Road Trip!......again

[wiggy]

Hi again folks!
Going on a road trip again back to Italy and need your thoughts on routes from folk that have been out and about in Europe lately

I will be flying in on Monday and picking up the new toy from http://www.west-coast-4x4.com/Home.html then driving back to Latina (about half an hour from Rome) via Dover /Calais or Dunkerque in the wee small hours..... Sooo the Italy bit is fine but havent been driving in England since the other year and was wondering about motorways to avoid and the routes folk have been on as some have said its better driving though Germany now instead of going through France (as the tolls are a killer)?.

I was thinking something like this maybe http://www.greenflag.com/routeplanni...ome+it&x=0&y=0

Or this one which avoids all the robbing gets in france...which i think is probably better http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sour...,56.074219&z=5

Also have managed to get temp insurance for the month for 100 GBP fully comp (the insurance im with at the moment will only do annual contracts and thinking of changing them anyhow but the new company italsure takes ages to sort out paperwork) but breakdown cover seems awfully expensive now (green flag 189 GBP!) and only need it for a few days so any ideas?

As always many thanks in advance!

Rob

[Apache]

We drove from the South East corner of France to Calais more or less as the crow flies last year. Tolls weren't too bad (dont remember exactly but well less than 30 euros total), and the roads were clear and very well maintained.

Depending on the difference in distance, you might find you save that in fuel.

As for which motorways to avoid in Blighty? ALL of them!!

[wiggy]

Thanks for that will have a look again this afternoon and seems ok just the mount blanc tunnel is the expensive one.... suppose its all about the same distance wise (in the general sense), but was just trying to keep costs down as much as possible as i remember the other year when we came over here we went via lyon and it was pretty dear.....oh and aye about the motorways but the curteous driving in the UK is going to confuse me a bit now

[Apache]

curteous driving in the UK is going to confuse me a bit now

It's truly HORRIBLE to drive in the UK these days. What's your avatar pic? Looks like a Turner painting.

[wiggy]

Afraid nothing that arty.......flares from a shell scrape

[Apache]

Cool. It really looks very Turneresque!

Here's a shot of mine of military goings on that I took in Canada some years ago. It's a dusk Javelin firing, with obscuration flares at the target. I thought it was quite arty

[Hazzo]

Don't know about the fares but I'd be looking at Hull-Zeebrugge (spelling) after picking up the motor, then germany-swiss-italy for the scenery en-route. H

[wiggy]

Really like the Javelin pic havent been out doing stuff like that for yeeaars, used to have some awesome pics of shock and awe in the Gulf and of the oil fires as they were burning...haha think the missus still has a bluey someplace with the sand in it when trying to write in a sandstorm.....how do they do that when i managed to loose the memory card with the pics on about a month afterwards?

Anyhow..... it would be the easier option on the overnight ferries but it just takes a while and it'd be fine is the missus and lil ones were going and originally was going to do the........

Plymouth - Santander one then drive across Spain and then from Barcelona to italy but it weights in at 430 GBP to start with then the Spain to italy crossing

Hull - zee 209 GBP

Poole - Cherbourg 193 GBP

Dover - Calais 30 GBP

Dover - Dunkirk 14 GBP (early doors)

Now i know that these are all changeable dependant on where and when but i have pretty much till Thursday/Friday to get back so with the outgoings on the new truck going in at 800 (inc some wheels & stuff from Richard) and about 200 ish for the fuel and 100 on tolls at the moment ....im going for the cheap and roughing it option on the ferries and on the way to keep costs down......
guess i will be finding out how comfortable it really is

Rob

[slobodan]

I've driven to Milan a couple of times from the UK. And you are right, the tunnels and road tolls kill. (I was on expenses so it didn't matter)
My prefered route would be...
Dover to Calais (or Norfolkline to Dunkirk)
Brussells
Liege
Aachen
Cologne
Frankfurt
Stuttgart
Konstanz then Via Milan.

Driving easy (70 ish) I can be in Frankfurt 5 and a half hours after leaving Calais.

At the weekends the lorries don't drive in Germany.
I drove through on that route a few weeks ago and there aren't many road works at the mo'

[wiggy]

Hiya how you been and did you ever get on the antiques search over here?

Thanks for the tips on the route and the heads up about the roadwork's but how come the dog leg to Koln and down instead of heading straight to Strasbourg?

Rob

[slobodan]

I don't like Nancy!!!

I have a friend who goes the Strasbourg route and he swears it's better.
I tried that way once and got held up for ages.
The Brussels route is really quick, as long as you time it that you are nowhere near Brussels at rush hour. The ring road gets a bit clogged.
I'm driving home to Serb land from the UK on Sunday.
I'll go the same route, except I'll hang a left at Frankfurt.

And no, I never did get over for some antique hunting.
work and sh1t got in the way. But I'm finished for a few months now so I'll maybe try at the end of the summer.

[wiggy]

I don't like Nancy!!!

I have a friend who goes the Strasbourg route and he swears it's better.
I tried that way once and got held up for ages.
The Brussels route is really quick, as long as you time it that you are nowhere near Brussels at rush hour. The ring road gets a bit clogged.
I'm driving home to Serb land from the UK on Sunday.
I'll go the same route, except I'll hang a left at Frankfurt.

And no, I never did get over for some antique hunting.
work and sh1t got in the way. But I'm finished for a few months now so I'll maybe try at the end of the summer.

Fair one makes sense now and will bear it in mind as i really cant be ar@ed getting in jams on the way back, just want a nice easy route as the new toy has about a 5in lift and runs well after getting the engine sorted out i guess it will take a bit of getting used to as opposed to the saggy arsed and overloaded one we came over with (all fixed now tho and running well..touch wood). good luck with trip back by the way, thanks for the tip and weather is still good at the end of the summer as is the shops and the vino

[greecysurf]

Hi Wiggy, best route which most of the truckers use, calais to Brussels, Brussels to Luxembourg, Luxembourg to Metz, Metz toNancy, Nancy to Epinal Epinal To Mulhouse, Mulhouse To Basel, 37 Euros for swiss road tax, then follow the route Lausserne and the Gotthard Tunnel, then the last bit to Como. If you get the chance and have the time, go over the Gotthard pass. There are no tolls on this route, cheap fuel in Luxembourg, and a really nice drive, just before the Luxembourg border there is a museum and a tribute to the Battle of the Ardennes, Some lovely scenery, as well, This is the route i always use, nice and easy.

[wiggy]

Ta Paul getting ready for it now...and the shopping list for the missus haha will pop it into google and have a look. Hows things anyhow?

Rob

[wiggy]

Just checking this is the one ? [/URL]