Labs on the Road

Preparations for the 2024 trip to the UK started early in the year. The ferry was booked back in January to make sure of a pet cabin. Route planned and accommodation reserved by Easter. No easy task when travelling with three labradors and Goa’s absolute refusal to do stairs. To-do and to-pack lists made, but little actually done.

It hasn’t been an easy twelve months. Thai and Goa both needed operations. Jaffa has finally settled in, but it has been a slow process. Work has really slowed down since May. Worryingly so. Rationally, I know the combination of the Basque and EU elections and the summer shutdown has brought things to a standstill. Things should pick up in late August when the new government teams come back off holiday. But like most freelancers I know, panic mode sets in when we are not overwhelmed with work. So I have wasted most of July checking my inbox and imagining us living in a tent instead of organising the trip.

We have had Yankz, brother to Thai and Goa and uncle to Jaffa, staying with us while his family have been visiting their relatives back in the States. Yankz will go home tomorrow. A wake-up call as I now realise that I cannot put off actually starting what needs to be done, rather than just making yet another list.

Thai will be 12 in October. She is doing remarkably well for her age, but is finding the heat more difficult. I have added another day on our way up to Cherbourg this year to make the journey easier for her. We will be leaving here on the 16th. First to Cáceres, where we have become regulars at El Miajon de los Castúos and they are looking forward to seeing the pups again. Then the next day on to Tordesillas. A short leg, but the Hotel Real de Castilla is very dog friendly and has a lift for Goa. I discovered last year how hard it is to find good pet-friendly accommodation between Burgos and Vitoria. The hotel in Burgos was also a good example of pet washing. Pretending to be pet friendly, but in name only.

Our first night in France will be in Tartas. Then Vieillevigne, just south of Nantes, and two nights in Cherbourg. A very slow way up, but with time to enjoy just being back in France. Hopefully, it will be cool enough to explore the small towns we are staying in. Stopping off along the routes as well.

Last year’s blog somehow fizzled out. Rather never really got started. I hope to do better this year.