 Poster: A snowHead
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Wow, £20! That's some achievement! TomTom has been perfect for me in the UK so far, hopefully it will be the same in Europe. Its first test will be to get us from Verona to Val di Fiemme...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chris,
I use TomTom Nav 5 on a PDA which has been excellent. I usually do have a "hard copy" route printed out which is from www.viamichelin.com for backup, which I've found to be the best of the online route generators (fill out the options part of it for detailed route info as it takes into account planned road closures / mountain pass clousure etc according to date) !
Rich
p.s One of the things which I've found invaluable on the TomTom is ability to load up the speed camera databases , especially for France where they are devious £$%&^%$ ! at concealing cameras 
Rich
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Type23, thanks for the short cut,i will be printing one for that 'just incase situation' 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| pam w wrote: |
| P & O do not take Tesco vouchers on the Dover - Calais route. |
Having spoken to P&O twice(*) today, seems they are willing to take Tesco vouchers on the Dover-Calais route. However, the proof will be when/whether the tickets arrive.
*Once to find out how much the crossings would be: more or less the same as on www.poferries.com . And once when I came to fill in the order form and the list doesn't include Dover/Calais.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ref Satnav's.For anyone considering it,I've just got the French map(as a download)for my TomTom One.Approx £41 (its priced in Euro's) and you need a 512 card,as the map alone is 350mB.Not the most user friendly site I've used( www.tomtom.com )but,on the plus side,it all works quite well.The mapping is street level in France,and major road for the rest of Europe.Just run a route from home to BSM without a hitch.As I had a spare card,it was the best choice for me.If you buy on a card its around £100 per map!!The exception being a map of The Alps alone for around £25(as a download)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think where you live in the UK can make or break or whether driving is a viable option. I've driven to the alps many, many times (as a kid with my parents and as an adult) and I can be in the Alps within 12 hours of leaving home (including an hour on the ferry) because I live on the south coast. If I lived in the north and had to drive for half a day just to get to the ferry I can see why people would prefer to fly! I prefer it to flying any day 
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Ah-ha - driving to the Alps! You'll want to have a look at our 'driving to the Alps' SnowGuide! It's a dinky book with routes, legal stuff, costs, contacts, snow-driving info, chains and all sorts splattered all over it.
Within reason, if any Snowhead wants a copy because they didn't get it free with whatever issue we stuck it on, we'll get one to them. Drop your address to info@fall-line.co.uk with 'Driving SnowGuide' as the subject and we'll post it to you. Or you can pick one up for free from Brighams.
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cool!!! mail sent!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Yep - thanks for the offer - mail sent !
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Yep - thanks for the offer - mail sent !
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Thu 23-02-06 17:23; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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fallliner, thanks very much for your offer...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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snowchica, we enjoy driving there too, although living up north as you say makes it more difficult. We do though go for 2 weeks when we drive, but probably ski from Monday and leave the Thursday of the next week.
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| Quote: |
If anyone wants a TomTom ONE at well below shop price (£190 vs £250) then let me know.
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I'm stunned at these prices, being a SATNAV know-nothing. My Michelin road atlas costs just a few euros. The French autoroutes are extremely easy to navigate and the standard of signposting and mapping in France is very high throughout. It's not hard to find your way around and if you get lost at least you get to meet some locals! I buy a new Michelin every few years, as roads do change and new motorways appear - do you have to spend hundreds of pounds on new digital maps every few years or can you pay for a cheap upgrade?
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You know it makes sense.
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RobW, thanks for the info on P & O and Tesco vouchers - would be interested to know whether you got the tickets OK.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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pam w, map upgrades are free. We're not just driving in France, also Switzerland and Italy. Believe me, when you've tried satnav you'll never want to go back to using maps I bought it mainly to avoid arguments with my girlfriend, which is worth any price in my book.
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Poster: A snowHead
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A few weeks back we drove to Andorra. It was a first visit trip, so we downloaded an up to date AA Route map. The map estimated that the average journey time would take approx 12 hours to cover roughly an 800 mile trip. The map steered us through Paris, on to Toulouse and then joining the Bordeaux route which took us to Andorra. We estimated that we lost an hour having to back track a few times, the journey was far from simple, in fact it was fiddly and downright frustrating at times. And after numerous stops for petrol, grub, toilets etc, it was clear to us that the stops were not included in the itinerary. But because we always opt to drive to the alps (have been doing it for 23 years), we decided that it would be no different doing it to Andorra. Boy, was we wrong. We will still continue to drive to the alps, because among other things, we find it so less stressful than flying. But if we were to visit Andorra again, or that part of the pyrenees, it would definitely be a flight.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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magriggs,
I am a dedicated map reader but I can't argue about Sat Nav, especially as a solo driver. Still ballsed up in Basel which is a roadworks bombsite.... So need a very upto date
sat there. But then again, the maps would probably not cope either and you would have to be pretty mustard at reading even then...
Beware of the French speed cameras which they position on a straight fast road or on one of those areas that geography 'dictates' a downgrade to 110 kpm... !!
I think I got flashed 3 times so am wondering how they will ticket me...!!! And none of them was for excessive speed, probably about 140k max...!!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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JT, sorry, but 140kmh is over the limit, you should have checked with Bison Fute it list speed camera sites. There is an EC convention that allows for traffic offences to be followed up across national borders.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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David@traxvax, how long do they have to send you a ticket?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Helen Beaumont, I don't know there's been a bit of controversy about it because the DVLA have allowed a private company to access their database for the purposes of chasing UK drivers.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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David@traxvax, a bit naughty!!! Hubby thought he was flashed at Xmas (near dijon I think).
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David@traxvax,
Talked to a French national and he said they wouldn't bother.....
Bit annoyed about the 110 one though...!!
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David@traxvax,
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you should have checked with Bison Fute it list speed camera sites
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do you have the exact address ?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Chris Brookes, They are all listed on Via Michelin as well apart from the mobile one just before the peage at Calais at around waymark 38.5 
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boredsurfin, thanks
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Chris Brookes wrote: |
David@traxvax,
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you should have checked with Bison Fute it list speed camera sites
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do you have the exact address ? |
One site is here:
http://www.radarsfixes.com/
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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PS for the above site, the blue dots are planned locations. Red dots are front flashes, yellow rear.
Note that mobile cameras - for obvious reasons - aren't listed! Out of a total of a thousand or so cameras around France, 700 or so are fixed locations, while over 300 are mobile cameras, so beware!
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PG,thanks
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Chris Brookes,
Didn't see too many on the way from Basel to Lucerne !!
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Poster: A snowHead
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It is looking more and more likely that I will need to buy snowchains for my journey to La Plange this weekend. I am planning on buying them at a HyperMarche in Moutiers - my last question on the subject is....
What are their stocks like? Would you imagine that they stock sizes for all tyre sizes?
The reason I am asking is because I do not want to get there and find out that they do not have any in my size - that'll leave me stuck at the base of the mountains.
Cheers,
Chris.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Cool - thanks for your feedback.
Can anyone then recommend a site or two which sell snowchains CHEAPLY and will be able to deliver by Friday morning at the latest?
Cheers,
Chris
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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blondends, www.roofbox.co.uk
If you are changing cars regularly buy spikes spiders cost more but are adjustable for different cars, chains rarely are!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have found chains for £38.50 inc of P&P - can anyone tell me what the price difference is if I were to buy them in France? I think that my tyre size is fairly common.
Cheers,
Chris
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Just returned from Chamonix with family, our first drive / ski holiday.
From Chester an evening drive took us to Premier Lodge Folkestone (5mls from Eurotunnel, family room about £60). Early (0730) tunnel crossing then a 3-stop drive down the toll roads to Chamonix(can't remember the route, followed the gps (£300 with europe maps) took about 9hrs, to arrive about 6pm. Tolls came to about £40 each way I think.
Return took just over 7hrs30 and drove straight onto an earlier than booked train at no xtra charge despite having the cheap £49 each way tickets.
Used a roof box so no need to carry skis in and out twice each day and our neighbours with families envied our not having to queue and load family and gear on and off buses or trains twice a day.
We drive a diesel Chrysler Voyager and averaged about 24mpg at 80mph. Total 1600mls round trip from Chester, so fuel probably came to around £250 (slightly cheaper in France and haven't worked it out but obviously the major cost in driving over)
Other costs were set of self tensioning snow chains at £80 (unused but we'll be going again) and an 8" tv / dvd player at £130 (eBay) kept the kids happy. (7 & 4)
Ball park figures: Fuel £250; Tunnel £100; Tolls £100; Hotel £60 = Just over £500 for 3 adults & 2 kids. Probably could have used EasyJet to Geneva for the same money but you have to put your own figure on door to door convenience of the car. For us: Priceless!
So:
Family skiing in Europe: Driving is the only way.
Solo week away with friends: Cheap flight and who cares about the hassles / accomodation etc as long as there's snow!
But every one to their own, the more who fly the quieter the roads!
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All the times we've driven to the French Alps, we've driven the same route - via Reims, Troyes, Chaumont, Beaune, Macon. I just looked at viaMichelin (to see where the speed cameras are) and they give a route via Paris and across to Beaune. Does anyone else use that route? Is it quicker than our usual way, which looks more direct?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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RachelQ, I've always understood tthe Rheims/Troyes/Dijon route to be quicker than going via Paris, always used to drive that way before the A26 opened but haven't gone via Paris since it has opened.
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RachelQ, Have used it in the past. It's less miles and tolls too. However it takes a fair while to get around Paris and I wouldn't think you would save that much time.
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FAQ
Before you need to put them on whilst covered in snow and mud.