Reply With QuoteInvariably use the tunnel - only "ball ache" being that it's such a long drive from Yorkshire, tempted to try Hull to Zeebrugge ferry at some time.
Thanks again.
Just saw a news article that they're currently taking more booking than ever before in their history, so I am expecting to pay £££ and for there to be big queues and delays at the tunnel entrance :(
Maybe ferry would be better after all.
Invariably use the tunnel - only "ball ache" being that it's such a long drive from Yorkshire, tempted to try Hull to Zeebrugge ferry at some time.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Yep, I try and avoid the ferries if possible... The tunnel is just so much more efficient
Take this very seriously, on the continent your subconscious is aware things are different, you get home and relax but your mind has adjusted to driving on the right.Originally Posted by hogthrob
As an aside, I love French Aire (is that the plural too?). In Britain the overwhelming impression in service areas is a desire to extract as much money from the punter as possible, whereas in France is feels much more about delivering a service and generally they do it well. Even French plumbing has largely made it in to the 20th Century in most places.
First, perhaps it is an idea to take a ferry in the evening and then an hours drive to Bruges in Belgium. I've stayed in the Hotel Weinebrugge, just off the motorway. A first class hotel. Good food, fantastic breakfast and proper beds. Recommended. When leaving early, you can do the trip from Bruges to Poland (I opted for Warsaw) in one day.
Dover - Calais: No problems at all. Book your trip in advance and when you're early, there's always a chance that you can hop on an earlier ferry. Wear a face mask and gloves when you're on the ferry! I wouldn't think twice about that. Secondly, when the weather is fine, try to stay outdoors on the deck as long as possible.
France: final moment to fill your tank! Belgium lacks fuel stations along the route. The roads in France are smooth as silk.
Belgium: the roads are obviously in lesser condition(...) I suppose. Antwerp can be troublesome, traffic-wise. You have to go into a tunnel and that causes traffic jams. There's an alternative route when there's a major traffic jam. Coming from Ghent, you can opt for the R2, west of Antwerp, through the Liefkenshoektunnel; then redirect to The Netherlands: Breda - Eindhoven. Mind you, you have to pay toll for that tunnel. The through-town tunnel is FoC. And then it's just following the signs for the E34, changing to A67 when you enter The Netherlands.
The Netherlands will not cause too much problems. We have a mandatory 100 km/hr speedlimit during the daytime. Be aware of Gatsos etc around Eindhoven! Petrol prices vary along the motorway.
Germany... Be prepared for long stretches of 'Road Work Ahead'. Stick to the max speed on the signs. Normal speed limit is 130 km/hr and when it's 'free', it's playtime. Use your mirrors and certainly use your indicator lights. Make a habit of using the indicator a long period before you start overtaking. When there are 3 lanes, stay out of the fast lane with your RHD car. Speeds are up to 250 km/hr and when you're doing 150 km/hr... there's still a lot of speed difference. Having said that: Germans are very, very disciplined when it comes to obeying the rules.
I was near Hannover two years ago and at that time, there was only a single carriageway through a lot of towns (with furniture and kitchen cabinet industry) before it was a dual carriageway to Berlin again. There were signs of constructing a new road, so perhaps you're lucky. Former Eastern Germany is a lot less crowded than the western part. The roads are pretty silk, but -as far as I know- all restricted to 130 km/hr.
Poland is far better than we had in mind when we drove there for the first time. Boring perhaps, but reasonable to drive. Lots of lorries, be careful with that. My oldest became 18 when we were in Poland last year. He was -under Dutch law- allowed to drive alone. I was safe to let him drive in Poland. No worries at all!
In short, enjoy your trip.
Menno
Me too, even the ones w/o services (except toilets) are great place to take a break and maybe have a picnic.
oh, then stick to the highways and you'll be safe. This Sunday I am going to south of Poland for a vacation, it'll be ~1000km in one go.
Mostly already said but:-
Insurance
European break down cover
Hi-Viz vests
Alcosense or similar Breath test kit
Spare bulb set
First aid kit
Headlight bulb converters
Warning triangle & small cones
Spare tyre
Top up oil
Screen wash
Map
Sat Nav
Licence
EHIC
Check all levels & Tyres before you set off.
Warm clothes/waterproofs
Basic tool kit.
Vehicle registration doc’s
Passport.
Check for requirements of each country you travel through.
I’ve driven 1250 miles each way to Spain as well as lots of driving in France, Italy, Portugal and Austria. Don’t stress, it’s fine, take it steady, keep right!
Good luck.
The real danger is when you get back to the UK and have to mingle with our lovely road users again - British driving standards can be abysmal.
The amount of times i`ve done thousands of miles in Europe on my motorbicycle without so much as thinking of swearing at another road user or tooting my horn only to get back onto our highways and have to tolerate middle lane (or even lane 2/3 !!) hogs, non-indicating lane switchers, myopic morons, tailgaters and such like - it`s immediately apparent as soon as you get back on to the M25.......
Love that word!
As I get older, this is becoming a bigger and bigger irritation to me.
Once again TZUK has come through admirably. I really love this place. Such a wealth of knowledge and experience and so much friendly help. Thanks a million (and pls keep the advice coming!).
I used to work with a load of Poles, many would return to Poland for Easter and/or the summer and some would do the entire journey, from Essex, in a oner!
Not much else to add other than to ask if you have to be at your destination for a particular date, for example you're attending a specific event? If so, don't plan on arriving in Poland on that date, give yourself a day or three leeway as this will mentally keep the pressure off. Just as you'll hope to never use breakdown cover the piece of mind it brings takes the worry away, not feeling as though you're on a strict timeline will do the same.
Prepare your car, research the route and give yourself time.
Price up the Harwich - hook of Holland overnight ferry vs the tunnel and a hotel in Belgium.
By my reckoning this would chop 3-4 hours off of your continental leg and allow you to leave London the night before and start the fresh in the morning.
Or as Menno said later ferry and do an overnight stop after 2-3 hours on the continent.
In addition to everything that's been said I'd bring plenty of podcasts to listen to; it's a useful variation to music. I'd also consider monitoring a couple of local English language news sources (e.g. Deutsche Welle for Germany) to keep an eye out for any Covid-related updates. Make sure you have a decent data allowance that you can roam with.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
Check to see if its legal requirement to carry a spare pair of glasses if you wear them.
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Motorized velocipede!
Hull to Rotterdam is good can be a bit pricey. The police have a tendency to breathalyse people coming off the ferry though.
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This times 2. In my opinion, any increase in cost over using the tunnel is more than offset by the saving in driving time.
Always prefer the ferry (Calais) to the tunnel. A wander round and bite to eat is the start of the holiday. Usually get to Perpignan near Spanish border (~800 miles) in the day.
Hi again...
Considering Eurotunnel but need help deciding on Friday evening vs Saturday morning.
I will be needing to depart from oop north despite living more South; adding to the complexity of planning.
The issue is the drive down past B'ham and London (M25 clockwise) on a Friday afternoon / tea time - am I right to presume it will be very heavy traffic to be avoided, or is it doable?
My reasoning is that a Friday evening Chunnel would be quieter/easier than a Saturday morning one, and after a sleep over in Calais I could get most of the way to Poland in a (long) day.
Crossing the channel Saturday AM might be really busy and congested and would set us back a good half day.
I am trying to control for variables that I have no experience of eg ??severity of Friday evening traffic going past B'ham / London, the slickness (or not) of The Chunnel infrastructure, busyness of the tunnel Fri PM vs Sat AM etc.
Thanks again for all the helpful replies.
Last edited by ach5; 12th July 2020 at 19:12.
When I've done weekend trips abroad in the past I've travelled on a Friday night, it's not brilliant, especially losing an hour in the crossing due to BST, that said I don't have another choice when I go... However, given the options I'd be tempted, if I were in your shoes, to book a fairly late crossing on Friday night (assuming your hotel on t'other side is close to Calais) and then you've got that faff outta the way.
When we travel on Friday evenings I normally add in a couple of hours contingency for traffic (coming from Peterborough) and touch wood not needed it yet (using a sensible estimate in the first place, then adding the extra!). I'll kill the time by having a cheeky McDonalds at Folkstone before going back up to the Chunnel. They also allow a bit of flex (is it +/- an hour on your orininally booked time?) so I've been able to jump on an earlier crossing on more than one occasion for free.
I think I've done it once where I stayed in Folkstone and then got an early crossing, to be honest it's not the best use of time as you then lose a lot of the next day sat in Folkstone waiting for a train!
1) use waze for a departure next friday and it will tell you what traffic to expect on a Friday evening.
2) I always leave early Saturday morning (between 5 and 6) but then I live nearby. You could sleep near Ashford for the same schedule.
3) check at what time you’d arrive in Calais, and make sure the hotel will be open. Just like for the shuttle traffic, hotels will have been affected by Covid and it would be dangerous to assume old info is still valid.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
It has it's own irritations.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Get yourself a Sanef tag for the French toll roads.... drive straight through the tolls, and pay the bill when you get back....dead easy.
https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/
Don’t overthink it. As long as your car is serviced, relatively new, insured and you have breakdown cover (which you won’t need) you will be fine. Think of the last 2000 or so miles you have driven and how much drama you had (probably very little).
I have driven to Eastern Europe (and Morocco) in a £200 banger bought on eBay and made it there and back without drama. If you lived in the USA or Australia you would be used to it.
Overpriced, terrible ferry food is your preparation for driving 800 miles in one day? I'm surprised. I thought you were entirely risk averse?
I arrived earlier today in Kraków. Did 1000km in 11 hours. Roads are good, some poles drive like idiots but that’s normal :)
I suggest to drive on Sunday, because of lorries are barred from driving. It makes your drive much easier.
He is heading to Poland........not much of that is through France!!
Did it w/o having to ask on here too.
Why are you always so miserable?
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Here because he was having his usual pop at me, idiot.
During a global pandemic, when there are no certainties and the whole fabric of our existence has come unstitched? Good for you bud, genuinely.
Whatever, :twat:During a global pandemic, when there are no certainties and the whole fabric of our existence has come unstitched? Good for you bud, genuinely.
Probably because of posts like this.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Some good advice above.
I’ve only really travelled via auto on a motorbike around Europe. Even as a young man 12 hours a day travel was about right. That’s setting off at 7am driving for about three hours then a short break to pee and have a drink. Drive until lunch at one. Take an hour for lunch. Even if it’s curling up in the back of your car with some music on and eyes closed. Then a break at half four and plan to stop at seven and arrange a room/ supper. Shower then bed.
People ''getting hammered'' springs to mind.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
The tunnel would get my vote every time. Quicker and easier.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
We've used the tunnel quite a few times, it just crossed my mind that for convenience (for us) if heading to Northern / Eastern Europe - Hull ferry is an option we've thought of but never used, though I've a nagging thought that it's possibly a bit of a ''booze cruise'' which isn't our thing at all.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I think you may be right.
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
To be fair I’ve heard this but it hasn’t been my limited experience in four trips, though they have all been in winter and not on weekends so I may have been lucky
Back to the 'what port of destination' part of the trip: When you get ashore in Rotterdam, you'll have use the Dutch A1. That's currently under construction and it will take considerable time to pass the roadworks (add 30 mins). With that in mind, it's a 4 hrs drive from Rotterdam to Bad Oeynhausen in Germany. It's a 6 hr drive from Calais to Bad Oeynhausen. Why B/Oeynhausen? That's the spot where those two different routes merge into one road to Poland.
Both roads are main arteries for lorries to get to Eastern Europe. Sunday is perhaps the best day of the week. During the summer holidays, the Saturday is always filled with traffic jams due to holiday traffic.
When we returned from the UK to the mainland, we stayed in the Ashford International Hotel. A behemoth of a place. Filled with large party rooms (is that the term?). Despite that the rooms are quiet. When I compare the Bruges hotel vs the Ashford hotel, I would always choose the Bruges' one; in so many words: cross the channel first and then head for a hotel.
When traveling across the channel, I would always opt for the route with the best possible way to avoid CV19 contamination. I don't think that a night trip on the Hook - Harwich or Hull - Rotterdam ferry is not the best way to avoid possible contact.
EDIT: what's the area of Poland you're heading for? E.g., When you're heading for the north, I would suggest that you take a different route from what I had in mind until now!
Last edited by thieuster; 13th July 2020 at 08:50.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for taking the time to post here and those who messaged offering excellent additional advice. This place is amazing.
I have now bought all the recommended things.
One final question... can I pay all the tolls as I go using my euro friendly credit card, or is there some other clever solution to tolls? Ie a pass I buy in advance? At this stage I have no idea how many tolls I was pass through, but it’s been mentioned here that there may be loads!
OT but I heartily recommend Hull-Zeebrugge. Quick at both ends, overnight and a good meal.... feels a bit more like part of the holiday
Exactly!!! We do Hull Rotterdam any time we’re off to Assen or Northern Europe. Go via Dover if we’re off to the alps. It makes sense living in the north. I do 8+ hours a day on the uk motorway network every day I work so doing it going on holiday just gets to me. I must admit the police in Kent are quite good, just got a finger wag at 100 when the traffic car was sitting beside me.
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if it's not been mentioned already it looks as if you (may) have to fill in a CV-19 form if you are travelling by EuroTunnel, (as maybe others??), and that when you return you may have to fill in another form for the UK authorities when you return
https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-c...fore-travel-uk
Unfortunately we have to go to France on Sunday and will use Brittany Ferries - they seems to be taking as many precautions as they can but I'm really not looking forward to the trip.
Last edited by BillN; 14th July 2020 at 22:22.
Only tolls you will need to pay is on Polish motorways. Depending where you going in Poland. Friday is OK just check is not start of school holidays as that can be very busy around M25 a M20 whit everybody going.
We drive to Gdansk every year to visit missus family and used to do it in 18 hours.
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That is because a lot of 'British' drivers were not taught to drive in the U.K.The real danger is when you get back to the UK and have to mingle with our lovely road users again - British driving standards can be abysmal.
The amount of times i`ve done thousands of miles in Europe on my motorbicycle without so much as thinking of swearing at another road user or tooting my horn only to get back onto our highways and have to tolerate middle lane (or even lane 2/3 !!) hogs, non-indicating lane switchers, myopic morons, tailgaters and such like - it`s immediately apparent as soon as you get back on to the M25.......
Depends on your route, but buying a vignet upfront is faster then waiting in the long rows at the border most often.
Like most ‘European’ drivers then.
Nope!! Most of them don’t seem to have been taught in the first place!!!! The average British car driver drives to british tradition that is this space is mine, I’m here and I’m staying here I’ll look at my phone and bugger anyone else that wants this space its mine and I’ll also drive about 5 mph lower than the speed limit to frustrate everyone.
Have you guessed that I spend my life on the motorways being frustrated by the new standards. ??.
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