I was just watching a BBC News report about HMS Albion picking up a few hundred tourists from Santander and bringing them home and was listening to the comments from some of those left behind, complaining that the couldn't fit on the ship and that hire car companies were charging thousands of Euros to rent a car to drive to France.

This got me thinking, you could surely buy a banger for a few hundred Euros and drive it home and it would be cheaper than hiring something.

Not that I'm stuck and considering it, it just got my mind thinking – Would that be a feasible solution?

Insurance? MOT ? The smell of garlic ?

Why not just wait until it calms down then fly home.

I would go down the buy a banger route and conveniently forget about insurance. That or just phone up my own insurance company and get it covered for a few days.

I know one thing. I wouldnt have spent £1,000 to £4,000 like some people on the news this morning. Boggles.

Worse case I'd have put off my return for a week and bummed around Europe etc, booked into a F1, bought a tent, etc etc.

I reckon anyone that can't manage to get themselves back from mainland Europe should probably stay there
They're obviously too stupid to travel

Why buy a car? Package your stuff up, ship it back. Buy a bike, a cheap tent and off you go! Perfect excuse for missing some work (blame the volcano).

If they say they are out of money so have to comeback (couple from Sunderland who then said they had no money left and insurance company 'didnt want to know' so they were out of pocket to the tune of £1,000 in expenses getting back)…

FFS.

re-registration fees for buying a 2nd hand car are expensive in France. IIRC it's about 200 euros.

The whole second hand car market in France looks very strange to me whenever I look at it: cars seem to keep their value. So much so that there's not much diff in a 3 year old car and a brand new one. It was about 1000 euros difference for the new style berlingo circa 20 000 new.

Bill Bailey bought a Citroen DS to drive back to the UK.

i was thinking that few hundred on a banger – ring my insurance co if they didnt insure me blame it on god and drive without.

Give it to a charity or some poor people round calais area.

why not steal/buy a moped, plenty of room of the ferries for them, you wouldn't be a foot passenger

Ah! Bingo! Perfect holiday for a typical STW. Stuck in France and buys a Berlingo that doubles as a trusty bike carrier..

Well if your in a foreign country, have run out of money, and for the short term at least theres no cheep reliable way of getting home £1000 aint bad.

£1000 is a lot of dosh, but on an average wage it would be break even point by the end of the week if you take into account the lack of cheep flights after the whole thing is cleared up, the hotel bill for an extra week, and lost earnings.

mmmmmm, pops off to advertise cheap bangers to froggies and spaniards wanting to get home from London… shame we cant get them to take a few ozzies with em, I would give them the cars..

Forget the insurance? And if you knock someone over or run into them, how many years of hospital bills/compensation will you be paying them out of your salary? Plus legal costs?

Well worth the risk….?

Midnighthour, depends. If you shot any witnesses then drove off at speed no one would ever catch you.

I'd be with hora on this one. Come the apocalypse, rulez iz out the window 🙂

Why is it that whenever I start to read one of these stuck due to the volcano things, I start humming the theme to the Great Escape?
Please let me go,I can see!!

Ah, but now you have to add in the cost of the gun and ammo…

One famous New Zealand Prime Minister (well) said that every New Zealander that moves to Australia raises the average IQ of both countries.

This volcanic cloud could be a test of intelligence and resourcefulness.

If you are too stupid and feckless to manage to get yourself home then stay out there.

And as for Navy Ships being sent to collect people – what a huge waste of money, it's not like they are earthquake or famine victims. Stranded un-injured in holiday resorts. Its an inconvenience not a disaster.

But as to the original post – now thats what I call a proper idea – you can come back home ! I would take the risk.

You could sell the gun to the Pirates. Lets face it, there will be alot of sea traffic now with alot of replica Eiffel towers etc to be had as booty (arrrr)

No

Sell the gun to wannabe illegal immigrants at Calais, there's loads of them

They're well flush with money now after selling their spaces in the back of trucks to desperate Brits trying to get home

I'm glad President Brown is sending an Aircraft carrier to pick up Marge and Brian from Magaluf though. Thank you Prime Minister Brown.

I'd definitely do it, probably buy a scooter if I didn't have much luggage.
sack the insurance – if you hit someone, tell them it was indirectly an act of God so you're not covered.
then scoot through the service Chunnel.

bakes on his way home

Dress like God? Beard, sandals and shout random words at everyone whilst waving a polystyrene thunder bolt?

If I was going to smuggle something back to the UK, it wouldn't be potatoes

If I was going to smuggle something back to the UK, it wouldn't be potatoes

Ah, you don't mean what I would do….

http://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=ukranian+ladies

lol, that would be my answer :

sack the insurance – if you hit someone, tell them it was indirectly an act of God so you're not covered.

**** the rules – its anarchy time

Better to buy an old bus and charge people £150 for a seat on it…

And as for Navy Ships being sent to collect people – what a huge waste of money, it's not like they are earthquake or famine victims. Stranded un-injured in holiday resorts. Its an inconvenience not a disaster.

Somebody on here the other day was wondering why an operation along the lines of the Dunkirk evacuation hadn't been organised. Not sure if he was serious.

Dan Snow tried to but elf 'n' safty got in the way

Buying a bike must be the way to go. Get some panniers/ a trailer, cycle across the continent on the way to the French ferry ports, camping on the way and enjoying the scenery – sounds like great fun. Don't understand these people paying to stay in a hotel waiting for days on end. fair enough if the cost is being covered, otherwise make your own way home.

I love the idea of loads of brits all camping out at Calais with the immigrants all trying to bum lifts back home in the backs of lorries.

Even better, if some of them are cockney they've got no chance.

"Staan the craws me old mucker, I'm as english as the bow bells me old jellyfish" (which is how all cockneys talk)
"Get lost, that accent's the fakest thing I've ever heard"

And as for Navy Ships being sent to collect people – what a huge waste of money, it's not like they are earthquake or famine victims. Stranded un-injured in holiday resorts. Its an inconvenience not a disaster.

You seem to be missing the whole point of that exercise.

You mean election advertising? I'm surprised Prime Minister Brown was down there on the beach handing out Sunny Delight and San Miguel.

Ah, but now you have to add in the cost of the gun and ammo…

But you could also use it to shoot the cat that keeps coming round…