For those that have made the trip to the ring...

[Mk5Dom]

Alright fella's.

Me and some friends are planning on making the trip to Mecca, I mean the ring in spring next year. I'll be in my hamster wheel powered dirty diesel and my buddy in his 930 Porsche, mismatch much haha.

Just wanted people's views on wether to go with. We're based in Oxfordshire if that's something to consider.

A. Dover - Calias (ferry) and then across.
B. Harwich - Hook of Holland (ferry) and down.
C. Euro tunnel

Cheers
Dom


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rumple]

I think A) Should be "Dover to Dunkirk" - Cheaper and further up than Calais?

[wigit]

i did that trip in the summer from Oxford all be it i went to Wolfsburg on the way out:

I went overnight Harwich to Hook of Holland and came back on Euro Tunnel

The overnighter meant not up silly o'clock for the ferry and a hotel in the UK and Euro Tunnel was just quicker and less hassle

Only thing to factor in on the way back is if you come back via Brussels it can be a pain

[tony_danza]

Chunnel. Avoid the majority of Belgium buy skirting Northern France, then heading up past Spa to the Ring.

[wigit]

Chunnel. Avoid the majority of Belgium buy skirting Northern France, then heading up past Spa to the Ring.

Totally agree, pay the toll and through France

[rdfcpete]

You might share a different opinion when you've done it Dom, but we went in September this year and did the tunnel (we're in the East Midlands).

It was a piece of cake. It took us roughly 2.5 hours to Dover, then jumped on the train then the journey across North France, Belgium and drop into West Germany. It was quite a breeze with a steady cruise and just one coffee stop. We traveled in the day too, which helped.

It was just under £60 on the supersaver one way so budget for around £130 return on the cheap/medium scheme if you take the Tunnel. It was slick, easy and smooth with not too much waiting around. If you're there earlier than your train too, you can *sometimes* jump on the earlier train even with the supersaver ticket if there's room but that depends on a few things.

Depends where you are in the country but for us, just south of Birmingham, the tunnel worked.

The route we took didn't have a single toll in the rest of Europe, just Dartford on the bridge of course.

If your Derv is anything like mine too (A3 CR170 Revo STG1) then you'll need just a tank and a half to drive there, drive around a bit, and drive back at a sensible motorway speed to level things out   I think we used about £120 in sterling terms.

Check for roadworks around Calais (F) and Brugges (B) as that can add some time if you're caught in a peak travel period.

[RedRobin]

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Chunnel is a bit more expensive but I wouldn't cross the Channel any other way! Fast and convenient and less chance of damage to your car.

I would cut into Belgium as soon as possible - the French police are much less friendly than the Belgian police if you are 'making progress' on their motorways. The route via Spa is a nice drive though, especially the twisties through the Eiffel Forest near the 'Ring.

[tony_danza]

I generally go Hull-Rotterdam, being a Northerner. But when I've gone the Southern route, the Belgian roads, in particular the Brussels circular, are ****ing appalling. An absolutely hateful journey, even if it's quiet, which it rarely is.

€20ish each way in tolls and sticking below 90 (so you don't stand out to les Flics) isn't that much of a hardship for the French/Spa route.

[Nodz]

If you've got Tesco clubcard points stored up convert them and you can get the channel tunnel down to about £20 return last time I looked

[GrayMK5GTI]

I think A) Should be "Dover to Dunkirk" - Cheaper and further up than Calais?

X2. That's what we did. Hit the truckers lounge on the ferry for a great place to sleep 

[Deako]

I always go via ferry to Dunkirk. 

[Harpreetsingh]

I did it last year, went via Dover. However we were heading to Freiburg first, and zigzagged up to nurburgring later that week

[andyR43]

I always go via ferry to Dunkirk. 

Same here. 

[Jonathon555]

Normally Hull to Rotterdam or Hull to zebrugge for me, but nearly missed the ferry last time on the way back due to traffic.

Just make sure you have breakdown cover

[RedRobin]

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Another great advantage of the Chunnel is that the trains leave every half-hour and so if you do get held up and unavoidably miss one, the next is a very short wait.

And another option they offer is that if you don't know which date you want to return (I have done a spontaneous road trip a couple of times in the GTI) there is another kind of ticket, for a small extra fee of course but it includes a meal (very good quality sandwiches etc) and priority for the next train leaving.

The Frenchies are very hot on catching folks speeding back towards the Channel because they are running late for a crossing.

Just the thought of sleeping in a public lounge on a sea crossing makes me feel ill   and the boat crossings take forever.

It's a no-brainer (unless you're travelling from far north) as far as I'm concerned and if it's going to stretch your budget it's worth saving the extra for.

(In my opinion)