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Driving to la plagne 2011

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi, I am driving from Scotland to Les Coches, in January 2011, with wife and two young kids and am looking for any recommendations on a hotel to stay on route. Ideally about 90 minutes driving time from Calais. Advice/ recommendations are welcome.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
may be as easy to just use formule 1 or similar if you just want some sleep and to break the journey cheap as chips and really simple but functional could stop around arras about 70-80 miles from calais
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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?
cobyjacoby, try www.hotelBB.fr StQuentin is around the hour20 off Calais

As for advice, remember the golden rule when you stop for petrol everyone goes to the loo. If you have to stop for the loo fill up with petrol!
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Just did the drive down yesterday with a car full of tea bags and Christmas puds. Look at www.accorhotels.com for Formule 1 and Etap hotels. If you want to do something special you could stop in Reims and sample the champagnes as they sell it by the glass.

Pack lots of food as motorway service stations in France are just as expensive as the Britsih ones.. big bottle of fanta yesterday over 3 euros. However if you are getting Norfolk line ferries they do some decent meals for £7.50 each (however the ferry takes 2hrs zzzz).
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
With 4 in the car hotel b&b is best as they do family rooms.
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Quote:

when you stop for petrol everyone goes to the loo. If you have to stop for the loo fill up with petrol!

and don't waste time driving round industrial wastelands getting lost to save sixpence off a litre of fuel. wink
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I would aim for Reims (not sure how far it is from calais so check that). I think it has a few travel inn type places and the town centre is very nice if you have time for a quick potter round. There are plenty of restaurants/cafes for a bite to eat before heading back to your hotel.

I typed this without seeing snow retreats post above..so thats two recommendations for Reims. Very Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Reims is well over 2 hours from Calais and the OP is after around 90 mins.
Following on from Pamy's point If you stop at the HotelBB St Quentin there is a choice of 2 petrol stations both visible from the road to the hotel.
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Thanks for the advice. Booked up HotelBB St Quentin. Perfect.
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pam w wrote:
Quote:

when you stop for petrol everyone goes to the loo. If you have to stop for the loo fill up with petrol!

and don't waste time driving round industrial wastelands getting lost to save sixpence off a litre of fuel. wink


Ohhhh made that mistake one, wasted 45 minutes aroudn Dijon. Service stations only and also diesel break=p*ss break. Strict rule
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Holiday Inn Express in Reims has a fully gated and secure car park just of motorway. We use it on way down but in reality Reims in 2 1/2 hours from Calais.
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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.
Quote:

in reality Reims in 2 1/2 hours from Calais.

yes it is. I do like to get south of Reims before stopping out of Calais, and that's always the longest leg I do - after that I have a pretty strict "don't drive more than 2 hours" rule as I do the whole trip normally. But it doesn't make sense to push yourself when you need to stop (or to stop when you're feeling good and have another hour or two in you) and if you're travelling on a non-peak date I wouldn't book anything it advance; it's not hard to find a hotel on the motorway routes into and out of the towns along the road.

Jolly brave driving from Scotland with kids. Respect. Do you drug them?
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
thefatcontroller wrote:
Holiday Inn Express in Reims has a fully gated and secure car park just of motorway. We use it on way down but in reality Reims in 2 1/2 hours from Calais.



Well maybe in a big heavy 4*4 wink

But yes it is about that when you factor in a loo stops and things

Thinking about it, wouldn't it be easier from Scotland doing the Hull crossing and driving down through Holland/Brussels etc
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Why book ahead just drive until you feel you need a rest in most french towns you will find a decent hotel on the outskirts of most you will find an ibis whihc if not great is always comfortable. Unless there is something special happening most hotels will have free rooms at that time of the year.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quote:

But yes it is about that when you factor in a loo stops and things


It's 268 km from Calais to Reims. If it's wet then the speed limit is 110km/hour. Even at 130 km/h you have to "factor in" getting out onto the road, building up the speed, going through two peage gates (which not even Boris can do at 130 kph), through Reims where the speed limit is variable but 110 MAX, and the road works. That's without any loo stops.

I've driven that journey quite often and there has often been at least one stretch of roadworks with a reduced limit - though all the northern part is now clear, after years of disruption. And there's the other factor - a psychological one which works especially strongly when you're driving north - that Reims to Calais is just absolutely blooody endless.

It's a favourite stretch for UK drivers to be fined for speeding.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
pam w, Know someone who was recently stopped on the Calais to Reims section and fined by a policeman on bike 90 euro for driving to close to the car in front of him. The fact that there was no car around made no difference as arguing was made very clear to him to be a very bad option. He paid up
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
thefatcontroller, when I am GOD I shall fit all cars compulsorily with an electronic gadget which records if they are being driven too close to the car in front (speed-dependent, obviously) and inflate a rude balloon on the roof which says "I am a knob", The balloon can be repacked three times, then it has to be replaced - which is extremely expensive, with all proceeds going to a charity to help the victims of road accidents. It's one of the driving faults which is so easily avoided and so very dangerous. I wasn't sure what your post meant though - are you saying the policeman just made it up to be ornery? Shocked

I am impressed with French lane discipline - compared to the idiots sitting in the middle lane for hundreds of miles in the UK - BUT very irritated at how close they cut in in front of you, so you immediately have to ease off the gas to put a safe distance between you. My balloon gadget will have to find a way of coping with that.
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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?
My wife was fined for leaving the toll booth as my son was still putting his seatbelt on having just taken the ticket - she think she travelled about 10 meters with the seat belt off and they followed her for 30 miles before pulling her over and then taking her off the motorway to pay in cash . . . . . .
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My wife was fined for leaving the toll booth as my son was still putting his seatbelt on having just taken the ticket - she think she travelled about 10 meters with the seat belt off and they followed her for 30 miles before pulling her over and then taking her off the motorway to pay in cash . . . . . .
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Very lucky 'cos in addition to the speeding fine there is €75 for no GB sticker and € 75 for no headlamp deflectors and € 75 for no triangle and € 75 for no Hi Vis and € 75 for not carrying the vehicle ownership certificate and € 75 for not carrying the vehicle insurance certificate etc etc etc Sad
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We, and everyone else, got waved down by police in Ugine today and I was groping for my high-vis jacket. But it was just to tell us that Albertville was "fermé" because of demonstrations.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
pam w wrote:
I wasn't sure what your post meant though - are you saying the policeman just made it up to be ornery? Shocked


Just made it up. No other car in sight and policeman knew it but hey coould he argue with the policeman? He paid up. Mad
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Hmm. I probably wouldn't have argued either, but I've had kept the paperwork and any relevant numbers and lodged an official complaint, I think. That's awful. Is your motorcyclist a 100% trustworthy source? Maybe he hadn't seen the car. wink
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have to say the leg from Reims to Calais is mind numbingly dull...even the landscape is enough to make you go looking for a cliff to leap from Happy

We used to stay in Reims on the way down but ended up extending that to Dijon after a couple of trips...waking up and hitting the Jura and the Autoroute Blanche after a short drive is good for the mind. Been a year or two since we've been down (kids, economy etc..) but last few years have been down in a day door to door and back the same way too. Its such an easy drive given the distance that shared between two drivers is really no stress

Am worried about all the talk about Police though...have they really become THAT bad in the last few years?
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skinutter,
Quote:
have to say the leg from Reims to Calais is mind numbingly dull...even the landscape is enough to make you go looking for a cliff to leap from


You can always play spot the war cemetry, as you are driving through the Somme it's quite easy.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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LOL..more like spot something a different colour than grey
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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.
Quote:
Am worried about all the talk about Police though...have they really become THAT bad in the last few years?


I wouldn't worry, I have driven down loads of times without problems.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

Reims to Calais is just absolutely blooody endless.


Isn't it just - especially counting down the flamin KM marker posts

Luckily Calais to Reims is shorter - in that I'm going on holiday and it's usually dark so no visible point of reference

..........and I'm driving in my sleep
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