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driving to Meribel



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 28th 04, 04:00 PM
Rob White
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Default driving to Meribel

I'm likely to be driving from Bristol to Meribel for the last week of March.
Is it best to have a short ferry crossing from Dover, or should we overnight
on the ferry from Portsmouth or elsewhere & have a shorter drive? What makes
the best sense in terms of cost and time? Any tips would be useful.

Rob


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  #2  
Old February 29th 04, 09:50 PM
Schneck
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Default driving to Meribel

"Rob White" wrote in message
...
I'm likely to be driving from Bristol to Meribel for the last week of

March.
Is it best to have a short ferry crossing from Dover, or should we

overnight
on the ferry from Portsmouth or elsewhere & have a shorter drive? What

makes
the best sense in terms of cost and time? Any tips would be useful.


Portmsouth takes you to places like Cherbourg and Caen... both are well off
the autoroute network and further west. The extra UK miles to Dover are
worth it, trust me.

I went to Val Cenis in january and I drove from Calais. It was a 9 hour
drive in all (plus the 3 hours from Dover to Birmingham, where I live). The
route was something like A16, A26, A5, A6, A43. Meribel and the Three
Vallees is on a different road than the A43, but it's in the rough area.

Avoid the A1... it takes you round Paris which isn't a nice place to be.
Think of the North Circular around London when you've only just passed your
test. But, if you get the ferry from Portsmouth, it will be Paris for you,
matey!

In terms of cost and time - use the autoroutes. It'll cost about £100 in
total for tolls, but you'll be there in 9 hours or so, with little or no
hassle. Even Lyon's ring road at rush hour wasn't a problem. If you stay off
the autoroutes, it'll save you toll money, but it'll take a hell of a lot
longer, use more fuel, longer distances, more stress, more jams... etc.,
etc.

Another tip: vistit Woolworths, or somewhere, and get a coolbox that works
from a cigarette lighter. Fill it up with food before you go. We did that
and even with a 5 year old in the car, we could limit the amount of time we
stopped to the bare minimum. With 2 of us driving (if possible, do that!!),
it was only really toilet and petrol stops that we had to make.

On the way out, we got a 11:15am ferry from Dover. Got onto Calais's roads
about 2:30pm local time (a foreign car got held up at the only Customs
checkpoint that was open... with the whole ferry behind it!!). We wanted to
stop overnight about halfway anyway, and we got the the hotel just south of
Dijon about 8pm. Next day, we had about 200 miles left. Left the hotel about
9:30am, and had a leisurely trip down to the resort. Got there about 1pm,
relaxed, stress free, full of energy and raring to go!!

On the way back, we were driving the whole lot in one hit. Left the resort
about 11am. Got to Calais about 8:30-9pm. Got an earlier ferry (usually
possible on the Dover-Calais runs as are later ferries if you need them). We
were in our own beds by 3am UK time.

All in all, 600 odd miles felt no worse than a trip to work (getting to work
involves M6 and M1 for 40miles distance... give me the trip to the Alps
anyday!!). Gorgeous roads to drive on (Chambery was a little tedious... had
to slow down to 50mph! The cheek of it all!!). And the tolls, I think, were
a small price to pay for being able to do that distance in that short a
time. You couldn't drive from Dover to Edinburgh in that sort of time, could
you?

Have good trip and enjoy the drive,

Schenckster


  #3  
Old March 1st 04, 09:09 AM
Roger
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Default driving to Meribel

"Rob White" wrote in message ...
I'm likely to be driving from Bristol to Meribel for the last week of March.
Is it best to have a short ferry crossing from Dover, or should we overnight
on the ferry from Portsmouth or elsewhere & have a shorter drive? What makes
the best sense in terms of cost and time? Any tips would be useful.

Rob


We drove down just a couple of weeks ago...

From Portsmouth you can actually get to Le Harve - this is probably
the closest to the Alps and you're straight onto a motorway so it's
definitely an option. I'd opt for getting across the Channel ASAP as
driving France is so much easier. Our roads are so crap you simply
can't count on getting to Dover reliably.

That said, despite living 20 mins from Portsmouth we still went from
Dover - the plus side is a short crossing but above all if you're
early you can jump on an earlier ferry and if you miss it there's
another on shortly. If you miss one to Le Harve you're probably in for
a 6 hour wait or will end up going to Cherbourg or Caen instead.

Whether you stop or do an overnighter is purely personal preference.
The best thing about overnight is that there's no traffic on the road
and of course you get the day skiing when you'd otherwise be driving.
I've done this several times but now find the sleep depravation
actually spoils the first couple of days skiing anyway. Driving in the
day can be a more pleasurable experience.

If you're going to stay over night then it might be worth doing some
research as to what hotels are where - I booked a hotel using this
site www.france-hotel-bookings.com and was very impressed (with the
service rather than the hotel) - we only booked as it was half term
and you will not need to but getting an idea of some locations can't
hurt. The down side of the toll roads is that there are no signs to
the hotels, you need to get off the motorway and then look.

Formula 1 hotels are good value for a quick stop, but spending a
little more gets you something a lot better - Campanille hotels seem
good.

Some general tips.

1) Watch your speed - even the French are driving noticeably slower
now they are cracking down. It always used to seem like even doing 90
MPH you'd have a constant stream of French cars over taking but now
even at 80 mph (130kph) I was often the fastest car on the road.

2) Get a GOOD map - one that show ALL the roads through towns, rather
than presenting the towns as a blob - this will really make life
easier if you want to detour or find a hotel.

3) Not even contemplate NOT using the Peage (toll roads) - the tolls
are expensive but well worth it.

4) On the way back many get lost around Lyon - simply follow Paris and
you can't go wrong. One expects signs for Dijon, but there aren't any!

5) Take your own music in the car - French radios are plentiful but
simply unbearable on a long trip.

Best of luck - I really enjoy driving down - it makes it much more of
an adventure!
  #4  
Old March 1st 04, 09:18 AM
Paul Schofield
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Default driving to Meribel


"Schneck" wrote in message
...
"Rob White" wrote in message
...
I'm likely to be driving from Bristol to Meribel for the last week of

March.
Is it best to have a short ferry crossing from Dover, or should we

overnight
on the ferry from Portsmouth or elsewhere & have a shorter drive? What

makes
the best sense in terms of cost and time? Any tips would be useful.



....snip lots of good advice..


On the way out, we got a 11:15am ferry from Dover. Got onto Calais's roads
about 2:30pm local time (a foreign car got held up at the only Customs
checkpoint that was open... with the whole ferry behind it!!). We wanted

to
stop overnight about halfway anyway, and we got the the hotel just south

of
Dijon about 8pm. Next day, we had about 200 miles left. Left the hotel

about
9:30am, and had a leisurely trip down to the resort. Got there about 1pm,
relaxed, stress free, full of energy and raring to go!!


Agree about stop overnight in France - F1 or Etap (similar but has ensuite)
can be booked on line and costs around 25 or 35 euros for a room with a
double bed and single bunk above. We drove from Northampton on Friday
evening, caught the tunnel and then stopped in Reims hotel was just a couple
of minutes off the autoroute. Arrived in the resort during daylight the next
day with plenty of time to sort out ski hire/lift passes etc.

We also drove back one hit - but left at 5.30am and were home about 6pm.
Doing the crossing around 4pm (eurotime) gives enough of a break before the
last couple of hours in the UK.

--
Paul Schofield

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana


  #5  
Old March 1st 04, 11:00 AM
Playdreamer
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Default driving to Meribel

"Rob White" wrote

I'm likely to be driving from Bristol to Meribel for the last week of

March.
Any tips would be useful.


Use the excellent www.mappy.com to plan the route, it can also show you all
the F1/Etap etc. hotels near a given spot.

Take an iPod and plug into the car stero for non stop tunes.

Luke

--
http://www.snowgo.com - Reading, writing and riding. A snowboarder's blog.


  #6  
Old March 1st 04, 05:08 PM
Roger
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Default driving to Meribel


We also drove back one hit - but left at 5.30am and were home about 6pm.
Doing the crossing around 4pm (eurotime) gives enough of a break before the
last couple of hours in the UK.



Hi Paul

How ? It always seems to take us 11 - 12 hours just to get from the
resort to Calais? How on earth do you cross the channel and get all
the way to Northampton in 13 and a half hours?
  #7  
Old March 1st 04, 11:18 PM
Schneck
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Default driving to Meribel

"Roger" wrote in message
m...

From Portsmouth you can actually get to Le Harve - this is probably
the closest to the Alps and you're straight onto a motorway so it's
definitely an option. I'd opt for getting across the Channel ASAP as
driving France is so much easier. Our roads are so crap you simply
can't count on getting to Dover reliably.


I forgot about le Havre! I stand corrected! LOL!

If you're going to stay over night then it might be worth doing some
research as to what hotels are where - I booked a hotel using this
site www.france-hotel-bookings.com and was very impressed (with the
service rather than the hotel) - we only booked as it was half term
and you will not need to but getting an idea of some locations can't
hurt. The down side of the toll roads is that there are no signs to
the hotels, you need to get off the motorway and then look.


Another one is to look at the Ski Club's site (anyone remember the url??).
If you're a member you can get 10% off at a couple of hotel chains,
including Campanile. It's nothing fantastic, but it's clean and comfortable
enough with decent food. Take your club card with you, though, as they will
want to see it before honouring the discount. Campanile's site is a good one
letting you book online. I don't think it's strictly necessary to book, as
you say, but personally, I wouldn't take the risk, considering the distances
involved. We stayed in a Campanile in Beaune, just south of Dijon on the A6,
I think. You could see it from the motorway! LOL!. It was about the right
distance, too, leaving about 200 miles the next day. Sorted.

2) Get a GOOD map - one that show ALL the roads through towns, rather
than presenting the towns as a blob - this will really make life
easier if you want to detour or find a hotel.


Also make sure you know the names of major towns on your route. I found that
the signposts made the maps confusing as even the best maps rarely show when
the road changes it's number 4 times in the space of as many miles. But if
you know major town names, that isn't a problem. You just follow them.

5) Take your own music in the car - French radios are plentiful but
simply unbearable on a long trip.


Ain't that the truth... it's all in French! Inconsiderate or what??? LOL!
One thing I did find, though, was that the motorway information stations
actually broadcast in English at certain times. We found it was every half
hour. There's signs on the roads telling you what the frequency was in the
area. Around Calais I think it's 107.7 fm. After that... loads of tapes or
CD's!!


  #8  
Old March 1st 04, 11:24 PM
Schneck
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Posts: n/a
Default driving to Meribel

"Roger" wrote in message
m...


Hi Paul

How ? It always seems to take us 11 - 12 hours just to get from the
resort to Calais? How on earth do you cross the channel and get all
the way to Northampton in 13 and a half hours?


Loads of food and drinks in a coolbox, shared driving, and fewer stops. Only
stopped for toilets and the odd coffee. I did Val Cenis to Birmingham inside
15 hours last time including the ferry and a slight wait because we were
early but just missed one, if you know what I mean. Left resort about 11am,
got home about 2am. The drive from Dover to Brum was the hardest bit,
because we'd all physically had enough. But they always say the last mile of
a marathon is the hardest.


  #9  
Old March 2nd 04, 08:02 AM
Roger
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Default driving to Meribel

Use the excellent www.mappy.com to plan the route, it can also show you all
the F1/Etap etc. hotels near a given spot.


Indeed - I like the layout of the directions, and showing the sign
posts to look for is excellent.

However - when I plugged in the route Calais - 3 Vals it recommended
going via Paris rather than via Rheims etc which doesn't make sense.

And how do you get the hotel info? I couldn't work this one out!


Take an iPod and plug into the car stero for non stop tunes.


Indeed - I'm at the age where I can't even listen to a CD all the way
through as I get bored of the same band after about 3 songs! Think
I'll invest in a mini iPod when they go on sale here...
  #10  
Old March 2nd 04, 08:50 AM
Paul Schofield
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Posts: n/a
Default driving to Meribel


"Roger" wrote in message
m...

We also drove back one hit - but left at 5.30am and were home about 6pm.
Doing the crossing around 4pm (eurotime) gives enough of a break before

the
last couple of hours in the UK.



Hi Paul

How ? It always seems to take us 11 - 12 hours just to get from the
resort to Calais? How on earth do you cross the channel and get all
the way to Northampton in 13 and a half hours?


Hi Roger, I just sat on the motorway at or just over 130kph, clear
conditions and leaving early meant no queues at tolls and no jams, Stopped
for late breakfast around 10 and grabbed some pre-packed lunch from the
services after Reims. Actually arrived at Calais with enough time to go to
the hypermarket. Last stretch through UK was okay as it wasn't too late, the
footie was on the radio and it was busy enough to need attention without
being stop start.


--
Paul Schofield

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana


 




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