 Poster: A snowHead
|
Can anyone recommend a good pitstop about two hours from Eurotunnel, don't mind a small detour?
Have some coffee, warm croissants and fill up with diesel ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
simonx, heading South there's not a lot North of Reims, everything large enough is way off in the distance. Maybe St Quentin or Laon, but I haven't stopped off at any of them. Usually just use the Total at the tunnel, and they do do good croissants. Our arrival is usually early afternoon though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Most of the motorway service stations in should cater for that, or were you after something a little more upmarket?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
ILuv2Ryde, I think he was looking for somewhere a bit cheaper for the fuel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Carrefour @ Tinqueux, Reims does cheap fuel and also has a Flunch and Maccy D's close by.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
St Quentin at about an hour and a half has all you need Cheap petrol cafes couple of Hypermarkets and a McD 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
thanks all, was after a comforting snack break and cheap fuel, nice to avoid service stations when possible. How is motorway fuel compared to UK prices (diesel) ?
On the way to Albertville for the night. Get to Villaroger early next dy then for day's ski-ing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
simonx, In August it was around 10% cheaper but really it's death and taxes! Much cheaper off motorway but balanced by time/distance/saving achieved...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
simonx, it is obviously cheaper still off the motorway, but although quite a price difference between a hypermarché and the motorway stations, even the motorway stations are less than UK prices. The closest to the autoroute has to be the one at the supermarket at Nuit St George but that is quite a bit further south than you were asking about. Trouble is it is usually about lunchtime on our second day when we fill up there, which usually means someone suggesting we drive into NSG for lunch. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
Trouble is it is usually about lunchtime on our second day when we fill up there, which usually means someone suggesting we drive into NSG for lunch
|
oh dear, that sounds absolutely terrible.... 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jezz... Just drive all day and night, kip in the seat when you have to and make the 20 odd hour drive pass in a hallucinatory nightmare of speeding tickets and wrong turnings 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Avalanche Poodle,  I don't know where I'm going wrong but despite generally sticking to the speed limits it never takes me anything like 20 hours. For me, the secret is to have regular stops, have a coffee, but keep the stops short and don't spend 35 minutes faffing round off the autoroute trying to find cheaper fuel when you could have driven another 75 kms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Avoid the Total just off the eurotunnel! It's as expensive, if not more so, than the motorway service stations! The Carrefour petrol station in the Cite d'Europe is much better value, and only next door. Otherwise, use the http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ website to work out something that suits you. I saved £50 on our summer holiday to the Pyrenees with a little help from there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
chrisValTho, it wasn't when we used it recently, and the trip to the Carrefour was severely hampered by roadworks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
chrisValTho, you would expect that fuel stop to be more expensive, given its location, but in our experience it isn't.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
My one experience of the Total garage was that it was expensive.
http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/ says the same:
Total on 26 Nov 2013
Diesel = 1.395
SP95+E10 = 1.532 (cheaper biopetrol mix)
Carrefour on 1 Dec 2013
Diesel = 1.329
SP95 = 1.509
Best place for diesel at the moment seems to be the Intermarche in Vis-en-Artois near Arras at 1.298. SP95 is only 1.491 too. It's open 24h and, although it's off the motorway, it's just a short detour along a straight RN:
https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ll=50.246977,2.942676&t=m&z=15
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
pam w, I drive from North Wales to Austria. It takes 4.5 hrs to get to the tunnel before I even hit Euroland 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Avalanche Poodle, yes, that makes a difference - I can usually get to the tunnel in abut 2.5 hours.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
chrisValTho, altis, timing wise, for us at least, it doesn't make sense to use Carrefour. I know it is 'only 5 minutes' away, but by the time you follow the road system and get through the underground car park to the station, then get back to the road, it is getting on for 30 minutes before you get onto the autoroute, instead of 5 at Total. I timed it last time as I am always anxious to get on our way as quickly as possible. Of course it is more expensive than the supermarket stuff, but is still cheaper than if we had filled up before the crossing in the UK.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I have 3-4 hours to the tunnel, infested with cameras and roadworks…which I hardly see once under the water!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Quote: |
it is getting on for 30 minutes before you get onto the autoroute
|
and if you then put your foot down to make up for lost time.... bang goes your savings. In 700 kms of motorway, with a couple of stops, you would only lose around 30 minutes cruising at 110 kph instead of 140 kph - and will probably save a lot more in reduced fuel consumption than you would save on getting the fuel a bit cheaper.
The more fuel-heavy your vehicle, the greater the dividends for slowing down a bit, of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
adam.b, lucky you, it is 5 to 6 hours for us, although our timings usually mean we hit the busier spots at the least busy times of day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The autoroute stations are usually cheaper than Tesco - and if you have to stop for a pee and a coffee, can fill up too. I generally like to get into the Eurotunnel terminal as fast as possible in the hope of getting on a train immediately. It seems particularly bloody-minded to fill a big thirsty beast like a Disco with expensive British diesel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
pam w, agreed. Total is much cheaper, and dare i say it, we've never had to queue, and they do good croissants and have clean loos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
pam w, I got 25 - 26 miles to the gallon by driving at 65mph. Made a big difference to the usual high speed 'lets watch the fuel gauge visibly move' game 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Getting less than 50mpg would be a fail for us, unless that is, we're hammering it down the autoroute at way over the speed limit.
2 adults, 2 kids, 4 pairs of skis, roofbox and ski gear as well as basic startup food items does load the Octavia though.
Granted the Golf 2.0 ltr TDI was less happy with the same load and only returned 45 mpg.
We fill for convenience rather than a money saving exercise, so with a full car from Essex, a top up after 75 miles at Folkestone (not massive cost) , smile as we pass the 'busy' Total, once on the autoroute set the cruise control. We fill to maintain the tank after say 3 hours on the autoroute, and again 2 hours later (probably near Dijon). This will get us through to Albertville approx 560 miles from Calais.
Regardless, the savings are not massive with our mpg Even a 10 cent saving per litre is only 10 euros on the return trip. That's a couple of large beers in the 3V's.
Our target has been to get to the stopover at Albertville in the early evening, in time to do basic food shopping, fill the tank at the Geant, and still have plenty of time to relax and get a meal. A 5 euro or even 10 euro saving isn't a consideration if we are going to get there later.
A similar process also works on the way to Austria, via Munich. On this route we fill in Luxembourg, the equivalent saving of say £8 on 40 ltrs compared to UK prices and probably £4 on German autobahn prices. Again not massive with our fuel consumption.
Those with the fuel hungry vehicles will no doubt be hunting the savings. Good luck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| Quote: |
We fill for convenience rather than a money saving exercise
|
Same here - though I don't see what's convenient about stopping to fill up after 75 miles! I don't know what my new car will do yet - around 50 mpg I expect. I start full from home then probably fill up again half way down. Always top the tank right up in Sallanches before driving up the mountain - it'll be "mountain diesel", a full tank is less likely to suffer from problems and there's no fuel up near my place.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
pam w, Filling it at Tesco is a darn site cheaper than filling it at Motorway services in France - appreciate there are places just off the motorway which are cheaper, but I'm in the too much hassle camp to keep getting off the mway to get fuel.
While I joke about consumption, on a full tank it will manage over 400 miles. generally that is overnight stop so will fill up off motorway then
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| Boris wrote: |
| Filling it at Tesco is a darn site cheaper than filling it at Motorway services in France |
Is it? Even at 1.45 that's only £1.21 a litre, diesel is £1.37 here. Not sure exactly how much it is on the motorways but it can't be much more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Claude B,don't have per litre prices, but look back at my total costs for Feb this year, the UK tank fill was around £85, French motorway was closer to £100
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Boris, Do you have a petrol car by any chance. This could explain the large number of fill ups and the apparent disparity in fuel cost. The last time I filled up in France at motorway service station is was about 10 pence a litre cheaper than the cost in tescos in the UK. The difference is the other way for petrol
Avalanche Poodle, Getting to Euroland in 4.5 hours from North Wales is quite an achievement. From the Midlands it takes me longer than that once i have crawled around the M25, waited 50 minutes for a crossing then 45 minutes plus for the crossing. I am usually very happy at less than 5.5 hours. Getting to France may be only 25% of the journey, but 75% of the hassle.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
johnE, definitely a diesel - I will have to make a note of the prices next time, but I do clearly recall thinking thats as bad if not worse than UK prices when filling up. Maybe I filled up with the posh super plus diesel instead of the cheap stuff who knows.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
simple maths always puts the fuel price thing into context for me: saving 10p per litre, on a tank of (say) 50 l, is only £5 saving - in the context of the cost of yearly ski trips (I try do 2 or 3/year), saving £5 is not worth faffing about too much trying to find the cheapest petrol station in a foreign country. Even the £30 saving over a whole trip (refueling say 6 times) seems barely worth it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
