 Poster: A snowHead
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I got this as a pm but there's no reason why other people can't take snippets from it 
| ********** wrote: |
| Hi. I hope you won't mind me approaching you directly via pm on this, but I notice from one of your Snowheads posts that you've driven from Woking to Les Gets with small children. I'll be doing exactly this on Friday, December 28th and would welcome any thoughts/observations/lessons learnt etc that you have. I see that you managed the trip in around 10hours - what sort of average autoroute speed were you maintaining? How many times did you stop? What route did you take? I'll take gratefully any and all advice and thoughts that you have! Regards, **********. |
Hi ********!
I drive a lot so driving long distances at high speed doesn't bother me. It's going to be different for different people. If you do the bulk of your journey in the evening in the winter, much of the time you will be on your own, ie, you can travel at the speed you are comfortable with. For me, that's cruising at around 100mph (in the dry). The speed limit in france is about 85mph so the reality is that speed is not going to bother anyone, in much the same way that you can be doing 80mph on a uk motorway and no policeman is going to care. Factor in coffee and fuel stops and your average spped is down anyway.
All that is by the by. This is what I will do, given a choice and you can adjust accordingly..
I'd aim to catch a lunchtime ferry friday. You would be leaving woking around 1000 to catch a 1300 ferry, so the distance is irrelevent. Its the time. If you can get on an earlier ferry, happy days but if not, so be it. Note I say ferry. I personally prefer a ferry because it means everyone can get out, toilet, eat a lunch, stretch and stuff. Back in the car the other side, nice and fresh.
I have a diesel car, diesel is about 20% cheaper in france, so I try and drive over empty and drive into calais to fill up. Much like the price of fuel is cheaper in Sainsbury's than on the motorway, the same applies in France, plus, you let the bottle neck filter away from the ferry terminal ahead of you.
We then drive. The kids are in the back with PSP's and one of those 9" dvd players you can get from Farnborough car boot for £40 new. This is the hard part fo the journey as you are going to get traffic. Take it, relax and know you are going to get through it. Stop as much as you like. Keep the car topped up as after a while you will hit the open road and the miles will fly by.
Stop for a meal on the motorway at tea time. The quality of the food is decent and the price fair. My kids are small so I put them in the back after the main meal and they get "snuggly" under a duvet for the next hour or so.
Depending on your speed, traffic, etc, if you go the "non paris way" you will get to a L'Etap motel around 80-100 miles short of Les Gets at between 9.30pm and 10.30pm (local). It is on the A39. Their email address is E2199@accor.com. On the 9th Feb last year I paid 47.80e for one room for four people.
Scoop up the kids, into bed. Go and have a cheaky beer in the bar with head office!
We all know its too exciting to lay in, so its up at 7am, quick breaky, bang out the last bit in a couple of hours (max) and you're on the slopes by 10am. Easy!
Ski a full 8 days no drama!
As you have the car, you can book your accomodation slightly back from the resort. Even 1km back from the slopes means the accomodation is less than half price.
On the way back is when you hammer it. Leave the resort around 4.30pm. Drive a few hours, feed the kids and then do the "snuggly" trick and then bash the whole lot through straight to calais. You'll hit zero traffic so, if you hit the right time ferry wise, you should be unlocking your own front door well before 2am.
All in all, I find it far more cost effective to drive. It allows me to get an extra trip in. I personally consider it to be fairly stress free and certainly no more stressful than flying. I reckon flying will take you around 10 hours door to door anyway!
A note on the ferries. I always consider its worth the few extra quid to book a felix ticket with P&O than go for the French one. Feb, its £98 return as opposed to £88. Big deal!
Hope all that helps!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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professorpool, If you are going over this year, you will be in for a massive reward. Unlike last year and all the bol****s mentioned by the doom and gloom merchants apparently the snow Gods have not been told about global warming! It looked fantastic recently covered in a white blanket. Hope you are going this year.
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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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Absolutely! 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Nice outline of the journey. What's the crossing like in winter? Is it rough?
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm intrigued by the number of people that do a layover when driving.
99% of the time we drive (down to the Tarentaise resorts, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Val D'Isere, Tignes and the three valleys), but in one hit overnight, leave in the evening, usually around 6-7 for an 8pm-ish chunnel. I tried the ferry again last year, but it's soo much longer, especially if you just miss the boarding for the one you want. It can be over two hours before you're on the road again, and I get bored waiting, especially when I'm so excited because I'm going skiing and can't wait to get there.
Train is arrive, drive on, drive off, usually spitting you out in half an hour on the motorway the other side. Usually get out for a walk around, convert the lights, clean the windows, prepare the music and line up the sarnies for the road.
so an 8.30-ish chunnel will dump you on the french motorway at 10pm local, 2 hours to Paris, and the road is nigh on empty, just a couple of frogs here and there, but mostly brits choosing their own cruise speed, so you honk the horn like a trucker and experience the cameraderie of the British invasion, no, liberation, of europe.
all the planners say avoid Paris, go via Troyes. well, that may be true during the day, but at night, Paris is shorter and quicker, and a whole lot more interesting and less lonely. Straight into the Peripherique and out onto the A6 to Lyon. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, it'll add 5 minutes to your journey to take the Peripherique anti-clockwise, zap up to the Arc-de-Triomphe, south to Le Tour Eiffel, and back out again. The passengers like it, if they're still awake.
Long stint to Lyon, 4 hours. The middle bit here is the killer, if the weather's good this whole trip is a breeze, lovely empty hardtop, no tiring traffic. If you get fog, or snow, it can take it's toll, so be prepared to make driver changes or stop for an hours kip in a layby.
Hit Lyon by 4am, and you've beaten any rush hour traffic, skirt around and head off to the alps, 2 hour stint to the snow.
Driving through the valleys and up the mountain at sunrise is quite pretty - don't forget to have the sunnies handy, or the chains for that matter - easily accessible, and that they fit the wheels.
Dump the kit in the apt, send a runner for the ski-passes, and get on the first lift at 9.
ease into the runs, bear in mind that you haven't slept for 24 hours, your memory may still recall the method for getting down anything, your brain may not be sending instructions, and if it is, your body may not be entirely aware of them yet.
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| boredsurfin wrote: |
| Golden rule especially with kids. If you stop for a wee fill up with petrol, if you stop for petrol everyone has a wee! : |
On the topic of weeing and petrol... (and trans-European travel)
Not sure about france, but certainly true in Germany etc., is that motorway services often have the petrol/diesel pumps first, and then the restaurant and parking after the petrol station, with a 1 way traffic flow, and are not like the UK where you drive round a wiggly road with loads of roundabouts. So try not to turn up busting for a leak with an empty tank, cos that will be the day where there's a queue of cars at the pump.
Belgium in my experience is the other way around, but do make sure you use the pumps closest to the shop, as the far ones often only take Belgian-only EC cards. Netherlands is the same as Germany.
Germany is 50c a pee (but if it's machine operated, make sure you pee first, then you get a voucher to spend in the cafeteria). Belgium is 30c a pee. Netherlands varies from free to 50c. Dunno about France.
Hope that's all useful info, and make sure you keep a stock of 50 euro-cent coins handy 
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andy, France free pee on all toll motorways.
 AFAIK
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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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boredsurfin is right, but so was whoever said that in the minor stops you'll probably have to hover, rather than sit. I sometimes do overnight in one hit (and mostly with just me driving) and sometimes a two-day trip. It depends on the weather, what's happening at both end, and how people cope with missing a night's sleep. Some people are really knocked out by it, and for a short week's holiday it's just not worth it. For others, it's all part of the fun. However, I'd be a little wary of anyone who reckons you can do 100mph on the autoroutes and be safe from getting booked for speeding. There are many, many, British drivers who know that's not true! And if they find radar-spotting equipment in your car they can impound it, especially if you get a bit mouthy.
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| scarr wrote: |
ease into the runs, bear in mind that you haven't slept for 24 hours, your memory may still recall the method for getting down anything, your brain may not be sending instructions, and if it is, your body may not be entirely aware of them yet. |
Or for thirty quid, all in, get a full nights sleep
Good shout re Paris and sometimes I come back that way. Got some nice pics of the Arc last year and got a MacD too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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professorpool, Quite right 
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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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SCARR? Don't know if I missed something on this thread, but we don't all want to drive thru the night and spend the next couple of days with "autoroute-lag" and why would you go via Lyons if you're heading for Les Gets? I always go Reims (fillup at Carrefoure at Tinqueaux and save £5), Troyes, Dijon, and then (so long as there was no snow in the last 24 hours), POLIGNY heading for Geneva (fillup again in die Schweiz save another £8 and avoid even more in tolls). If you want a stopover there's a decent Fasthotel in Gex just before Geneva nearly covered by your savings! Get up in the morning enjoy breakfast and you'll be in Les Gets before 11am.
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The Poligny route across the Jura is very nice, but it's slower than the motorway, even if there's not been any snow in 24 hours. But I wouldn't go anywhere near Lyons either - the more easterly route via Bourg en Bresse and the impressive "autoroute des Titans" is better. Not shorter, but you avoid the potential Lyons traffic complications and it's a more interesting route.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi Pam W - Its slower but about 60 miles shorter ( forgot thats another £10 less petrol), I'd say about the same time overall. I've done both 3 or 4 times.
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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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P10DW, It depends on your style of driving. I do both fairly often, but I take longer on the Poligny route. Whether it's less petrol or not depends on your style of driving too! When you do the journey quite often it's nice to have a change. But I think people who just want to get there prefer to stay on the autoroute and do 100 mph (some of them seem to think they won't get booked at 100mph but they might be in for a rude awakening. )
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Poster: A snowHead
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Are you saying that you ahve been booked for driving at 100mph on an empty autoroute in the middle of the night?
Personally, never been booked in France and thats in scores of trips over the years.
Drove to Corsica year before last.
One year, I went into France six times.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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they've become much more vigilant - a big campaign of Sarkozy's, one of the things that made his name. The horrendous death toll on French roads fell markedly. You are much more likely to be booked now than 10 years ago. I've not been booked for doing 100mph because I never do 100 mph. I have, however, been booked for doing 40 mph in a deserted village in the middle of nowhere, where there were no speed limit signs, at midday.
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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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And rightly so.
But the two incidents do not compare.
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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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Just changed my ferry booking in march from an early saturday crossing to a friday night one to add an extra day on the slopes. Not done the trip at night before but looking forward to it. luckily i get company fuel and take a couple of jerry cans with me to keep costs down(sch, dont tell anyone tho).
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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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OK - I agree, but no more right than being booked for doing 100mph on a motorway. You take a chance going over the limit anywhere, anytime. It may be a chance worth taking, but that's not the same as assuming you are bomb-proof. And it's also worth remembering that radar detectors are illegal in France. I think some French policemen quite enjoy catching British drivers!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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our record is 61/2 hours from eurotunnel exit to apartment car park- that was many years ago in the summer and will never be repeated again .Nowadays an 8pm crossing on the tunnel then either stop in bethune or reims ( depending on how we feel) and then cruise along in the morning. The one thing its worth looking on the map ( or sat nav) is for any deviations off the autoroute blanche . It can get snarlled up and there are loads of exits that allow you to avoid cluses or annemasse. dont be afriad to get off the motorway as its pretty well signposted
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professorpool, pam w, is absolutely right; things are changing very fast down here. I will be surprised if you do not see at least 2 mobile units on your way down/ back from France ( unless you travel by night) .... if you dont see them , they'll have you a few kms later !
I have had 2 speeding fines ( 1 Autoroute , 1 N-road) in the last 12 months .... yet nothing in the previous 15 years .. 151 kmh and 118km/h (IIRC)
And there are a number of new 'fixed units' ... so keep your eyes open for the 'Radar' signs. One installation per 'warning sign' ( apart from A8 in Aix where there are 2 , but you're not going there !)
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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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MrDan, I have a crew cab van and the 2 jerry cans of diesel were behind the rear seats, went thru customs twice on the way out (thats another story) without any problem but i supposed it could have been. i will risk it again this year to keep costs down.
Drove back solo in one hit last year as brother had a torn hamstring and could no way drive and hardly sit down.(av speed 82mph )
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Agenterre, I didn't see any mobile units on Sunday, though I wasn't particularly looking out for them as I stick to the limits.
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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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| Agenterre wrote: |
professorpool, pam w, is absolutely right; things are changing very fast down here. I will be surprised if you do not see at least 2 mobile units on your way down/ back from France ( unless you travel by night) .... if you dont see them , they'll have you a few kms later !
I have had 2 speeding fines ( 1 Autoroute , 1 N-road) in the last 12 months .... yet nothing in the previous 15 years .. 151 kmh and 118km/h (IIRC)
And there are a number of new 'fixed units' ... so keep your eyes open for the 'Radar' signs. One installation per 'warning sign' ( apart from A8 in Aix where there are 2 , but you're not going there !) |
I would only drive at that speed where it was safe to do so, ie, on an empty motorway.
It would be more dangerous for a French policeman to pull you over than to leave you travelling at 100mph anyway, hence I am somewhat suprised to hear this.
Anyway. C'est la vie..
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| pam w wrote: |
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OK - I agree, but no more right than being booked for doing 100mph on a motorway. You take a chance going over the limit anywhere, anytime. It may be a chance worth taking, but that's not the same as assuming you are bomb-proof. And it's also worth remembering that radar detectors are illegal in France. I think some French policemen quite enjoy catching British drivers! |
At 40mph, if a child steps out from behind a car, you are virtually guaranteed to kill them. Somewhat different from the difference between 85mph and 100mph..
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You know it makes sense.
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As he was driving at over 120mph, I fail to see your point.
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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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professorpool, They don't pull you over with a gesturing of hands, gallic shrugs or similar -- they have chase vehicles ( bikes and cars) either with them or further on .. they chase you with enough lighting that even Ray Charles couldn't miss them/you .. and , as in LHs case , speed isn't an issue, what is dangerous about pulling someone over at that speed ? ... no more so than doing it in the first place. You do read like a ticket ( or worse) waiting to happen .. 'Empty Autoroute' ??? That just doesn't happen ..
rjs they hide themselves very well .. if you had no reason to look then you wouldnt see them. All power to your elbow ..
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've driven through France loads of times. I prefer to drive at night or early in the morning long distance - certainly when the raods are empty. I'm driving to North Wales at the weekend for Chistmas. I will leave at 7am Saturday morning rather than drive Friday night.
I don;t drive at 100mph for long periods (longer than an hour journey) with traffic on the road - recipe for disaster!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There are two ways to get to the Alps without stopovers.
Preparation: Stay off drugs for a few days (alcohol & caffeine). Get good sleep, especially the previous night.
Option A - daytime
You live an hour or so's drive from the Channel Tunnel. Set off at the crack of dawn and get to resort between 6-10pm depending upon how easy you take things (and weather).
Option B - overnight
After a relaxing day, end up at Dover around 8pm. Have a rest on a ferry. Don't eat too much. End up in Boulogne/Calais around midnight. Drive through the night filling up with Caffeine via delicious coffee (or red bull, etc.) at garages. The sun rising at around 6-7am will replenish your alertness just as you come to the last stretch of the motorway. You'll end up parked at your resort by about 9-10am. Do not attempt anything except easy blue runs this day! I can only manage a couple of hours on the piste even then. Drink no alcohol or you will fall asleep on the spot.
I always have a stopover at Poligny in Hotel de Paris on the way home. A non-stop return is not recommended (the stress/intensity and timing of a 9am departure from resort means you're far too tired by the time you get anywhere near Calais - especially if you have been skiing the previous day, and drinking the previous night).
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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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| Quote: |
Drive through the night filling up with Caffeine via delicious coffee (or red bull, etc.) at garages.
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Possibly. When driving overnight I have sometimes found the only coffees available to be rather horrible ones, from those machines. They do the job though. Don't forget to be discreet with the Red Bull which is illegal in France. And that sugar tends to nullify the effect of the caffeine, so drink unsweetened coffee. and sugar free Red Bull, which is disgusting.
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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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Coke "Blak" seems to be very effective.
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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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| PhillipStanton wrote: |
| Coke "Blak" seems to be very effective. |
Thank you. I only used 'Red Bull' by way of example. It reeks of cow dung and makes me queasy to be in the same room as the stuff - I understand many people love Taurine however.
As to Coke Black, yes I've tried the stuff. It's one of the better caffeinated drinks for when yet another espresso seems too daunting.
As to the vending machines (Pam w), these all used to be excellent a few years ago, and then Nescafe descided to take over the entire market with a noticeably inferior product. Ah well, that's garages putting their markup before the customer's preference...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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professorpool,
Hi, thanks for a very informative post - I'm interested in how you booked accom in les gets just prior to arrival. I'm about to book 5 Jan online in Les Gets thru' the lesgets.com website. Did you simply phone them prior to getting to the resort? The deal we're looking at is 413 euros for a 2 bed apartment. Do you get better deals than this?
Many thanks! 
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stonepope, Welcome to 's. Sounds a good price to me, Is it in the town centre?
Have a nice time. Bon ski!!
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| stonepope wrote: |
professorpool,
Hi, thanks for a very informative post - I'm interested in how you booked accom in les gets just prior to arrival. I'm about to book 5 Jan online in Les Gets thru' the lesgets.com website. Did you simply phone them prior to getting to the resort? The deal we're looking at is 413 euros for a 2 bed apartment. Do you get better deals than this?
Many thanks! |
Booked and paid for it online through the website.
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FAQ
When the customs guy asked us to flip open the boot he asked the obligatory question: 'Do you have anything in the boot that may be flammable?" to which we said no...he then picked up the full can of petrol with a funny look - how silly did we feel. Didn't have a funnel so spilled most of it down the side of the car trying to get it in a mostly full petrol tank.
'No idea, its a prezzie from my Mum'.... like something out of a really bad sketch. Felt very silly indeed. At least he didn't open up all the prezzies though but he did have a feel around and then told us what he thought they were... 