Driving to Flaine....

[r4_rick]

Hello all
Just booked skiing for half term

First time my boys have been so looking forward to it, a lot.

Going to drive down so a few questions to the seasoned ski drivers amongst you

1. Range rover - do we need to bother with snow tyres ?
2 travel times the trip is sat to sat was going to book euro tunnel

Does it make sense to stay in Folkestone on the Friday night an get a really early ferry o would u look to leave on the Friday and stop over somewhere like Dijon ?

On the way back if we leave about 9 on Saturday and book a crossing for about 8pm does that seem workable

Looks like its about an 8 hour drive from Calais

Any other tips ...,

[NorthDave]

Where in the UK are you leaving from?

If you can then get across on Friday and make some progress. If you are up north like me then south coast on the Friday after work is the best to hope for.

[NorthDave]

Where in the UK are you leaving from?

If you can then get across on Friday and make some progress. If you are up north like me then south coast on the Friday after work is the best to hope for.

[r4_rick]

We are in Northampton, so about 2 30 from Folkestone depending on the time of day

[r4_rick]

We are in Northampton, so about 2 30 from Folkestone depending on the time of day

[r4_rick]

We are in Northampton, so about 2 30 from Folkestone depending on the time of day

[Nobby Diesel]

If you can get across on the Friday, it would help massively.
It will be BUSY on the Saturday morning. Along with Le Mans weekend, busiest weekend of the year for the tunnel.
If you can do it, leave Friday. Doesn't have to be an early one, as Flaine is around 8 hours driving time from the tunnel.

Chains - depends largely on the tyres fitted to your car. For the fairly small cost of a set, I would tend to carry some; just in case.

We overnight in Beaune - some great restaurants to pass the time in! Dijon is a good option too. If you are planning to stay somewhere for a overnight, Folkstone or Dijon? Hmm, wait a moment............Dijon it is.

Your return travel times will be fine, providing there are no huge jams. As I said, about 8 hours actual driving time Flaine - tunnel.

Edited by Nobby Diesel on Tuesday 26th November 16:19

[shouldbworking]

We've done that trip, over on the friday night, overnight in a bivvy bag or tent in one of the aires en route, drive on.

Snow chains / tyres.. conditions vary. Some years we needed them, some not.

[GixerK5]

We've done this trip for the last two years.
The drive up from the autoroute to Les Carroz, which you will go through on the way to Flaine can be quite hard. No idea what the Rover will be like on snow, but in a Golf we needed chains to get up and down the first year, second year was clear both ways. Just depends on the snow fall.
We stop Friday evening on the way down at Chalon or Troyes, it makes the drive on Saturday a lot easier and you get there in time to sort the hire skies etc. so you can get straight on the slopes first thing Sunday morning.
Have a great time!

[rcspeirs]

On certain French roads (in mountain regions) it is mandatory to carry chains, and when conditions are bad gendarmes can insist you use them. If you encounter such a checkpoint with No chains they'll turn you back (and possibly fine you).

[marcosgt]

Exactly, a RR on normal tyres will probably struggle (Only time I went to Flaine, and it will be the ONLY time, our coach on snow tyres needed chains to descend to the drop off point) if there's fresh snow.

Get some chains or snow tyres, probably the former as, as said, some places/times they're mandatory.

We've driven to Avoriaz twice on normal tyres and never needed chains, though.

M