Nigel Hodges, The man, the myth..... the legend.
He was only here for one week during July 2007 but I don't think I've ever seen a person make so much use of 'only' seven days.
Friday: I travelled to Portsmouth on the ferry as a foot passenger to collect Nigel and drop off my son (max) with his granny.
Unable to find Nigel at the portsmouth passenger terminal I am getting really worried when I see a man holding a picture of me holding a fish!! (this picture in fact)
Turns out this is Nigels driver and he is looking for me with the aid of the picture.
I meet Nigel and we bid farewell to his driver and make our way on to the boat for our 8:30pm sailing to St Malo.
After 20 mins I feel the need to mention to Nigel that (to me) he looks almost totally blind and he confirms that this is the case. Why do I mention this?..... Well up to this point nobody else had!!! Somehow, with all the planning that had gone into this holiday it had slipped though the net that Nigels vision was err... poor.
We laughed about the eyesight thing and decided that 'John Smiths' Bitter did not discriminate and neither should we as we made our way to the bar.
Big mistake number one: I had worked out that as long as we transfered Nigel into one of the reclining chairs before they turned the lights out at midnight then all would be fine and we could get some sleep. Trouble is, the bar shuts at 1am and Me and Nigel (by this time full of the joy's of spring) woke up half the boat in our failed attemp to launch him into said reclining chair.
Big mistake number two: Now the accessible toilets on the boat are not too bad but, as with all accessible toilets.... they are a bit of a bun fight. I dont know how many times we left our campsite at the 'ballpond' in the kids play area (to visit said toilet) during the crossing but it was ALOT. Something else that we can blame on 'John Smiths Bitter'.
Saturday: 6:30am. The ballpond is full of fishermen (who we were drinking with the night before) and I have managed about one hours sleep sitting upright in a chair. Nigel did not get any sleep at all and after (yet another) trip to the 'John Smiths' recycling center we made our way up for some breakfast.
8:30am and we are off the boat and into the van for the 90min drive to La Roche derrien.
Day 1 (the holiday begins)
Day 2 (The beach) (Extract from Nigels diary): After getting up and having breakfast, croissants and coffee, with the croissant crusts being hoovered up by Buster the dog, we decided to go out for lunch.
We went along the harbour at Perros Guirec, took some photos, bought a few post cards and then went to a restaurant at Tregastel Beach. After lunch we walked around Tregastel, had an ice cream on the prom, and destroyed a surf board display in a shop!!
Day 3 (Extract from Nigels diary): We went out for lunch to Treguier, and had a traditional savory pancake called Gallette, with cheese, ham and egg in it. For pudding I had a Grand Marnier crepe flambé. We then walked around Treguier, posted the post cards, and visited the Cathedral, where we saw lots of robes, keys, etc in the cloisters and chancel.
A trip to a local brewary was accessible but we had to go in the 'tradesmans entrance' in order to access parts of the building. I purchased a tee-shirt and loads of beer and the guided tour was interesting. (for a beer head like you Nigel..... ed)
Day 4 (Extract from Nigels diary): we went out for lunch to Paimpol, which is a seaside town with a large harbour. After lunch we wandered around the town and found Clare and Robin a nice present. Then we heard the whistle of the steam train arriving so we went to see it. We sat and watched the train and I explained to Jacqui what the workings of the train were – she didn’t die of boredom!! When the train left, the heavens opened so we took shelter in a bar and drank coffee until it had passed. We had to pop into the DIY shop for Carl on the way back.
Day 5 (Extract from Nigels diary): We made an early start to the market at Treguier, which we wandered around. I bought a couple of bits and we stopped in a bar for a sandwich and beer.
We then went home and decided to go out that evening. We went out around 7.30 and met Steve and Sue (other guests) in Treguier. We had something to eat, and then the fun started….there was live music, and several places that plied me with alcohol! (I was not responsible, I promise!!) We got home at around 1.30 am, and I had to be put to bed because I couldn’t actually sit up straight! (BTW Jacqui is writing because I cannot actually remember what happened!!)
Day 6 (the train) (Extract from Nigels diary):Amazingly enough I didn’t have a hangover so we decided to go on the TGV, which is something I have wanted to do for ages. We arrived at Guingamp station, where Jacqui asked where the next TGV was going, it was Brest. We had to wait an hour or so, so we went and had a sandwich and yet more coffee.
I had to cross the train tracks to get to the platform, and then a man got me onto the portable ramp whilst we waited for the TGV to arrive, Carl took some photos. After getting on the TGV, Carl has the Sat Nav with him and we measured the speed to be around 160 kph.
We arrived in Brest around one hour later, and went and had coffee, and looked around the shops. I bought some T-Shirts. We then went and caught the train back to Guingamp. We were quite late getting back home.
Day 7 (Extract from Nigels diary): We had a lazy day today, and I packed all my case, and did my washing. Jacqui and I chatted through the afternoon about things that I wanted to do, and how self advocacy worked. She said she would send me some information by email.
We found out that all the guests leaving tomorrow are on the same boat as Carl and me, so it will be a bit of a party I think!!
We ended up having an early night as we have got a long journey ahead of us.
Day 8 (the return): Up at 6:30am (see... I told you there was a 6:30 AM as well as PM Nigel!) Nigel had opted to ride in the landcruiser to the port (cheers mate, helped me out loads there...) and we set off at around 7am. We arrived at St Malo early enough to grab another coffee before bording the ferry.
On the boat, Nigel opts for the full-english breakfast with all the trimmings and I am forced to follow suit!
A beautifull crossing on a beautifull day. All washed down with a few more beers (just for the road you understand)
After a little bit of a panic we found Nigels driver at portsmouth ferry terminal and we bid each other farewell.
I then got back on the ferry and made the return journey to france.
Conclusion: Nigel, you are a star! It was like a holiday for me having you here and I do hope we can do it all over again sometime.
Carl Alban
