Thursday, 31st October. Hallowe'en.
0600 An early start this morning and the party splits up. Roy will travel to Kufstein, near Innsbruck, to collect his load and is accompanied by Sue. He will head straight back for Calais after loading. They have to leave Austria, cross Germany, then back into Austria again. Problem at border crossing - Roy has no permit to pick up goods. Well, he does have one - for 1995! Once again he talked his way through. This man could talk the Chinese into giving back Hong Kong! After loading, while waiting for the paperwork, they take a stroll in the village and enjoy a bowl of soup.
Katy's three pick-ups mean driving to two small towns some way east of Linz, then back to a chemical works in Linz itself and finally the agents again. She takes Brian as navigator, having forgiven him his mistake last night. Tony, Bill and Manda stay with the camper. After a brief visit to the local supermarket, Tony decides to catch up on sleep. Bill and Manda also visit the supermarket and find a lady who speaks English. On asking for directions to the town centre, she offers a lift which is gratefully accepted. Unfortunately, her town centre is Tauern, not Linz, and on arrival Bill and Manda just catch a bus back. Bill said it was a bit like setting off for Piccadilly only to find oneself at Neasden Town Hall.
After a 150-mile trip (around Linz?), Katy and Brian arrive back at the camper just after lunch to wake Tony. They were amazed at the size of the chemical works, where a street plan was needed to find the pick-up points. The workers are issued with cycles to get around. Gives a whole new meaning to the factory bike!
Although not pressed for time to clear Austria before the commercial vehicle embargo comes into effect at midnight for the bank holiday tomorrow, Katy wants to cover as much ground as possible. She and Tony set off, leaving Brian to await the return of Bill and Manda. They arrived only an hour after Katy left, but it was to take four hours hard driving before the Leyland and the camper were reunited.
Suddenly realised that Sue would need Katy's car keys to take it back to Seaford, so a rendezvous with Roy was arranged over the phone and we all met again just north of Nuremburg. Katy was due for a break, so her part of the team stayed behind while Roy pushed on in what was by now teeming rain. Mummy bear and Baby bear missed the turn for Koblenz, so carried on up the motorway towards Cologne. Surprise, surprise, it wasn't Brian navigating.
Roy and Sue reach Sessart, south of Frankfurt, where they spend the night.
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