 Poster: A snowHead
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The latest long range forecasts are predicting gales for the Kent and Picardie coasts on Thurs and Friday, just as Snowheads descend on Dover.
Typical.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And my daughter and school trip returning on Christmas Eve!
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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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We are travelling back Fri too, fingers crossed then.
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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 waiting for a Eurotunnel problem now.......... 
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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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Lou, Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Northern France had banned HGV's and coaches from the roads last night because of the snow, looks like things could get worse.
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There are long queues snaking round St Pancras this morning for the Eurostar.
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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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Eurostar went onto an emergency timetable last night because of the conditions in Northern France.
They have it much worse than us.
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Lou, that's extremely clever. Hmmm. France sounds bad.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, we are leaving Les Gets a day early so that we allow for any probs getting up to the tunnel tomorrow - and then we have the M25, oh joy. Hope you all have a good journey in this direction.
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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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Pamski, safe trip
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[chart deleted as the link has moved on now]
Its the Low in the southern North Sea that threatens to reek havoc.
This chart is valid as of now but will probably make no sense in a day or so!
Last edited by 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  on Tue 21-12-10 8:53; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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we are booked on a ferry from newhaven to dieppe on thursday and are driving to Chamonix. What is anybodies experience/views about this with the weather currently?
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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It just gets better doesn't it - keeping 'em crossed for anyone due to travel in the next 10 days.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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i go to chamonix every year and have been for 10 years, so i am used to that region but i am wondering about which roads to drive on on the way down, usually i like to avoid the tolls and stay in a hotel, my ferry doesnt arrive until 3.30pm so we'll have to stay in a hotel anyhow. doubt i can book one though as i cant predict what time we will be where. Which route are you planning?
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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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i go to chamonix every year and have been for 10 years, so i am used to that region but i am wondering about which roads to drive on on the way down, usually i like to avoid the tolls and stay in a hotel, my ferry doesnt arrive until 3.30pm so we'll have to stay in a hotel anyhow. doubt i can book one though as i cant predict what time we will be where. Which route are you planning?
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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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| Quote: |
doubt i can book one though as i cant predict what time we will be where. Which route are you planning?
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we don't book - you never know when you're going to want to stop. If you want to avoid the toll roads it'll take you far longer. Just take whichever Route Nationale which goes in a fairly straight line Calais - Reims - Dijon - Bourg en Bresse - Geneva - Chamonix. Don't go anywhere near Lyon.
I would imagine the autoroutes would be better, in snowy difficult better, than the RN. But I might be wrong - I tend to always use the toll roads in winter though we often do a more leisurely trip in the summer. In winter I just want to get it over with.
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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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Another vote for toll roads in bad weather. Rain in France can be snow around Dijon but otherwise you should be ok. The tolls around BenB can get busy.
I've never needed chains to get to Cham but have needed them to get up to Vallorcine.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Pamski is on her way back now and has been turned away from tunnel and advised to get the ferry 
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Lou, What's the problem at the tunnel? That's my escape route to Austria if my plane doesn't go on Friday...
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| Quote: |
Rain in France can be snow around Dijon
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It was snow round Calais last week.
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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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Steve Sparks, Pamski has arrived a day early hoping to avoid a windy ferry crossing.
Have a look at Dover on Metcheck for wind speeds from Weds night onwards. That may well be too strong for the ferries to run as they can't dock in those wind speeds.
The Euro Tunnel customer advice line was saying 2 hour delays due to unprecedented demand, today. Gatwick and Heathrow should return to normal tonight which will ease things.
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| Quote: |
Important Information - Customers Travelling on 21/22 December 2010
Due to the continuing bad weather, Eurotunnel Passenger Shuttle services are unable to operate to our normal levels of service today.
If you do not need to travel today, our recommendation is that you cancel your journey. |
That's what they say at the moment - but I didn't see that earlier this morning when I looked. There was just a warning about poor road conditions and the need to check before travelling that you could get there on time. Sounds as though things have deteriorated. We'll have to turn up for our booked crossing, or earlier. And hope for the best.
I'd be grateful for any other info on what's happening at the Tunnel - we are booked to take the 10.50 am train tomorrow. I'm turning off the freezer - just struggling through a choc ice which would otherwise be wasted. 
We're not under time pressure - got till 1730 on the 23rd to rendezvous with son in Geneva. And if we don't get there, "c'est un débrouillard" as they say in French; he'll cope.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wouldn't touch Metcheck with a bargepole now... except for comedy. BBC showing windspeeds up to 20-25mph for Calais & Dover on Thurs/Fri.
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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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Hmm. The information line says delay is currently 30 minutes at check in and four hours in the terminal. Better take a good book. Or a couple.
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pam w, if I hear anymore I'll let you know, otherwise am sure Pamski, will post later if not too wrecked. They are now booked on a ferry at 18.20 I think.
They arrived 2 hrs ahead of booked tunnel crossing and were asked to go away for 2 hrs. Once back, they queued for 35mins before being told to go for a ferry!
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
They arrived 2 hrs ahead of booked tunnel crossing and were asked to go away for 2 hrs. Once back, they queued for 35mins before being told to go for a ferry!
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 The check-in organisation and information at eurotunnel is pretty rubbish, but that's ridiculous.
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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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andy, I have pilot's licence so normally read the Av charts on Met Office but in this case I suspect that Metcheck are spot on. Worryingly so.
I'm on Eurotunnel on Thurs but am expecting probs due to the ferries being locked down.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've had a prod around the 'net' and it appears Dover operates until windspeeds reach 55 knots (whatever that means in mph), but I think is force 11 gale. Suspect/hope Calais operates under similar conditions. Going to call P&O tomorrow to check. Went to Falklands on a cross channel ferry (from Ascension Islands) and the seas were pretty rough on that trip so expect today's ferries will handle those sort of windspeeds too.
No offence but is this thread based on any official data?.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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bar shaker, spot on in which way? Metcheck had about 29mph, BBC a fraction less when I checked earlier. Have seen Metcheck forecast 327mph winds before now, and their temperature "predictions" in this recent snow were about 23C lower than reality.
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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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Just typed a very long message which somehow disappeared. Not a good day.
Yes, we had a bad experience this afternoon with Eurotunnel, having left Les Gets a day early to make sure that we were in good time for 6.20 tunnel booking in case of bad weather in northern France. We could understand being turned away at 2.15 as we were early, but what we could not understand was why on our return at 4.20 we were told to get into one of four queues, 7 or 8 cars in front of us took us till nearly 5 to get to check in kiosk and then we were told to 'go and get a ferry as no trains running' - absolutely amazing that no-one could have come down the queues and told us that.
Meanwhile the signs on the kiosks were still saying 1.30 hours from check in to loading.
Luckily we had a son in Guildford able to immediately book us onto P and O for a ferry about 6.50 for £80 - and in the end we got put on one earlier about 5.30, it was delayed by having to load lots of refugees from Eurotunnel and Eurostar. The crossing was absoluely fine and calm.
Definite sense of humour failure in our car - we haven't used the tunnel for years and something very similar happened to us before and we ended up on a ferry. I could understand that they had problems with their trains - what I found hard to understand was why they were letting us all queue up - by the time we turned round to leave the lines were massive.
But the skiing for the last 7 or 8 days was good! And now just Heathrow to negotiate on Friday on the way to JFK.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 22-12-10 9:57; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| bar shaker wrote: |
| The latest long range forecasts are predicting gales for the....Picardie coasts ... |
Ah. That reminds me.
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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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Basil, No, no facts it was merely a heads up for a possibly serious long range weather forecast. On any other days such a forecast would have been an annoyance but on the last two days before Christmas it could be problem. I hope there is no disruption and everyone gets away smoothly.
Andy the BBC don't do forecasts of more than 48 hours which is why they are coming up to the wind speeds everyone else was predicting.
A knot is 1.17mph.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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So are you going by the tunnel Lou? What one are you booked on?
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Absolutely ****ing great. It seems the wind will be the least of our problems.
Northern France is now on a severe weather alert for heavy snow tomorrow morning.
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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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| Quote: |
Northern France is now on a severe weather alert for heavy snow tomorrow morning
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count myself lucky to have traversed northern France today - no problems, though very heavy rain, but the TV in the rather good (and cheap) 2 star "Hotel Splendid" in Troyes is full of snow already falling in the north, HGV's prohibited in the Ile de France, lots of cancellations of flights at Paris airports.... there was no problem today once we got to Calais.
Eurotunnel better than last night, but not great. We checked in no trouble at the correct time for our crossing but were given a number with no time. After an hour or so in the terminal we were called out. But waited ages in the initial queue, then ages again on a ramp going down to the platform. Clearly there was a problem and sure enough we drove up the other ramp - train fault - then kind of drove around in a convoy behind a Eurotunnel vehicle for a while, then waited a long time again, and eventually got on a train. We did wonder if this was a deliberate ploy to create a bit more room in the overcrowded terminal but decided they weren't organised enough to think of that!
Anyway, we were comfortable, had books to read, plenty to eat and drink, and were warm and dry, so it could have been a lot worse and it looks as though we've been lucky with the weather in France - only rain forecast tomorrow even for the Jura. Seems like tomorrow will be rain over the Alps (possibly turning to snow overnight) but snow over Paris. 
So - the message is, don't count on fast journeys! If you get where you're supposed to be going, more or less on the right day, you're doing well.
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Last forecast I looked at suggested light snow pretty much right thru Belgium, but not Calais. We'll see. If I get to Calais and succeed in crossing to Dover tomorrow, I'll report back. Sleeping bag and a bonus fleece packed in car just in case. So long as I get to North Kent by dinnertime on Christmas eve, I'll be happy.
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FAQ
Anybody's guess but looks like a lively crossing. I'm driving down weds/thurs and hoping it'll be OK. Tues/Thurs looks rainy in chamonix, maybe snowy Friday. You probably won't need snowchains, though obviously you should have them with you in case the freezing level drops dramatically and it ends up snowing a lot. The road to Chamonix isn't too bad but sometimes the last bit to your accommodation could be snowy.
