From Lavenham to the Law: A Blue Gnu Adventure
After a slightly dubious start — caused entirely by us forgetting to tighten the battery connection (now officially a tradition, as this is exactly what happened when we collected the car in Rotterdam last year) — we were finally on our way.
We were advised to stop in Lavenham on the drive toward Harwich, and we’re very glad we did. The weather was perfect, and the town felt like stepping into a postcard. From there we continued on to Sudbury to top up fuel for both the Blue Gnu and ourselves, and to prep food for the ferry so we could have a smooth, no-stress morning.
We found an excellent parking spot right at the ferry terminal — exactly as Cotty had imagined — complete with clean washrooms and everything we needed for an easy night.
The next morning, we woke far too early. Our favourite mattress seemed to deflate more than usual overnight, leaving us both a bit sore and not particularly well rested. Still, we found a comfortable spot on the ferry later where we managed to catch up on some sleep.
Our carefully packed food and entertainment bag lasted about two hours into the crossing, after which we entered a quieter phase of “just getting through it,” but the ferry itself was smooth and uneventful in the best possible way.
Arriving at Hook of Holland, we passed through a friendly border check where we had our fingerprints taken for the Schengen system. Slightly disappointingly, there was no passport stamp.
From there, we made our way to a large shopping centre near Rotterdam, where we met the wonderfully energetic Ivar. He checked over our mattress situation in detail and concluded — somewhat hilariously — that we didn’t actually seem to have a problem at all. We suspect he may have been right. He also shared some great travel tips, and we very much hope he makes it to Canada one day.
We tried to restock supplies but didn’t have much luck, so we carried on with a “we’ll figure it out later” approach.
Our original plan was to drive toward a truck stop near Utrecht, but after missing an exit, getting turned around, and discovering a quiet unused road, we ended up in an unexpected early morning situation. At around 6am, we had a knock on the car and a very calm, friendly conversation with local police officers, which ultimately got us back on track earlier than planned.
We still managed to enjoy a quick stop in Utrecht, even though nothing was open. It had a surprisingly charming feel in the early light, and Ivar was absolutely right — it’s a lovely place.
From there we continued eastward, where we encountered our first major rainstorm of the trip at a rest stop. Lunch consisted of our now-decadently aged crackers, which had been resting in the Blue Gnu for over a year and somehow still made for a perfectly acceptable meal.
After a bit of discussion, we decided to make a small detour to Wolfsburg instead of Hamburg where our friends were too busy. Even though it was Sunday, it was still fun to visit the home of Volkswagen and see the massive glass towers filled with new cars waiting for their owners. It was one of those slightly quirky stops that felt very appropriate for a road trip centred around a well-loved VW.
With that box checked, we continued on to Puttgarden and, to our delight, found a great flat spot to park for the night. After a long day on the road, it felt like a small victory. The plan is to catch an early ferry in the morning and hopefully save a few euros in the process. Whether that's savvy travel planning or simply our inability to resist a bargain remains to be seen.
