may that continue.

Our drive of some 120 miles from East Devon to Portsmouth was uneventful and took some 3.5 hours. We have just had around two weeks of very cold temperatures (feels like lows of minus 10) and are hoping for some decent winter sun.

Portsmouth traffic was gridlocked and our usual petrol station, the Shell garage on the dual carriageway some 200m from the port entrance has closed down and is part demolished. Re-fuelling will delay what we hope is a swift exit from Santander on Sunday morning.

We are on-board one of Brittany Ferry’s new vessels, Galicia and it’s very comfortable. We are also parked on the lower lorry deck so hoping that will elicit a quick exit.

it’s a beautiful sunny day as we enter the Bay of Biscay…