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Driving from Aberdeen to South of France (Albi)


dave21478
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Hi,

Im just wondering if anyone could suggest a better/cheaper/faster route to my normal one?

Currently, I drive from Aberdeen to Dover in one day, then either stay the night in Dover and catch a Speedferry to Boulougne the next morning, or get the late crossing and stay the night in Boulougne or slightly south. I then drive south the next day.

2 full days driving, an overnight stay somewhere, an average of 50Euros in toll roads and 4-5 tanks of fuel. Its not cheap and its very tiring.

Anyone think of a better way to do this?

Dont suggest flying![:P]

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We're from the NE of England and are very fond of the North Sea Ferry crossing from Hull to Zeebrugge. It doesn't seem take us any longer to get to Lyons from Zeebrugge than from Calais. Whatever the difference there is for us, it isn't much.

This saves us having a night in a hotel en route too. And last time we used it last autumn the food on board was good.

It would knock quite a bit of driving off the UK side. Have you looked on the viamichelin web site to compare.

 

Sorry it isn't a cheaper option, but we find that those miles we don't have to do compensates for the extra money it costs, although in truth it isn't that much extra. One gets to quite some distance past Lille before the tolls start, so that must be a bit of a saving too.

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hi Dave,

I do part of your journey from North Yorks to Montguyon (17) and I leave at 2.00 am, arrive Dover at 7.00 for the 8.00 am Ferry and am normally at property at 7.00 pm.  The only saving I can suggest is to get a 10 ticket voucher with Speedferries which you can use within a two year period.  I bought one in December 2005 for £190 and another in 2006 for £240.

I have saved a bit on some non toll roads.  I also purchase as much cheap diesel upon arriving in Boulogne so just have enough in the tank 1/2 full to get from North Yorks to Boulogne and then fill up and then do the same on the return.

Re the Accommodation you might be able to check prices out with a B& B in Dover or Formule 1 in France to make some savings.

Can't help with the tiring bit I know the result other than type of vehicle to drive. I've a 407 SW and very comfortable.

Hope this may help.

Regards

 

 

David J

 

"Always on the ball"  

 

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Hi  Dave     I agree with   TU .   the Hull - Zebrugge ferry leaves at 7pm and the food is good. The real benefit I find is on the return journey. That last leg up from Dover to the north can be a real drag. Arriving back in Hull for you would be a short cut ! But a word of warning. Try not to get a cabin near to the grouping area. Teenagers can be very loud at 1-30 in the morning. 

Just out of interest, last year I calculated the way of travel that you take (2 days there, 2 days back) the overnight costs, hotel, meals, insurance, fuel, tolls etc. to the cost of flying and hiring a car. At that time the crossover point was 17 days. By that I mean it was as cheap to fly-drive, as to take my car for under 17 days. That way you also only travel 2days so you get 2more days to your holiday. Over 17 days and it was cheaper to take my own car. I know tax on air fares has gone up recently so my figures will now be out of date but not too far off.

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Hi.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I will look into the Hull crossing and see how distances work out.

I already use a diesel car, but its a gas-guzzling, environment killing, 4x4. I need this as I often have lots of stuff to bring with me, and often need to tow a transporter trailer when Im down here. Very few "normal" cars are in my budget with the tow capacity I need.

 I did the journey once in a Pug 106 diesel, and it was VERY frugal, but the lack of power up the hills and poor comfort means I wont be doing it again in a hurry!

4-5 tanks of fuel was a mistake on my part. I jjust checked my journey receipts and its 3-4 tanks on average, which isnt quite so bad.

Something else just caught my eye in a magazine, its a ferry crossing running from Plymouth to northern Spain somewhere. Id still have the length of the UK to drive, but the longer crossing to Spain would leave me with only a morning/afternoons easy driving to get to Albi. I will look into the prices in a few days time when Im back in the uk. (still on a 56k connection here in France as ADSL isnt available. It takes soooo long to find out the simplest information from most websites!)

 

 

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Brittany Ferries Plymouth - Santander - nice but expensive and a good 6 hours drive from Santander to Albi.  We (40 km from Albi) go to Le Havre - Portsmouth LD Lines.  Leaving here 5.00 am, arrive Le Havre 15.00, ferry leaves 17.00 arives 21.30.  If you are 2 drivers and get a bit of sleep on the ferry reckon you could make it home by the early hours.  On the way down ferry leaves Portsmouth 23.00 arrives 7.30 am - we get home about 17.00.  Cost at Xmas £149 for ferry including cabin Portsmouth - Le Havre, 58 euros in tolls (return).  We have very economical diesel car so can't compare the fuel.

Hope that might help.

Maggi

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We  often do this journey and last year we did the drive from Aberdeen to Hull (we live in Shetland so had already endured a 14 hour trip) to then continue the journey from Zeebrugge to Bayeux the next day. Anyway stupidly, we were surprised at the length of the journey from Aberdeen to Hull,DOH!!!  It took forever.  About 5 to 6 hours I think.  Obviously in comparison to getting to the south of England it was nothing, but to be left with another long drive the next day meant it was very hard work!   Quite often we have done Portsmouth to Caen but that obviously includes overnight stays etc.This year we are going to do the Rosyth to Zeebrugge trip, it is expensive but we are hoping it will be worth it with the reduction in driving.

Good luck

Michelle

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There is no contest for speedferries they have been the saviours of the overpriced channel crossings. What you need to do is buy a more economical vehicle. After years of sporty vehicles and motorbikes we finally capitulated and purchased a Citroen Xzara Picasso 1.9 deisel which is very comfy can move loads of building materials especially if we take the rear seats out and pulls a trailer no trouble at all. Best of all we get from North Oxfordshire  to Limoges for less tham one tank of deisel. Set off with just enough, the onboard computer helps us with that, and fill up with deisel which is subsidised in France, at Leclerc in Boulogne. In shop hours you can pay with a GB card but after hours you need to use a French Bank card.   We can do it all in one day but on many occasions have crossed later at night and gone to a Formula  1 or Etap in Abbeville. The latter town takes 35-45 minutes off the next day journey and gives a good start in the morning costs less than £20 for 3 people. Avoid the Peage by using Abbeville to Rouen free motorway and then use N154 most of which is dual carriageway. Get onto motorway to bypass Orleans and then use free motorways again as far as Limoges. We spend about 20 euros to get from Boulogne to Limoges and it takes as little as 4 and a half hours 5 and a half max. Travel on Sunday or Monday to make best progress as no lorries on motorways on Sundays. PS the picasso motors at 130-150kph very easily and doesnt seem to use much more fuel.

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Aye, thats the route I take through France. Boulougne to Abbeville, Rouen, Chartres, Dreux, Evreux, Chartres, Orleon then the A20 south which os free for most of the way. After Limoges though, I have about a third as far again to get to the right exit,(and another peage section) than another two hours on small roads to the house.

Nothing will change the fact that Aberdeen to Dover is a 10 to 11 hour drive though, followed by a similar length in France the next day hence my looking for alternative routes like different ferry crossings.

Also, MPG isnt going to change either as no other car really has the tow capacity I need. (3.5 tons)

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Jean, we could go for the cheapest, but we have a 1000 mile trip when we set off and knocking a couple of hundred miles off our trip really means something to us. If we can manage we cut down on the driving.

I don't envy anyone driving down to the south of France from the north of Scotland and even beyond.

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Hi Dave

We drive from lanark and we used to go to Rosyth but after they lost the back hander they became to expensive so we travel to the hull to zebbruge if you book it online with a meal and even with the fuel cost to hull you still save money on the rosyth ferry

then for us its a 6.5 hour run to cruese for us

thank god for 80km moterways lol

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Dave

Any thing North of Dover just makes the second day a long one

I regularly travel down to the Gers from UK and North Europe and waking up to a 1000 km drive with Paris on route is not pleasant

My preference now days is to use the Overnight to Caen from Portsmouth - M40 / Southampton / Portsmouth from Birmingham is a far better route than   M1/ M25 / Dover. Off ferry at 0730 and a pleasant 8 hour drive in daylight on the other side . (Less Tolls as well)

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OK - So to get to Zeebrugge for a 1900 Sailing (One a Day) . Best on Mappy 9 1/2 hours  My Experience with Paris on route pushy 10 1/2 hours so to arrive for 1800 - 0730 Departure - Compared to a 1200 easy run for Caen or 1400 if you want pushy (Still in Holiday Mood. Leave at 1000 and plan a visit on route,  )  - Potential Savings again using Mappy 2 1/2 hours in UK 7 hrs from Hull and 9 1/2 hours from Portsmouth

You takes your choice !

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I agree about the distances, BUT the second day could be shorter if using both routes.

We cannot avoid our drive through France. We have to allow 8 hours to the coast and it has taken us 12 hours sometimes. We just like cutting down where we can. After all we may live in the north but we aren't that north.

 

Incidentally, which road do you Scots use when driving down into England. The A1 north of Newcastle is a disgrace, in fact last time we used it it was still single carriage way in parts, being inevitably slow.

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Dave, we live in Musselburgh, just outside Edinburgh, so have a similar problem. We used to make a similar journey, but this time we're travelling Rosyth-Zeebrugge-Rosyth. Cost of return ferry (with a Honda Accord) is £505. I costed the Channel option (petrol, ferry, hotel, good dinner, etc) at around £400. So, for around £100, we avoid two days driving up and down the M1. That's worth it to me.

By the way, you do use a telepeage doofer, don't you? I can't recommend them highly enough!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Sorry to bump an older thread, but Its time for me to head back to France again.

Speedferries boat is broken and out of action for a month,[:@] so an alternative will be needed.

Anyway, Ive been looking into it and Im about to book a ferry from Rosyth to Zebrugge. I can get it one way for £150 or so, using a reclining seat rather than a cabin.

This gives me about 2 hours drive in Scotland, the ferry, then the French leg, which according to mappy, is only about 50ish  kilometers longer than my old routes French leg.

 

The Ferry cost is £120 more than my normal, but I save a nights hotel stay somewhere, and I save the fuel costs for about 800 kilometers driving the length of the UK. Works out quite nicely if you ask me. The saving in driving time is much more of a bonus though.

The downside? My trusty Landrover has been forced into retirement due to being made more of rust than steel, so until I source a new one later in the year, Im doing the trip in a C15 van! Ear-plugs at the ready! Should use a lot less fuel too I suppose.

Thanks for all help and suggestions from everyone.[:)]

 

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