Eurotunnel anybody?

[Harryh87]

We are heading from the Midlands on sunday 16th to catch scrutineering for the first time, we figured that the cost of fuel, amount of driving time, flexibility and speed of the tunnel and cost of the ferry compared to the tunnel means were going the long way round! Fire trucked off with the 4 hour ferry trip. Anybody else reached the same conclusion?

[gt6]

tunnel suits us, slightly more expensive but much faster, also if you compared to dover ferries you save 8 miles each way this side and a similar amount in france. Including the extra travelling and slower loading you save at least an extra 80 minutes each way. Also if you are careful with the booking using cheaper times and tesco clubcard points you can actually save money. Only draw back is the journey is boring

[pem]

We are using Eurotunnel again this year, but going Monday 17th to Monday 24th June 2013. this works out at £142 return for my 8 day trip , but I have used my Tesco Clubcard Rewards to buy the ticket. £45 in Tesco vouchers = £135 Eurotunnel vouchers and I pay £7 cash. So total cost to me = £52

[Harryh87]

Wow Pem thats an epic saving, how do you use the clubcard points?

[eps]

We've tended to do Ferry out and Tunnel back... The past couple of years.

[The Leaper]

I always use Eurotunnel for any trips to the continent. Home to downtown Calais is under two hours usually. I can see that for folks travelling from, say, somewhere north of London the ferry makes sense: there's time for a good break and perhaps a meal too.

The Eurotunnel terminal car park at Calais on the Monday after Le Mans is not to be missed!

R.

[pem]

Harryh87 said:

Wow Pem thats an epic saving, how do you use the clubcard points?

Hi
FULL details are on the Tesco Clubcard website but briefly -

Tesco on a 3 monthly basis post out vouchers for the points you have earned. You logon to the Tesco clubcard Rewards website and search in Travel for Eurotunnel. Then you select how nmany Eurotunnel vouchers you want and type in the code numbers that are on your Tesco Vouchers. Tesco then post out the Eurotunnel vouchers to you. then you print off a Eurotunnel booking form and fill it in with dates, times, car reg, voucher numbers etc and post it off (signed for)to Eurotunnel then Eurotunnel will confirm the booking

[pem]

The Leaper said:

I always use Eurotunnel for any trips to the continent. Home to downtown Calais is under two hours usually. I can see that for folks travelling from, say, somewhere north of London the ferry makes sense: there's time for a good break and perhaps a meal too.

The Eurotunnel terminal car park at Calais on the Monday after Le Mans is not to be missed!

R.

Yes Bentleys, Astons etc along side numerous sheds, The value of motors on some trains must run into hundreds of thousands of pounds

[muppetdave]

Usually do Eurotunnel for convenience, but as last year, combining LM with 10 days holiday avec wife/littlun, so this year doing the ferry to break up the journey a bit, have a chance to feed him comfortably etc etc. Would plump for Eurotunnel ordinarily.

[Harryh87]

pem said:

Harryh87 said:

Wow Pem thats an epic saving, how do you use the clubcard points?

Hi
FULL details are on the Tesco Clubcard website but briefly -

Tesco on a 3 monthly basis post out vouchers for the points you have earned. You logon to the Tesco clubcard Rewards website and search in Travel for Eurotunnel. Then you select how nmany Eurotunnel vouchers you want and type in the code numbers that are on your Tesco Vouchers. Tesco then post out the Eurotunnel vouchers to you. then you print off a Eurotunnel booking form and fill it in with dates, times, car reg, voucher numbers etc and post it off (signed for)to Eurotunnel then Eurotunnel will confirm the booking

Thats ACE Pem, my Nan's got loads of clubcard points so ill pinch a load of hers, the next issue of vouchers is the end of Feb so i will order them before then.
Not sure if we will catch any car park photo opportunities as we are getting the chunnel between 22:00 and 24:00 sunday night

[lucky b]

Harryh87 said:

We are heading from the Midlands on sunday 16th to catch scrutineering for the first time, we figured that the cost of fuel, amount of driving time, flexibility and speed of the tunnel and cost of the ferry compared to the tunnel means were going the long way round! Fire trucked off with the 4 hour ferry trip. Anybody else reached the same conclusion?

My experience exactly. We're crossing Tuesday teatime, coming from northern lincs journey to Dover or Portsmouth is similar miles and time, but even at 20 mpg its cheaper to use tunnel. We'll also stop in Le Touquet for a night on the way down and probably another French coastal town on the way back up to the tunnel for a lunchtime Monday train. It's a bit out of the way for 1 of our group who lives near Southampton. He's having to leave his car near the tunnel.
I miss the craic on the over night, but we'll be in Le Mans by lunchtime Wednesday, the same as we would going via Caen, Le Havre etc.
Just hope I don't spend 5 hours waiting for recovery lorry in Kent on the way back this year. Being towed back takes the fun out of the trip!

[Harryh87]

I bet being towed would ruin things slightly but i bet its better to have an issue in blighty than in France.
The craic on the overnight is unbeatable but ive never seen scrutineering.....or Le Mans town before the circus arrives so we're going to check it out.

[lucky b]

Harryh87 said:

I bet being towed would ruin things slightly but i bet its better to have an issue in blighty than in France.
The craic on the overnight is unbeatable but ive never seen scrutineering.....or Le Mans town before the circus arrives so we're going to check it out.

Agree scrutineering will be interesting, wish I could get there in time.
Breakdown started 100k south of Calais, gearbox lost 6th then 5th. Drove to train with box sounding like a bag of spanners. Thought id be clever and called rac while waiting to board.
That was big mistake. If you've got rac recovery wait till you're in UK if you can as the French office will not let the case go until they get it concluded. This caused huge problems getting them to understand UK locations and resulted in 5 hour wait at services 7 miles from folkstone. That and being in a 5 tonnes motorhome!
It would have been easier to bear if the vehicle had done more than 7000 miles at the time. Have a great trip!

[burriana]

We just booked on the tunnel for £94 per car return, going out Thursday, coming back Monday. At £47 each, not as much fun as our usual overnight ferry from Hull, but a lot cheaper.

And if you miss it, you catch one half an hour later

[The Leaper]

burriana,

I suspect that you have not used Eurotunnel much, particulalry at LM time. Invariably the trains are fully booked, and the Monday return journey is the heaviest by far. A few years ago we missed our booked time by maybe 20 minutes, and waited four hours for the next available slot. Message: dodn't miss your check in time for your booking.

R.

[Great Dane]

The Leaper said:

burriana,

I suspect that you have not used Eurotunnel much, particulalry at LM time. Invariably the trains are fully booked, and the Monday return journey is the heaviest by far. A few years ago we missed our booked time by maybe 20 minutes, and waited four hours for the next available slot. Message: dodn't miss your check in time for your booking.

R.

we caught ours on Monday evening last year by 20 minutes ... a bit too close for my liking

[burriana]

The Leaper said:

burriana,

I suspect that you have not used Eurotunnel much, particulalry at LM time. Invariably the trains are fully booked, and the Monday return journey is the heaviest by far. A few years ago we missed our booked time by maybe 20 minutes, and waited four hours for the next available slot. Message: dodn't miss your check in time for your booking.

R.

Ok, so the half an hour was meant as just a general "you can catch a later one" statement... not quite so easy with a ferry.

[pem]

Harryh87 said:

Thats ACE Pem, my Nan's got loads of clubcard points so ill pinch a load of hers, the next issue of vouchers is the end of Feb so i will order them before then.
Not sure if we will catch any car park photo opportunities as we are getting the chunnel between 22:00 and 24:00 sunday night

Hi
be careful, you would have to use your Nan's account to convert her Tesco vouchers into 3 x the value Eurotunnel vouchers BUT the vouchers would show HER name. You could probably make the booking in her name but fill in the car and passenger details as yourself, her (but she doesn't actually travel due to illness) and any other people you are really going with. I am sure they are only interested in checking the car registration on the booking matches up with the car actually going on the train

[Harryh87]

Oh cock! I was worried that her name would be on the vouchers, i'd best check with eurostar first i guess

[fatboy18]

We will probably end up booking eurotunnel, It would not be my first choice, although its near to me at home, I prefer the journey to Le mans from Cherbourg, but the Portsmouth to cherbourg fast craft sailing times are crap this year, (especially for the return crossing) and the price is very expensive