Matilda On Tour - Spain - Finally On The Road

What a day it’s been.

The hours before leaving were a bit chaotic. Too much stuff, the WiFi went down, and Richard was trying to be helpful while somehow interrupting my flow. To be fair, he got a lot done and eventually everything was packed into Matilda and we were off.

Almost immediately, things felt better.

Blue skies, fairly light traffic and no need to rush. We kept the speed down a little too, in the hope of saving some precious diesel.

George — yes, my AI helper is joining us again — found us a perfect overnight stop near Newbury: a lovely little pub with a big car park and plenty of locals coming and going. After a drink, we headed out for an hour’s walk around The Chase Nature Park.

It was surprisingly quiet. Hardly any birdsong, just one squirrel and no sign of the cattle, despite plenty of evidence that they had been around. Then we spotted a deer, which made the walk.

Tomorrow we head to Portsmouth for the overnight ferry to Santander.

Parts of Spain are having torrential rain, but at the moment it doesn’t look as though it will affect our first few days. The raincoats will be close at hand just in case.

Now the planning and packing are done, I feel so much better.

Getting away can be stressful, but once Matilda is rolling down the road, it all feels worth it.

Another adventure has begun.