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Check your brakes before you go up the alps. One of the guys I went with a couple of years ago drove his VW transporter up there knowing they were dodgy. Aren't many garages up there..... still he got another 2 weeks of riding in after the rest of us had gone...plus he had a ll the bikes and gear to choose from!!!
Sorry to be a numpty but from all of these descriptions it doesn't in anyway preferable to drive rather than fly - apart from the environmental differences I suppose?
So what's the appeal?
its a lot cheaper and you go at your own leisure, plus its part of the holiday for three lads!
Depending on who you fly with weight restrictions can make traveling with a bike very expensive, the bike may not even make it onto the same aircraft as you and if it does get onto the pan some numpty luggage chucker might make a mess of it whilst chucking it about.
Plus when you factor in that you are supposed to be at the airport 2 hours before the flight and add in airport transfer times each way there isn't a huge difference in travelling time.
Having driven the last two times I went to the French Alps I don't think I'll go back to flying. We even took a spare bike the last time we went 'just in case' as we had the room in the car.
I guess if you live a long way from the airport it's a major hassle - flying's never seemed expensive (£150 max) and I've never had any problems with lugguage (that's torn it).
How cheap is the driving anyway?
three of us in the car about £65 each in fuel plus tolls so about £85. then there's the crossing which we're still undecided on? £140 for the tunnel or £65 fot the ferry? hmmm speed or extra money?
the norfolk line route from dover to dunkerque is fab. not been to calais, but it's very very easy to get away at the france side... and very cheap too, especially if you book well in advance.
If money is an issue I'd agree with cp about the crossing. 30 mins longer crossing, but much less traffic Frenchside. I'd use Norfolkline again.
We have driven to the Alps many times. Accor hotels are cheap to stop off at. Formule One being the cheapest, but no ensuite. You can let yourself in with the card you made the booking with if you arrive late. We stop at Dijon or Albertville.
If you plan to arrive in resort on a Saturday, my advice is get as close as you can to the Alps, or set off by 6AM.
We tried sleeping in the car once, but it was cold and uncomfortable. Didn't get much sleep. These cheap rooms have a double bed with a single bunk above.
We have done three Valleys door to door a few times, but it's a bit of a schlepp. Leave by 7am from London and you should be there by mid evening.
We've always driven, makes life a lot easier for us. If you want a day or two off from riding you can go out & see a few things, also you can chuck the bikes in the car & drive to other areas to ride. Having been caught out a long way from home by the weather, this is a godsend.
"Still wouldn't fancy the Metro with bikes etc.
How do you get to St Pancras/Asford? more trains? or are you presuming everyone lives in London?
Even @ £100 + the cost of getting to London etc. - I can't see it comparing with the cost of driving down if there's more than one of you"
No need to be like that - it was just a suggestion.
I live in Bristol, so took the train to London. Ticket was about £25 return.
I actually sat down and worked out the cost of trains vs car (including tolls, ferry, fuel). If there's 4 of you, it's cheaper to drive, for 3 it's about the same, for 2 it's cheaper by train. Another way of looking at it is if you take the sleeper, you are effectively getting 2 days' extra holiday, which makes it excellent value if you look at the cost of 2 nights' extra accommodation.
I've always flown before last year but also had just gone for a week of biking. If I was doing that again then I would just fly as its quicker and gives you less time travelling and more time riding.
On the other hand, if you drive you can do more stuff and make it more of a holiday. Last year we had a few days in Morzine, a few days with a mate near Grenoble, a week with BikeVillage and a couple of nights in nice hotels in wine villages on the way home. We took MTBs and road bikes and did both, did some touristing and came back with a couple of cases of very nice wine (which we are still working our way through!).
This year we're driving again. Excellent.
The Hull-Zeebrugge ferry is a hoot if you can get to Hull........leaves 6pm, arrives in Belgium 8am. Then you have a 10hr drive to Chamonix on motorways.
Never paid for the motorway yet as we told the guard at the border we wernt going on them
brilliant idea - just make Swiss tax payers pay for your use of their motorways through their country
brilliant idea - just make Swiss tax payers pay for your use of their motorways through their country
My heart bleeds for the poor little darlings, living high on the hog off the back of profits from cuckoo clocks, Toblerone bars and Nazi gold.
😉
I'd stay clear of Switzerland altogether. They hate outsiders almost as much as they detest themselves.