Adjustment

There are a number of reasons why we chose the slightly longer route via Ostend, rather than drop down to Calais. Two of those reasons were Leuven and Bruges. A decision that seemed to be completely vindicated by our thoroughly enjoyable stays in each place. Tomorrow, went our perfect plan, we would walk our last 20 Kilometres in Belgium, take the ferry from Ostend and begin our walk up the North Downs Way from Dover.

Unfortunately, however, it turns out that the fast ferry from Ostend to Dover is no more. Actually, we knew this yesterday but were unfazed because there is a ferry to Ramsgate. Our only decision then, was whether to walk from Ramsgate, probably via Canterbury, or whether to get a train to Dover and stick to the original route. But when we looked at booking today, it turns out that although the Ferry takes car and motorbike passengers, it does not take foot passengers.

At first, I thought this was quite funny but as the evening progressed, I became more and more pissed off at myself for not having sorted it out in advance. But then that had not been the spirit of the journey which was, essentially, not to plan more than a day ahead – although it could well be argued that this was somewhat different.

Well, there is always Zeebrugge, I thought, which is even closer to Bruges than Ostend. But nowadays, it turns out, ferries from Zeebruge, only go to Hull! It seems that the intense ferry competition had already closed down our options but did we know it. Even services from Dunkirk look pretty limited these days.

So what to do? A tempting option was and is to get on a train back to Brussels and use my mountain of Eurostar points to travel all of the way home in Business Class – we have walked over 700 Km, we deserve to finish with a little luxury, goes this argument. Another option is to walk to Calais, adding something like another 5 days to our journey, despite our various and many aches and pains. But to be frank we are physically and mentally tired, prepared now only for a last push from Dover to home.

We have, therefore, gone for a compromise. We will make an “adjustment”. Tomorrow we will get a train and make the short trip down the coast to Calais and get a Ferry to Dover. We will imagine that we have stepped back, briefly, in time, to when the Hoverspeed used to glide serenely out of Ostend harbour before powering its way to Dover. It will be as if the the “adjustment” had never happened. It will be a little secret, just between me and Doris.

It is tempting to pick David Bowie and “Changes” for today's musical choice but in the spirit of todays' adjustment, and pretending that we are still going from Ostend, today's choice is Marvin Gaye and “Sexual Healing”. A delicious, goose-pimple inducing song, from the album Midnight Love, recorded while Marvin was living, improbable as that sounds, in Ostend – strange but true.

Before I go, Doris says that I should mention that, I am posting this while seated on the toilet – wait don't run away, thinking that noxious odours can be transmitted through cyberspace – it is not what it seems. It is just that it is the only place in our hotel room that we can get a decent wi-fi signal. I am seating comfortably (everything is relative) on a cushion. But hang on, now that I am here....better sign off.