Work have said I can take my van. Only thing is I'll probably be going alone. Is this a bit risky in case I injure myself and my company vehicle is stuck out there?
I'm trying to weigh up driving against the cost of a bike bag, flights etc. Bit wary of the risk of bike being damaged/lost, flights cancelled etc.
Just take someone with you? I'm sure someone would offer to take the other seat like a shot!
Rachel
if your insurance is in order, what's the problem?
I'm trying to convince a mate to go, but not having much luck.
[i]if your insurance is in order, what's the problem?[/i]
Would it cover getting the vehicle back?
one thing i was wondering is how long the volcanic ash cloud might continue, at least if you drive you know your going.
You could 3 or 4 days, stop off in some nice places. Sounds nice.
The car insurance should cover getting the van home and your own insurance should cover you getting home.
just ask the insurance company to clarify.
Sweet. Cheers for your help. I'll check tomorrow.
[i]You could 3 or 4 days, stop off in some nice places. Sounds nice.[/i]
Was thinking about 10 -14. At least like you say, I could stop off where I want.
We did it last year. 4 of us in my van. 12 hours from Calais approx. Will do it again this year if my van recovers from its gear box failure 🙄
Great way to get there IMO. I've always done it with about 3 drivers, changing stints approx every 2 hrs. On your own it's a looooong way.
I've driven to the Alps loads of times (France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, from Yorkshire) and will be doing again this summer. It's not as far as you think. Better with a mate or two to share the road trip but you can do it on your own, I know quite a few people who have.
A hundred and one things could happen, don't worry about it.
Road trips rule! And you can take as much kit as you like.
Having said that, I've flown quite a few times with the bike and had no problems at all.
it is a nice drive down to the alps and took us about 10 hours from the tunnel exit....
there were two of us and we swapped over every 3 hours ish....long way solo !!!!
there are plenty of campanile motels en route to stopover which would make it a longer but safer option.
When are you going ?? was thinking of going myself this year.
you can take out european breakdown insurance if required for a reasonable fee.
definately easier driving down there than you think.
I have done it singe handedly, its a bit of a long drive (south of france is longer mind you). Not a problem to do it in one go, lots of fun I serious recommend it. With regards to getting the vehicle back if it breaks, invest in european breakdown cover they will either fix the vehicle or recover it to the UK.
I driven loads of times too. its far better with someone else. if even just to ease the boredom. Also, the french fleece you for road tolls. You will also need a form of road tax badge if you goin to Switzerland. As the others have said, check with insurance. Alsoi recommend not speeding.Getting pulled over by 3 gun clad french police in a high powered subaru is not funny......at the time 🙂
Its a great drive, but fun with a bunch of mates.
Road trips rule!!!!
its loads of fun but it is tiring. I would take a break if your doing it solo. Other wise dont worry about getting injured, you will be rite!
@benji_allenthe cost of a bike bag
Why a bike bag? Nip to your LBS and get a bike BOX full of all the gubbins that the manufacturer provide and you've got a free, better quality way of transporting the bike.
we drove last year, very long & boring...
flying this year
Three of us are driving over for passport de solel. WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
In theory there's three drivers. But.... and its a big but... this would involve the other two not trying to drink their own bodyweight in French lager then falling into a fitful drunken sleep. Unlikely to say the least
Pass me another beer and can you wake me up when we get to Morzine. Cheers 🙂
I've done it on my own a couple of times. I find its just a mental game, you have to sit back, relax, except its a long drive and watch the miles go by. Make a good balance between stopping every 2 or 3 hours but still pushing on with the drive.
One time I did it at night as I thought I would be able to open up more on the German Autobahn, but this was a killer. Better to choose either tues, wed or thurs and head down in daylight.
I always have a big bag of apples, a flask of coffee and a load of water with me...oh and an Ipod.
I did it to Austria, 4 people in with two regular and one occasional driver. We stopped over in Germany, then got to our chalet to pick up the keys at midday the next day, not quite ready to jump straight on the bikes but not knackered either. Our motel at Munich had underground parking which was very handy, didn't have to empty the bikes out of the car or empty the roof box 🙂
Only difference is I find long drives quite relaxing, and we had a nice big fast Mondeo to eat up the miles 🙂 If you want to liven up your first drive abroad, come off the motorway into a Belgium town centre by mistake at a restricted access junction, get stuck on a 'wrong way' one way system, and discover your European Atlas is too small scale and your phone provider has failed to unblog your mobile so you can't use Google maps 🙂 If you drive up a motorway onramp with red traffic lights halfway up, does it means its closed, or will they change to green when you get there?!
I drive 3-4 times every year to the Tarentaise, often as sole driver. It is nine hours from Calais with 2 20 min stops. The roads both motorways and A roads are so much better than the UK. Road Trips are the way to go far better than flying, you are in control of where you want to go, when you want to go!
Calais to Zermatt 9 hours @ 80mph with 3 stops, zero congestion & about £38 tolls, on the return journey we left Zermatt @ 6am & were back in Bristol well before 9pm only stopping for fuel & driver changes.
I don't see a problem.
Just enforce a strict break [u]EVERY[/u] 2hrs if your driving alone. That way you are relaxed, unstressed and not tired.
If you think 'wow I've been driving for 5hrs straight and lets see if I can do the last 200km's in one go- you'll be spanked and at risk of making mistakes/accident.
I'm very tempted to drive across to Kaprun this year..
-It kind looks like cheap flights are a thing of the past now.
That, and like has allready been pointed out- you take as much kit as you like!!
OP- a note.
I drove to S.Germany in the middle of winter in an Aygo then again in Summer in a Altea TDI. Both times I forced myself to have stops by the clock (not on mileage or on how good I felt).
Its not a race to get there - you'll feel excited to get there but you need to be very alert the closer you get. Hence rest.
We've done it a couple of times, last year i did all the driving myself from Preston, that was a long way! This year there's two other drivers coming so that will make it MUCH nicer for me 😆
I like driving down, its part of the adventure of the holiday. depends who you go with like but we have good crack on the way down. I wouldn't go any other way. Its not cheaper, although its not more expensive, its just a better way IMO of getting there. Don't rush and enjoy it.
its 10-12 hours from calais to les gets, but just get there when you get there.
10-12 hours? At what speed???
Its only ~600 miles from Calais & 95% autoroute.
cheaper and quicker to fly...
Including stops, we drove at 70-80mph and thats what we did it in 🙄
freeridenick - Member
cheaper and quicker to fly...
[i]Quicker?[/i] Yes.
[i]Cheaper?[/i] I'm not so sure...
TBH depending on where you live i'm not sure if it is quicker. We did it in 9 hours from the tunnel exit. It takes me 1.5hr now to get across the channel on the train.
It would tke me 1.5 hours to gatwick, 1.5 hours wait, 2hour flight, 1hour baggage wait, 1 hour further wait at airport for transfers, then 2-3 hours transfer to the alps. so almost the same amount of time.
Roughly the same time, plus with 4 of us it would be cheaper then flying
go for it. if you do it in one stint stop off every 2 or 3 service stations for a caffeine top up of one euro espressos, they're the only things that got us there! 🙂 cost is a bit more than flights mind but you have the pleasure of taking whatever biking parafanalia you like with you without worrying about being stung for excess, bonus if you have a monster bike and a 456 piece toolset! 🙂
@ mikey65. Probably end July or August sometime. Looking at the Whiteroom singletrack weeks, then maybe stay on a bit so can have a day or 2 off, then get some more in. If you fancy jumping in with me let me know. Might be able to sort something out. The lad I thought was keen on going is probably gonna bail in the end.
i drove alone to the alps 12 years ago. it was fine though you will be ****ing exhausted. also, i missed a turning of the autoroute on the way there and it was an hour before the next turning point so never made it to les gets on the first day. same on the way back too... just be careful with the junctions eh? 🙂
3 of us (me and Fortunateson09 and mafiafish) are driving down for the passportes du soleil too, I'm so excited.
We flew down last year and the bikes were ok, but getting to and from the airports with them was a faff and weight was always a worry. I love a good road trip and the B'lingo's much comfier than a sweaty plane.
We're driving across to Alp d'Huez for the mega a bit later as well, can't bloomin wait. 😀
Can I hijack the thread and ask those of you who've done it before what roads/towns/general experiences etc we should aim for/avoid? 😛
drove a couple of years ago, 2 drivers and 2 passengers/drunks
Left home at 4pm on friday, dinner in dover, ferry then drove until breakfast. Arrived mid-afternoon
No probs and cheap as i had a fully expensed car :-), but biggest problem was finding fuel at night in france
But i regularly drive to my folks in one hop, 350 miles.
It is expensive to do it alone, check out places like the southerndownhill forum, lots of people wanting to car share to the alps.
[i]I'm very tempted to drive across to Kaprun this year..[/i]
Thats where we went a couple of years ago.
We stayed at http://www.appartement-kitzsteinhorn.com/uk/appartement_uk.htm
We had the big 'Snow' apartment which has balcony, but there are three smaller apartments as well. Nice views over fields to the mountains from balcony, parking, ski room to lock the bikes in. When we went we booked through a local agent but they have their own website now, same family though.
Its here, roughly in the shadow of the trees. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=kaprun&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=15.268214,39.506836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kaprun,+Zell+am+See,+Salzburg,+Austria&ll=47.263463,12.748668&spn=0.001068,0.002411&t=h&z=19
Couple of years old, obviously built after Google's last visit 🙂
It's easy. Just set the sat nav, and ignore it when it sends you through Paris.
Mr.C and I have driven to the Alps with 2 kids in summer and winter from the north with one overnight stop.It is alot less stressful than flying and we can take all the kit we might need with out paying any extra. We went this winter and got Eurotunnel tickets free with Tesco Club Card tokens. We saved a fortune compared to all our friends and families who flew, but it was at half term.
It's an easy drive. Have a stop over in the UK and get an early ferry?
Took me 8 hours (Calais to Morzine) and 7 hours the other way. The French roads are excellent as are the drivers road manners.
The only comment would be take snacks! The French road side services are rubbish! You'll queue for 10,000 years for a manky croque monsieur or the loos. Just do as the French do and stop and wee in the car park, eat your snacks, move on.
Oh, and it's easier to have a co-pilot to stick a credit card in the toll machines (wrong side innit otherwise.....)
I'd happily drive again. The bonus of being able to take lots of kit / spares / bikes far outweighed the hassle of travelling by air.
It costs a bloody fortune to drive solo. I did it last year and took me 22 hours from Blackburn. This was with 2 1 hour sleep stops. Very dangerous, but I was excited so it didn't matter. Didn't use my car much whilst there for the season.
Not driving this summer, too much hassle, cost and tomfoolery and need to get back in a hurry to start job in September. I just hope the flights are OK in June!
Where you driving to?
Edit: The first toll stop you get to has a British side to give you a sense it'll be alright. After that it's a pain reaching over all the time.
I've driven it many times solo. I used to do it from Gothenburg, Sweden to Chamonix and back quite regularly, even for long weekends and that's over 20 hours driving time and 1200 miles each way! It helped that I could class it as work time and it cost me nothing.
Road trips rule.
I'm off late july by myself and like most have said so far take plenty of breaks and drink loads of water so you will have to stop (p Stop) I pick the booth on the toll with the least traffic and just walk round the car, the french drivers seem quite patient. I will be using a sat nav as opposed to an atlas and I can leave the motorway to refuel as its cheaper.Did it overnight last time but choosing to travel in the day light this one. See you in the services.
Almost there
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I have driven several times.It is not difficult, but make sure your departure does not concide with one of the big French /Paris departure weekends.
If it is just yourself though it works out pretty expensive with channel crossing fuel and tolls. Have you thought about taking the train? Often the most relaxing form of transport. Earlier you book hte cheaper the ticket usually.
i drove back on my own 2 years ago (could only blag a week rather than 2 that all my mates managed). wasn't that expensive if you stay off the toll roads, but pricier than just flying and getting transfers. I did the whole lot with just one stop (for fuel), other than that cruise control on, trundle along. my tip for a 12 hour jouney would be audiobooks - keep you awake and interested
Don't know where you're from in the kingdom, but you'll be fine. I did dieppe cannes in one go, only stopping for fuel and wee. Stick to the speed limit and enjoy the music 😀
Waaaaah! I'm getting so excited!
I'm sitting in the stuffy uni computer lab and just let out an involuntary girly squeal!
😀
*EEEEEEEEP*
We always drive, 5 times now, although i don't drive myself. Nick, who does all the driving(complete petrol head) loves it. It's an easy journey and fast with him driving, last year , got to Nyon, our first stop before Champery at 2:30 pm having left Calais at 7:30 8 ish that morning. Good good fun. No bike holiday to the alps this year but doing a two week road trip through france, will be excellent!
I'm driving down (or rather being driven!) this year too for the same trip as bruce.
Road trips make bike adventures better. I'm hugely excited by it, it's going to be great.
It's only 13 hours from Leeds. We've driven about that from up here to Dorset for rides in the past.
Did it in 2000 in a Saxo - it was fun!
Hopefully the Volcano will continue to vent its angry self all over the skies so us lot with vaaaans will be the only ones in the alps, imagine that!
😀
13 hours from leeds ...hmmm.
After driving last year I can't see the point in ever bothering with the hassle and cost of flying again.
As above - it's an adventure, you can take spares, you don't have to worry about idiots breaking/damaging the bike, you have more flexibility, you're not at the mercy of the ash clouds.
Aye, driving North Yorkshire to Alps this summer...bit of a combo trip. Drive down with mate for a week with The White Room, then drop him off at Calais to catch the train back to York, and pick up wife and kids from the same station for a week in Normandy...result (if it all goes to plan)
Epic Journey Story!
I've driven to the Alps 4 times, 3 times to Chamonix and 1 time to Zermatt.
The last timne to Chamonix the weather was so bad we decided to drive to Finale Ligure for the last 4 days. Just as we were leaving the campsite to come home on Saturday morning the (company) car started to play up, loss of power, engine lights on dashboard etc. Upshot was it needed to go to a garage rather than drive 1000 miles back to Bristol. Unfortunately my company had let Europe-wide recovery lapse despite telling me otherwise when I asked.
It was with much sympathy that the owner of the campsite told us we would have problems as it was a local holiday for the whole of the next week. We ended up having to get a train to Nice then Easyjet to Luton. Hired a car in Luton (which thankfully work paid for as I needed something to get around in) and drove back to Bristol.
Not too bad, the epic bit come when trying to pick the car up two weeks later which was August Bank Holiday. I had booked to go to Cornwall.
So, on Wednesday afternoon, drove hire car back to Luton, Easyjet back to Nice, found hotel in Nice for the night. Next morning (Thursday) at 6.30 caught train out of Nice to near Finale where car had been repaired, taxi from train station to garage. Paid for repair (which was only about 80 Euros for all this trouble!) around 10 a.m. and hit the road. Spent the rest of the day driving to within an hour of Calais where I crashed in a service station about 10 p.m. for some sleep. Up early next morning (now Friday) and drove to Calais and got on 9 a.m. ferry. Arrived in Blighty at noon having lost and hour, stopped at my parents in Folkestone for some lunch and got back on the motorway. Round M25 and along M4 on Bank Holiday Friday and got back to Bristol at 6 p.m. Unpacked 2 week old gear from car boot and repacked for weekend, had some dinner then went to supermarket to get food for weekend. Left Bristol about 8 p.m. and got to Land's End at 11.30 p.m. Thankfully the pub was still serving as I needed a drink by then! Got tent up around 2 a.m. on Saturday morning. Phew!
Anyway, driving to the Alps (or further) isn't too bad although it is easier with someone else to share, just plan to take a short break or swap every 2 to 3 hours. Population densities aren't generally as high in Europe so roads tend to be less congested. Also the weather tend to be a bit better as you head south so it's not unpleasant driving. Bear in mind Motorway tolls add up and the Mont Blanc Tunnel is quite expensive. Seriously consider European recovery.
I've driven down to les Arcs for both skiing and biking quite a few times over the last 20 odd years.
It's a dead easy route for starters and around 600 miles from Calais.
I've done it on my own with a rest stop for an hour. It's much better with a couple of you sharing the drive.
Tolls are not too bad, fuel is not much cheaper then here. It's a doddle and much more fun than flying.
Well worth checking your car/van over beforehand as someone might have tried stealing your wheels in the UK and left all four being held on by the locking bolts only for the whole trip down. (luckily there was a VW garage in Borg St Maurice)