I never posted any pictures for the first 4 days or so as most of that part of the route has been covered by me in previous diaries. Normally my diaries are of trips that run smoothly and everything goes ok. This is one where if something could go wrong, it did!!!
Monday 7th August
Well, as you know from my previous diary, there was a small matter of 1300 empty beer kegs to be tipped before I could start reloading again.
5am saw me trundling up the A3 towards the 25 and the M1 on my way towards Burton On Trent and their fine brewery. I arrived there about 830am just in time for my 8am booking 
Fortunately, this was 5 minutes before their 9am booking which was a 40’ container full of the same product. I had only just over 300 for them and they took them off reasonably quickly. I was on my way to my second drop at Interbrew in Preston by 10am. Of course, I had to call into the Saltbox for a cup of tea before running up. I reached Interbrew at 1230. Now there were nearly 900 kegs to come off here and the crew didn’t seem very keen on the idea. They were discussing the best way to take them off. I told them how Burton had taken off nearly 800 in 45 minutes 2 weeks previous but no, they didn’t like that idea. I was beginning to get the gist of things, went back to the cab because I just knew this was going to be a long job!!
Now when I had left home this morning, there had been a Plan A!! This had been to tip the kegs, run 20 minutes up the road and pick up 2 pallets for Lisbon. Then start running down getting to Queensferry that night to pick up 2 more for the same place. Then Tuesday morning, run to Telford, Northampton and then down to Fareham and ship out Tuesday night. This would have enabled me to tip the 2 Lisbon drops Friday lunchtime then run down to Vilamoura Sat morning ready for tipping Monday morning. Then Tuesday morning on my way to reload, dropping one pallet at Seville as I passed by. Then home Thursday night, tipping Friday morning and more than likely home for the weekend. LOLOL Never plan ahead in this game. Well, Plan A never gets implemented, does it??
By the time, the idle so and so’s had finished the kegs, I was too late to get loaded at HMP, Kirkham so parked outside for the night. This had now thrown ALL plans out the window.
MILEAGE: 551 Kms
Tuesday 8th August
I loaded the 2 pallets this morning and was on my way own to Queensferry when I got a call saying they wasn’t sure if the pallets were ready yet. So I parked up at Lymm Truckstop before committing myself to going down either the M6 or the M56. This will be the last time I ever stop there. I decided to take the chance to grab a bite to eat and although nothing was very appealing I thought I would have some toast. Like a fool, I asked the lady to put 2 eggs on the 3 toast. It tasted ok but as I got up to leave, I just about made it to the toilets there before puking the whole lot back up!! Now toast isn’t going to make you sick so I guess the eggs must have been off 
Poxy hole!!
I now had to go to Queensferry, then Telford and Northampton. I was ready to leave Northampton by 445pm but of course, no way was I going to get to Fareham by 5 and ship out tonight. I phoned the agent and told him Lisbon wouldn’t be there Friday and did they tip Saturdays? He phoned me back and said No. There then, started a ‘lively discussion’ lolol I informed the agent there was no way I was going to sit at the drop from Saturday lunch till Monday waiting for them to open. The drop itself was in the middle of nowhere and to be honest, the area wasn’t a very nice area. It would have been like sitting in, say, Toxteth or Brixton, for the weekend. We argued the toss and the conversation went something like this ……….
Agent: They are screaming for the stuff
Me: Then tell them to come in Saturday and tip it.
Agent: They won’t
Me: Well, they can’t want it that desperate then.
Agent: You’ll have to wait there till they open
Me: Firstly, don’t tell me what I ‘have to’ do!! Secondly, I’ll tell YOU what I am going to do and that’s leave the 4 pallets at Fareham. Someone else can take them down.!!
Agent: You can’t do that!!
Me: Errrrrrrrrrr, can’t I■■? Watch me!!! I load the trailer……….it’s my trailer and if I want to leave them behind, I will. Solves the problem as far as I can see!
Agent: Please don’t do that
Me: Well, you have till tomorrow morning to sort something out then.
I then phoned my boss and told him what had gone on and he laughed but supported me so that was good enough for me.
Twenty minutes later the phone rings and the agent tells me to tip the Algarve first Monday morning and then run up to Lisbon to tip the others first thing Tuesday morning, and he would backload me from Lisbon. OK, says I but now I need to get the Seville off Saturday morning
By this time, I had reached home and went home for a much needed relax lol
MILEAGE: 610 Kms
Wednesday 9th August
This morning I ran down to Fareham and found although I already had 13 pallets on (8 were Euros) there were another 16 here for me!! Using our brains we fitted all 29 pallets on and I phoned the agent who told me I was booked on the 1500 Portsmouth-Caen boat. So I pottered off to the port and boarded the ‘Normandie’. Still no news on the Seville pallet!! Sometimes I come off the ferry and park up leaving around about 3am. Sometimes I do what I did tonight and that’s run the 95 minutes down to Mont St Michel services and take a 8 hour break (the crossing is 6 hours)
MILEAGE: 194 Kms
Thursday 10th August
Today I woke up and although I soon got moving, I really wasn’t in the mood. I struggled all morning to get any momentum going. It wasn’t till late in the afternoon that I got the ‘urge’. I reached Bordeaux just after 530pm local time and despite it being the rush hour, I sailed round the ring road and was soon pushing on down through the forest towards the border. I decided not to take a chance at getting held up on the border so pulled into Aire De Bidart sixteen kms before the border just on 9 hours driving. And still no news on the Seville drop!!!
MILEAGE: 759 Kms
Friday 11th August
I got up this morning, had a couple of coffees and hit the road. First stop was at Alsasua for a shower and while here, I took a 45. I pulled out and was really in 2 minds which way to go seeing as the Seville drop was on the eastern side of the city. At Burgos, I made my mind up and turned left towards Madrid. I took another 45 just before Madrid at the services just by the racetrack (By the way, just where is Fred’s and does it still exist■■?). It was as I left here that I realised I might have dropped a clanger. I had forgotten it was Friday afternoon and everyone leaves the city. The traffic heading out of Madrid northbound was awful and I wondered if it was the same south on the N4 I don’t know what came over me then but I decided I had had enough and went straight down the M30 and through the middle of Madrid where I met only a slight delay and 20 minutes later was on the N4 heading south.
Running into Madrid on the M30
Whooosh, straight thro Madrid
Now these 3 pictures were taken just as you start leaving Madrid on the N4. This shanty town has been there ages and I was gobsmacked the first time I saw it!! There were people laid out there sunbathing!
At this point, I saw on one of the overhead gantries an instruction that I read basically as ‘Trucks over 12 tons banned from the N4 between 1300 and 2200 and had to use the R4’ …. The toll road. So I swung right and headed for the toll road which was running freely while I could see the traffic was bad on the National (the Spanish have a habit of building the toll roads right next to the Nationals lol). At Ocana, I rejoined the National road and headed for Baillen. It was pretty uneventful except for a 3-car shunt which 2 motorcycle cops cleared very quickly and effectively simply by making them move off the main road.
S.Hi.T.S (Spanish Highway Traffic Sentinels) do the business
I was held up for about 10 minutes here but it was enough to take me over 10 hours driving for the day by 8 minutes. I took advantage of the good weather to enjoy going up through the gorge just before Santa Elena.
Going through the gorge … if you look carefully, you can see the downhill traffic on a different route completely
Before this I had got fed up of waiting for info regarding this pallet for Seville so had rung the number myself. It was a fax line■■? I then rang the agent and he said ‘No, I hadn’t been able to get hold of anyone’. Of course not, I said, you haven’t even rung them, have you?
This pallet was starting to worry me.
MILEAGE: 816 Kms
Saturday 12th August
I made a 530 start this morning after the obligatory 2 coffees and was soon at Cordoba where I refuelled right to the neck.
Good Morning, Mr Sun!! Climbing the hill outside Cordoba
Onwards and then stopped for a shower at a place I know that has excellent facilities where another 2 coffees were downed lol.
Running into Seville
Now the address for this Seville pallet was one that I had mentioned in my previous diary. Blah Blah firm, Ctr Seville-Malaga (the A92) Km5. So when I got to the Seville ring road, I followed the signs for the A92 and found the firm straight away actually at Km5.5. No one there!!! Except for a security guard who let me in. Well, I tried everything to get this solitary pallet off including bribery but nothing worked. I even told the guard to turn his back and I would pull it off and put it in the cold store myself. Nope, he said he would get the sack if that happened. So on the phone I gets to the agent who says ‘You’ll have to sit there till Monday with it then’ You can imagine my reaction. Lose a whole day for one ■■■■■■ pallet?? And did I really want to sit by the side of a motorway from 930am Saturday till 7am Monday?? If I had done that, there was no way I would get all 4 drops off in Vilamoura on Monday. Bearing in mind, I had 2 drops in Lisbon too. This was starting to turn bad. I told him, if he rang me Monday afternoon, I would tell him which cold store in Vilamoura the pallet was in. That didn’t exactly put me at the top of the Xmas card list. I left Seville and headed for Portugal.
Where Spanish bad boys get sent … just outside Huelva
I parked up about 1pm and thought about the clanger I had dropped even bringing this pallet with me. I had broken down one of the Portuguese pallets to fit this one on. FOOL!!!
0-60 in 6 days …stuck behind this arriving in Vilamoura
MILEAGE: 548 Kms
Sunday 13th August
Sunday was a nice relaxing day on which I took another little boat trip. The resort was heaving and on a boat was the best place to be, I considered. It was also a perverts delight as the trip was full of eye candy scantily clad in their bikinis
The day was only ruined by the Mighty Blues being beaten by the Red Mickey’s in Cardiff. As we were back by 330, I was able to watch the last hour of the game and ended up wishing I had stayed out at sea lol
The day was then further ruined when I discovered Tuesday was a bloody National Holiday!!! Something to do with the Virgin Mary or something like that. Cheers, Mary. I now faced being unable to unload in Lisbon Tuesday.
ANY PHOTOS OF THIS DAY ARE FOR MY PERSONAL VIEWING AND NOT FOR THE LIKES OF YOU LOAD OF PERVERTS
Monday 14th August
I had 4 drops to do today in and around Vilamoura. Now my trailer has 2 doors in it so I can carry all three kinds of goods. Frozen, chilled and dry. This particular load was just frozen and chilled but the configuration of drops meant the chilled had to go in the middle compartment. So I had 10 frozen on the front, then 10 chilled and six frozen on the back end. I got to the first drop and 2 pallets of frozen were off. Second drop and his 2 frozen and 2 chilled were gone. I was round at the third drop by 10, gave him his first frozen and a half pallet I had stacked on top. Then I explained the rest of his frozen was at the front behind the chilled. I would go to the 4th drop and see how long the queue was before making a decision about how to play it. His stuff has to go into the cold store by 1230 so if there was a queue at drop 4, I would come back to him straight away and we would have to move the 8 chilled. There was a queue so we went to the cold store he uses. We got there about 11 and there was a queue here too. By 2, I was no nearer getting tipped here and then they said they had no room to move in the warehouse and nowhere to put anything as there is only one working fork truck. They then said I might be there till late!!! At this I said nope, I’ll deliver it tomorrow. I still had a drop to do and wanted that one off. So I shot down to the last drop and was out of there by 4pm. I had 6 pallets of frozen on for drop No3 still and he wanted 3 in his warehouse and 3 at the cold store. I went and they took the 3 they wanted off leaving me to put the other 3 away at 8am Tuesday morning. This was now going from bad to worse. I had expected to be on my way home Tuesday morning, not still with 4 drops on!!! I still had the Seville on, by the way. This was all down to the idle sods at Preston last Monday!!! I was fast losing the will to live with this load.
MILEAGE: 110 Kms
Tuesday 15th August
Well, I got back to the cold store at 8am this morning and true to their word, they tipped me straight away. So now I had 2 drops in Lisbon, which was 5 pallets and this damned pallet for Seville. The agent and I had rowed about this pallet all day Monday and the matter was resolved in the end by me phoning the big Boss and getting an extra payment for taking it back to Seville with the promise of a quick reload and a confirmed booking on Saturday afternoons ferry. I did not want to have to take a 24 on the way home and needed to make that ferry to ensure I didn’t.
After tipping at the cold store I went back to my favourite bar and had a good Irish breakfast. I then left there at midday and meandered up to Lisbon, crossing the Ponte Vasco Da Gama which must be one of Europes longest bridges. I have measured it at 11.2 Kms,
Running across the Ponte Vasco Da Gama
The legendary Benfica’s stadium
Driving into Cacem
Cacem High Street
I arrived at Cacem where I parked at Portugal’s answer to Brixton. For the first time in Europe, I have used all the security devices I have for the truck including the ‘Protectaloks’. I don’t feel safe here, don’t like it here and am so glad I argued against parking here for 48 hours but I need to park here so as to make a start in the morning with a clean card. I also noticed that every yard seems to have a rottweiller or two in it. We’re not talking little ones either. They are all huge. Gives you a clue what this area is like!!!
Where the agent expected me to sit for 48 hours!!
MILEAGE: 379 Kms
Wednesday 16th August
I had set the alarm for 715am, as I didn’t know what time this place opened. As it happened, it was 8am and by 815, all 5 pallets were off. I asked if they had a coffee machine and the guy said yes. He then proceeded to take me to their canteen, introduced me to the staff in there and told them not to charge me for my coffee!! I am sure that happened in Tesco’s, Doncaster once. NOT!! 9am saw me heading out of Cacem and one of these days I will find my way out of here without following the signs which send me this way!
A quick whiz round the outer ring road and I was crossing the bridge again and heading for Montijo.
and back again
View off the bridge
I arrived and before I knew it, the pallet was off. All I had left on now was that cursed pallet for Seville. Remember I said if it could go wrong, it did?? Well, I left Montijo and took the wrong slip road. I knew straight away but had no chance of reversing back and taking the right one. Where did this slip take me?? Back to the bloody bridge!! This bridge costs €9.55 to cross and as I said, is 11.2 Kms long. Needless to say, I didn’t want to go this way. I went in the office but they said there was no room for a large truck to turn and I would have to cross again. I asked about the payment and I was told to ask for a debit note. (They take only cash or a Portuguese debit card). When I said I didn’t want to pay again, the lady said, as I was English, when I was halfway across the bridge, throw the note out the window lolol. One day I expect a policeman will arrest me for non-payment of the toll lol 35 minutes later I was heading in the right direction. I was now headed for Seville although there was no chance of making it there before their 3pm deadline. I parked outside the place and was in place to get rid of this pallet at last at 7am next morning.
MILEAGE: 598 Kms
Thursday 17th August
During the night, I heard the pitter patter on the roof that signalled rain. What I didn’t expect was the monsoon I woke up to the next morning. It hammered down and I am sure the buggers did it deliberately but it seemed they waited till the rain was heaviest before deciding to take me on the bay and tip me. I got soaked. From here, I had to go 30 minutes down the road to pick a load of grapes up. I had been to the place before so went straight there. Luckily the load was ready and they were waiting for me. Loaded with 21 tonnes of grapes and I was, at long last, on the way home. Back up to Seville and refuelled. Then up the dear old N630 towards Salamanca. I got up past Plasencia before calling it a day and for the first time ever put a road name on the tacho. I had no idea what the place was called so put N630 Km448 on the card.
MILEAGE: 648 Kms
Friday 18th August
Now I was booked on the 1700 ferry from Caen for Saturday so really had to crack on today. The first four and a half hours saw me taking a break at Burgos. A quick snooze here and 50 minutes later, I was on my way again. I had hoped to make the Services just before Bordeaux tonight but it was not to be. The traffic was horrendous as I approached the border at Irun. I actually came off the motorway and took the N1 through Irun as the signs said 7 Kms of traffic to the border. Luckily the clueless tourists didn’t have the same idea. I got through the border and by the time, I got to Castets I had given up. The traffic was awful. I pulled in and worked out I would need to leave by 330am to catch the boat the following afternoon. I had hoped to avoid parking at Castets to save the need to take 2 45’s on the way up to Caen but a couple of lads came in from the southbound and said the traffic going up was solid just after Castets so that was the first thing to go my way this week.
Now just occassionly, something happens that really tickles me!!! This started out as an accident in the roadworks by Salamanca. Three French cars had run into one another (obviously mates running together). Now while sat there waiting to get round them, I looked out the window and spotted this …
Now someone had a sense of humour!!! A workman had drawn this, once white, cat a little church lolol or was it a policeman had drawn it round the cat cos it was a murder investigation?
MILEAGE: 704 Kms
Saturday 19th August
Yawnnnn!!! 330am saw me pulling out of Castets. The ole beastie had wings under her this morning and we flew up through the forest. Less than 2 hours later and I was running round Bordeaux. Through the peage and onwards. I took a break at Niort Centre Routier when I refuelled again.
I was away from here by 0815 and I was looking forward to getting home. All went well till I got on the Nantes ring road. The traffic was bad but I fought my way through and then down past Trellieres and then up to Rennes. I sailed round Rennes and I hoped I had seen the last of the holiday traffic. I had to take another break and after 4 hours 35 minutes pulled into Mont St Michel services only to find there was nowhere to park!!! The place was full of tourists.
Today was the last weekend of the Saturday driving bans for trucks and I could see why they are banned from 7am to 7pm on a Saturday as half the clowns didn’t have a clue what they were doing especially the caravaneers. I phoned Brittany to give them an ETA of 1620 so they would not give my place away and set off again. All went well till I got 10 Kms from Caen when I hit traffic again although it wasn’t too bad.
I pulled into the port at 1630 and was gob smacked to see only 7 trucks in there!!! The ferry was packed with cars caravans and worst of all, hundreds of ankle biters.
Never mind, all I had to do when we docked was run up to home as someone was meeting me and delivering the load Sunday morning.
MILEAGE: 849 Kms
TOTAL MILEAGE FOR TRIP: 6316 Kms
So ended one of the hardest trips I have done in a long time. Any number of reasons for it, including the pallet from hell, and quite possibly some of it was down to me. But do you know what■■? I couldn’t give a toss because after a year of running back and forwards between the Algarve and the UK, with an occasional Alicante thrown in, I have the audacity to go on holiday next week PMSL
