Me and a friend where thinking of doing a mini tour in france at end of October but looking at how to get there the ferry takes 8 hoursish and eurostar charge for bikes if they are not dismantled into boxes.

We could take the bikes apart but what do we do when we get back to the train after 6 days of riding? riding with a bike bag isn’t an option.

May just scrap the idea and do a tour somewhere else in UK as it’s easier travelling about. Did Wales in the summer so may head lakes or cornwall or something. If France proves too expensive and hassle.

The ferry takes 90mins from Dover

Cheapest isn’t easiest. Best compromise is tunnel

Cheapest isn’t easiest. Best compromise is tunnel

Speaking from experience, this ^

Get on the ferry as foot passengers with bikes and start the tour from the ferry port.

Or is that what you were planning on doing anyway ?

easiest, tunnel for sure i would say

cheapest in my experience is dover to dunkirk ferry. lots cheaper than calais.

mikewsmith – Member

Cheapest isn’t easiest. Best compromise is tunnel

Don’t be silly, it’ll take him ages to dig one of those…

not sure out but the cheapest way back is to take a schoolgirl with you when you go

HTH

Cheapest isn’t easiest. Best compromise is tunnel

Eurotunnel won’t take bikes unless they’re with a car and passenger

Eurostar or the ferry are the only options

wave a white flag, you’ll get through in no time

What’s wrong with an eight hour crossing, there is a bar on the ferry isn’t there? I’d treat it as part of the holiday, sort of a mini cruise but with more of a vomit smell.

90 minutes from Dover??!!!!! I’m obviously reading the wrong information on websites.

I was planning on riding from friends to Dover so the tour starts then, get across to Calais and then perhaps do a Battle of the somme sort of ride, or something historic.

Just looked Dover to Dunkirk £15 each way, WOW! thank you Porter_Jamie

And as for the school idea, that’ll get him home damn quicker but don’t fancy a moaning 15 year old on the back of my bike the whole ride.

The big (8 hour) crossings are the south coast > St Malo crossings. Dover to Calais etc are dead short… Its only 32 miles or something.

Ace plans are back on now 🙂

90 mins Dover to Calais direct for sure (unless they park in the middle for a party or something). Not as daft as it sounds, I’ve done an ovenighter from Dover to St.Malo, 12hrs +.

Apparently France is good for maths field trips, as long as the question is “how many times will 30 go into 15?”

naughty

Eurotunnel have a bike service i think? They just pick you up in a car
http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/traveller-info/vehicles/bicycles/

That’s superb never seen that before

I’ve not heard of that either, anyone used the car pick up service from euro tunnel?

The ferry is brilliant with a bike (or at least used to be) – first off the boat in front of all the cars, no matter when you get on. Dead easy.

Not as slick as the Eurotunnel maybe (and driving I’d go Eurotunnel every time), but I do like a good boat.

Joe

@gazerath, did you pay attention at school, how could you possibly think a ferry from Dover would take 8 hours, that must be the daftest STW post for some time 😀

If you have Tesco Clubcard points you can use them to buy Eurotunnel crossings, still a good offer if not as good as it used to be. I think its the easiest and quickest option and not too costly if you can subsidise it this way

how could you possibly think a ferry from Dover would take 8 hours

See my post. Fact is often stranger than fiction.

thinking about it it is a duurrrrrrrrr moment