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Appreciate this may be a bit of a long trip...but is it doable in a day, with 2 folks sharing driving duties.
I'm thinking it could just about be done leqving at 3am ish and arriving around 10pm
Also - how much would road tolls be roughly?
ta
No,
We do North Yorks to Alps and always stay over near Troyes, Dijon area. get up earlier on the Sat morning nip to resort, Bikes out and riding by sat lunch time.
I dont know what you do for a living? you might be a long distance lorry driver but half way to the Alps i'm ready for pulling my finger nails out with a pair of pliers.
From Scotland its a hell of a track,, i'd look at staying over somewhere, its cheap enough at a F1 hotel.
9 hours to Kent, ferry, 10 hours to Alps?
I did it once, never again. You arrive and need to sleep for your first day.
Yes, done a similiar distance Preston to Zermatt in a day, left home at 6.30am and sank first beer in Zermatt at 10.30pm.
Tolls not cheap I reckon we spent £175 on tolls but memory fading fast!
Do it.
hideous idea.
Did a 2 day drive from Malvernistan with a hotel stopover once in Reims. Hated that.
We only now drive in the camper van and make a 3 day roadtrip of it (out of a month long holiday, admittedly) or fly to GVA.
Did Aberdeen to Morzine in 26 hours last year with two driving. It was hard work getting to Dover though.
Used to drive from Northern France to Les Arcs (among others) for a weekend of skiing in my callow youth. We'd leave work on a Thursday evening, drive all through the night, nine or ten hours at least, taking turns to sleep.
Hideous. Great weekends, great fun, but hideous travel experience.
Tacking on another end to end and a ferry to that? Batshitmental.
Whether it's worth it or not depends on how long you're staying for. The last 3 Easters I've done Inverness to Chamonix solo in my campervan, leaving Inverness about 3:30pm and arriving Cham about 9 the next night. Well worth it for 2 weeks but I wouldn't do it for a week. You might think it's worth it for a shorter time.
Yep, Basically what Cynic-Al said, yo get there burnt out and need to lay up for a day, i've done it once on the way back. I think Tolls were only £60 each way last time we did it whoch was last July.
Driven it a few times from MK to morzine, as said worst bit is getting to the train in folkstone,
The first year I did it I couldn't ride for a day I was so washed out, last year we arrived at 9am and was on the plenney lift at lunch, I felt rough as but got through the day.
This year me and the usual guys are driving over 1st week in July .the rest are flying and getting one of RB F1's guys to take all the bikes over in a sprinter, he did it last year £700 quid to drop em off the day before we arrived and then he came back a week later stayed the night and left with us. Nutter
This year I drive back after riding then do it all again with the wife and kids in August!!!
id do the ferry crossing from Hull to Zeebrugge
first time i did Scunny to Morzine i left at midnight, without sleeping, 7am ferry, didn't get to Morzine until 11pm or something due to having to sleep and my car being ****ed 😆
done there and back in a weekend once leaving Friday morning and getting back Sunday, solo, as i needed to pick up an apartments worth of gear i left there
done Scunny to Valencia as well for Benicassim Festival, wanted to cry when i clicked the satnav on in paris after an overnight stop and it said i had 12 more hours of driving to do 😆
we want to go the weekend of the tour...we are only planning to go for (wait for it) 3 nights) but thinking camping is our best option.
Basically madness, but in truth not in a massive hurry to get down there or back. WOld fly if we could get accomodation..
I've done Bologna to Edinburgh in two days on a Ducati. And Edinburgh to Austria (via Norfolk) in a car, also in two days. Those must be a similar distances but there'll be more motorway now. With two drivers sharing I'd think it was fairly reasonable. Depends how much you like driving I guess.
WOld fly if we could get accomodation..
See if Zeb has any availability left?
http://www.chaletmontana.eu/
Did it last year from Sunderland to Chatel in one go overnight, only me driving. Had a couple of breaks on the way to Folkestone, napped on the train, then took plenty of little stops on the way to Chatel. Set off from Sunderland at 12 midday on Friday got to Chatel at 9.30am next morning. Got some supplies in then went and had a nap until about 5pm. Didn't want to sleep too long as I didn't want to cock up sleep patterns. Started riding on Sunday felt fresh as a daisy.
Lots of people saying it was horrendous but personally I didn't mind it one bit. I can't sleep in moving cars. I just can never ever get comfy enough.
Took the kids to Disney, from the Middlelands in one go, that was bad enough.
Plus 500 miles either side of that sounds hideous.
What about train to Dover, pick up a hire car in Calais...?
We've done Edinburgh to Chatel a couple of times. Took about 24 hours in a mitsubishi delica that was cooking itself and therefore slow, and about 22 hours in a volvo v70 which was fast. Driving was split between 3 of us, but we weren't in a great hurry.
We left at about 5pm to get on the boat at dover at 3am ish, then got to chatel at lunchtime. This left an afternoon and evening to faff around, drink beer and get ready for some cycling.
I'd do it again - road trips are loads of fun, and part of the adventure.
Did Aberdeen to Morzine then back 2 weeks later our return journey in a van was 22 hours total with 2 driving. Way out was a bit longer we arrived mid afternoon had an early night and were up riding for a full day the next day.
I would leave from Edinburgh at 6ish in the evening and drive to the train. Wee snooze on the train then get going with a few stops on the French side. It's a long journey but easy doable.
Done Glasgow - Morzine about 10 time now, it's an easy drive just long. Go for it and if you get tired just pull over in an Aire for a few hours.
Done Lancs to Garda a couple of times now.
Short day at work; get away mid afternoon; chunnel about 10pm; on the uplift bus at 12 noon.
That sort of distance is not fun if you're the only driver but easy enough with two driving.
Coming from Edinburgh, I'd agree with the Hull-Rotterdam/Zeebrugge suggestion though. We use that regularly, it breaks the journey and makes for an easy day-two.
We do Leeds to Morzine area every year. But we do it in two days with the kids and both of us driving. Leave 5am to catch lunch time ferry (sleep on ferry, and let the wife run the kids ragged ) the down to Troyes ish for stop over. Then 6 hrs ish to Alps the next day. But.........we do it in Feb half term when every other bugger is on the road. Out of school hols time its a much easier run ( 17hrs Geneva to Pas de Calais last year). I drive a lot for work and hate it, but love driving on holiday, as long as we set an easy schedule . It's part of your break, so enjoy it, if you can.
I made it from Morzine to Carlisle in a oner. It was hell. I was intending to stop somewhere north of London but for some reason just kept going. I don't r commend it.
Have driven Aberdeen to Morzine numerous times. Often aim to hit Dover late on, get a late ferry then kip in the car at the first French motorway services for a few hours (about 45 mins south of Dover). Then crack on. Usually stop again a couple of times for coffee, fuel and French biscuits.
With a co driver it would be much easier.
Easy enough. Done it quite a few times from Dundee. Left Dundee at 7pm, over night drive to early ferry. Dover circa 6am ferry, left Calais circa 8am. In Morzine and having first pint in my mates bar by 5pm. Easy. Tolls? not that much really. circa £50 tops iirc.You look forward to it so much that the lack of sleep doesnt matter / isnt noticed 😉 4 friends, 2 driving, great laugh. Do it.
I'll come, to share driving 😉
Done Newcastle to Morzine a couple of times. I'm the only driver so no choice but suck it up. Took exactly 25 hours last year from home the the campsite in Les Gets. It's not enjoyable but it's doable.
Each time we go I do all the driving (mrsG won't drive the van as its left hand drive)
Leeds - Morzine using the tunnel, only stop for toilet and coffee stops. And it's a pretty easy drive solo.
Although I do drive over 1500 miles per week normally, so probably more used to it than most.
Ive done Leeds to Annecy and Leeds to Alpe d'Huez a few times
On the road at 430AM - in resort with enough time to unpack and head into town for some beers and a pizza
But as the saying goes you dont get to see much along the way
The limiting factor is the M25 which is why we've always done the 430AM exit to hit St Albans before the orbital grinds to a halt at Dartford
What time would you have to leave to get to the M25 before it gets nasty?
Over in France its easy 🙂
20 or so hours driving. Balls to that, even shared.
I look at drive distance to Scotland from South East and generally conclude I can get to the Alps in same time, so stuff Scotland. 10hrs, about the most I'll drive.
Sleep deprivation and driving are a lethal combination to you and other road users.
Don't try and be a hero and end up dead or killing somebody else.
Easiest way to split it would be a hotel around the Dartford crossing or just off the tunnel. Then do France in the day time when you are normally awake, there are stats about how bad the brain goes around 3am for those not adjusted to it.
You will still probably end up with an easier day after that.
Other options are the long ferry or the short drive to Edinburgh airport.
Big bag camping kit into big fly, hire a car. Did N Spain for two weeks two of us this way.
Drove Edinburgh to Sierra nevada, south Spain. In 38hrs in a transit. Three drivers two hours on four off. It was rubbish. Only stopped for fuel, food and toilets. We rode the day we arrived I may have fallen asleep eating dinner.
Out of school hols time its a much easier run ( 17hrs Geneva to Pas de Calais last year)
Am I missing something? Geneva to Calais is usually less than 9 hrs.
Is it a comfy car you can sleep in?
Can you choose a longer ferry crossing (and get some shut eye)
I've done similar drives over the years, but always been a bit canny with a) what i've driven down in and b) where the natural breaks are.
I do Leeds to the Pyrenees 2 or 3 times a year with the wife and 2 kids. Usually stop over on the way down but drive back in one go. Leave my sister's at 6:30am and arrive home at midnight ish. We do share the driving though.
DFDS do Newcastle to Amsterdam ferry. Drive from there would be pretty easy and slightly cheaper in tolls. And I think you can use Tesco points on DFDS ferries.
tpbiker - sorry to go off topic, but please could you drop me an email about the v brakes you mentioned in response to my wanted ad if you have a mo? Thank you 🙂
As most have said - The limiting factor is normally the UK traffic, especially around Dover / Folkstone. Shared the driving between 2 of us going from Oxford (via London to pick up the 3rd amigo) to Val d'isere, left at 5pm, got to Val at about 3pm the next day.
The French roads are fine, might be an idea to avoid transfer day as I remember trying to get out of Morzine on a Saturday in peak winter, but if its the summer that may not be a problem.
Done that trip several times with the kids and the bit that makes it possible is using the Hull / Zeebrugge ferry. What you gain in time by shortening from that route to 24 hours you lose in recovery time.
Leave Edinburgh midday. Scrape into Hull as the last car through security. Relax and have a few drinks over dinner on the boat, decent cabin and a breakfast where you can take enough for lunch. Cheap Esso station on the way out of Zeebrugge and even with bikes on the back, that gets to the Alps in time for dinner.
Out of school hols time its a much easier run ( 17hrs Geneva to Pas de Calais last year)
Am I missing something? Geneva to Calais is usually less than 9 hrs.
Snow and traffic. Not a nice day!
Snow and traffic. Not a nice day!
Indeed, especially having to fit chains after a 12hr drive!
We did from Newcastle to Les Arcs last year via Tunnel. Healthy delay on the UK side due to to troubles at the time. Planned to stop overnight at Reims, ended up stopping a lot sooner.
The return trip was trouble free in comparison. Worst bit was getting off the train with 300+ miles still to go.
This year we are getting ferry from North Shields. Its a bit dearer, but a lot less driving.
Tolls for us last year were over £100, but thats a big van.
Wouldnt fancy doing it in 1 go at all, though plenty do.
First time I drove from Glasgow to Morzine I was all Charlie Big Potatoes thinking we could do it non-stop. We left about 5pm on a Friday night with the ex driving to Dover for a 3am ferry. By the time we trundled into Dover she was seeing double and on the verge of a breakdown. Hopped on the ferry then I took over driving in France. We tried to grab some sleep on the ferry but it was impossible. Once into France I had to pull over after an hour as I felt terrible. We slept for a couple of hours then started again. Along the way I developed horrific stomach cramps and constipation, which after about 5 hours turned into horrific diarrhea. I was a bawhair away from having to drop my pants in the middle of service station and just release the torrent but I made it to a toilet.
Now I do it much more sensibly. Leave at a nice time on the friday and cruise down to Dover. Overnight in a premier inn. Ferry about 7:30am on the Saturday. Into France and again a nice relaxed cruise down. Stopping every 3 hours or so. Similar story on the way back. That's with me doing all the driving. Obvious caveat is I'm spending a fortnight in Morzine so not overly bothered about minimizing travel time
Along the way I developed horrific stomach cramps and constipation, which after about 5 hours turned into horrific diarrhea. I was a bawhair away from having to drop my pants in the middle of service station and just release the torrent but I made it to a toilet.
Not sure why that's relevant, but thanks for sharing.
Don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, get one of these: www.saneftolling.co.uk
Not sure why that's relevant, but thanks for sharing.
Just highlighting the risks of staying awake for 24 hours on a diet of whatever service stations sell 😆
We used to do the drive from Fife to La Plagne every Easter when I was a kid. Initially, we would leave Fife at 9am and get the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry, arriving in the Alps at around 7pm the following day. Very civilized (plus we always stopped at the same places - Metrocentre for lunch, York for a quick break, Luxembourg for petrol, [url= http://www.joelix.com/My-favorite-Aire-de-Jugy ]Aire de Jugy[/url] for a late picnic).
When my brother and I were older, we started going via the Dover-Calais ferry - left at 3am, got an early afternoon ferry, then stopped at family in Arras in the north of France for the night. The second leg took us 10 hours the next day.
We only once got the tunnel, but my parents hated it because it meant that we couldn't get out the car to stretch our legs properly. As soon as I got my driving license, I helped out with the driving (mostly on the autoroute in France as it's much quieter). I can't imagine doing that drive in one go with only 2 drivers.