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I need to get across to Spain urgently so am driving down in the next day or so from Scotland. Unfortunately I am therefore going to struggle to predict my ETA. What's the best way to use the Tunnel? Shall I just turn up or would a flexible ticket make the most sense? I'm happy to go for a ridiculous time if it's significantly cheaper.
Thanks very much in advance.
last couple of times I've used it, i've booked a cheap ticket/time. turned up a couple of hours early and been moved onto an earlier train for no charge. I think once I paid an extra £20 to save three hours sitting in the terminal.
this was out of holiday season.
whatever you do, don't just turn up.
Mid week this time of year shouldn't be too busy. They are usually pretty flexible with letting you on the next available one. I'd be tempted to book the time you think you will get there, as soon as you know, and hope they let you on the next one when you do arrive. The flexi plus thing is pretty good when it is busy but shouldn't be needed for this trip
Brilliant, thank you. Will book just now.
Every time I've used it they just put you on the next available train, regardless of what time you booked.
last couple of times I’ve used it, i’ve booked a cheap ticket/time. turned up a couple of hours early and been moved onto an earlier train for no charge.
Same here. I find them pretty good to use, and they don't charge extra for carrying bikes.
If you have Tesco clubcard vouchers as well you can get an email voucher 3 times the value of your vouchers to redeem against the ticket price. Really helps keep the cost down.
Ferry from Portsmouth to Santander will mean you can sleep whilst still moving. It will get you there more quickly and in a better state.
Even Portsmouth to Caen/Cherbourg will be better than tunnel!
rachel
If you don't want to do Santander (or Bilbao) then maybe a Portsmouth -> St Malo overnighter. Obviously not flexible on departure times but you can get a kip like allthegear said. Then in the morning pick up the road to Nantes then motorway all the way down. The problem with Calais if you're going to Spain is that France is actually quite a big country and going from Calais to Spain would add 400-500km I'd guess.
We use Tesco Clubcard points when we use the tunnel, makes it the cheapest option.
Depending on how far you're going on the other side/time of day you're travelling an overnight ferry can make sense but you can't beat the tunnel for speed of crossing - though it's not a particularly pleasant experience.
I just checked green flag as with the OP travelling from Scotland thought tat Portsmouth added some mileage ..surprisingly not !
With Edinburgh as a starting point..its roughly 40 miles shorter to get to Portsmouth ..if you are also saving car miles through France then it could be a very good idea ..depending on the cost of the ferry .
Calais to Barcelona (basically, only just over the border) is 1332km. There is an awful lot of France...
Don’t try and drive it all - it’s just not worth it. Last thing we need is *another* squashed squirrel on the road.
rachel
You could get the overnight ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam or Hull to Rotterdam and arrive refreshed in the morning. I think it is still possible to get the MotoRail from Paris to Biarritz, just drive on to it and then let the train do the work.
couldn't you just, you know, fly?
Second the above - Calais to Spain is a long way down. Better option would be ferry to caen/ at Malo. Even better option would be ferry to Spain.
Check the "via michalen" website - that gives a good indication on driving costs incl fuel and toll costs. Weigh up to total cost of the expected journey with the price of the Spanish ferry.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">I once drove from Edinburgh to the Dordogne via Calais in one go. It was probably the worst decision I have ever made. Narrowly missed hitting/ killing a motorcyclist and felt like I was in a trance with sleep deprivation. Of all the stupid things I've done, that was far & away the most reckless and dangerous. </span>
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Its not that bad a drive. I've done Leeds to Pyrenees loads of times, sometimes in one go.
We usually stop over night somewhere but have also just pulled into aires to get a bit of kip. It won't be a great drive on your own, but just stop as soon as you feel tired and get a bit of sleep, take plenty of drinks and snacks. I pretty much constantly eat whilst i'm driving down there.
Calais to Spain via Paris/Clermont/Millau is the most direct route, but depending where in Spain your going When you get to Veirzon you could take the road down past Limoges/Brive to Toulouse and it's loads cheaper in tolls.
Its gonna cost you about £600 quid return in crossings*/fuel/tolls so play that off against flights and hire car before you set off.
*assuming crossings don't cost a fortune last minute.
On the way back stop off at Jonquera for cheap booze!!