This was the third time that I've made this journey from Romsey to Portsmouth, and travelling on a Friday afternoon reinforced how it's a ride divided into two halves by the river Hamble. I generally like setting off early but as my Channel crossing wasn't till 23:00 I didn't leave Romsey till around 2pm after a hot standing-room-only train journey from Bristol. Passing through the Southampton conurbation on a Friday afternoon emphasised that Hamble divide. I don't think I got buzzed by a single black Range Rover on the far side of that boaters' paradise.

Plenty of kitesurfers parked up on Meon Shore.

Crossing into Portsmouth proper via the Gosport Ferry is a real treat, even though with a bike it's more than £7 for the 5 min journey.

I arrived at Pompey in good time, so took a little nap up on the old harbour wall, at Curtain Moat where there are some comfortable benches, some with poignant dedication to citizens past .

Then whiled away a couple of hours amongst the Friday night Old Harbour crowd until embarkation time.

No cabin on the ferry this time but by chance ran into my friend Judy, whose house I'm visiting this week in Mayenne. She'd had to return to the UK for a few days. It was a lovely surprise and good to have a ferry companion - - especially one so expert on this crossing. That meant we were always ahead of the crowd when getting to the bar or to breakfast. No more wandering around the labyrinth in circles. Instead I had Judy to lead the way straight to the best banquette on Level 8, or the least busy tray of croissants. One piece of intel which was particularly valued was the location of the showers for foot passengers. Contrary to what I'd been able to discover on Brittany Ferries' website or via so-called AI, they do exist. A small win for human intelligence.

Travelling at night without a cabin? Be aware that the "reserved seats" don't recline far and the room itself may be cold. On the way back, from the outset, I'll lie on the floor in my sleeping bag, and maybe I'll get more / better rest.