Channel tunnel advice please.

[RoaryRati]

Travelling in small convertibles (Spyder or S2000) they take one look and let us through! - And arriving early we've always had an earlier crossing - but we've always travelled in quiet times.

 

[Firefox]

Now that the summer rush is over it’s very easy to take the tunnel the UK Border Force are manning a lot of booths, this is from the fall out concerning the French at the start of the holidays that was on TV.

The French don’t have a quota, it depends very much what mood they are in and how the political relationship is with the UK.

 

[Vince2]

Thanks for advice. Looks like as long as we turn up on time all should be good. Certainly not paying over £150 just to go on an earlier train.
We’ve booked for Monday the 19th which now turns out to be a bank holiday Monday. Not sure how that might effect things but hopefully traffic on the motorways should be a lot lighter?
We’ve always done the ferry so we can strech our legs and sit down to a full breakfast before a long drive to Switzerland. 740 miles in a day!
Doing it different this time with a later start, crossing and stopover near Reims. Onto Colmar for a night to see my uncle, then 4 nights at Lake Garda. Hopefully visiting Modena and Panini. 3 nights in Switzerland, another stop near Reims before heading back to Calais.

 

[AKCH01]

Thanks for advice. Looks like as long as we turn up on time all should be good. Certainly not paying over £150 just to go on an earlier train.
We’ve booked for Monday the 19th which now turns out to be a bank holiday Monday. Not sure how that might effect things but hopefully traffic on the motorways should be a lot lighter?
We’ve always done the ferry so we can strech our legs and sit down to a full breakfast before a long drive to Switzerland. 740 miles in a day!
Doing it different this time with a later start, crossing and stopover near Reims. Onto Colmar for a night to see my uncle, then 4 nights at Lake Garda. Hopefully visiting Modena and Panini. 3 nights in Switzerland, another stop near Reims before heading back to Calais.

Sounds like a great trip! The only thing you'll find is long stretches of the motorways will be getting resurfaced ready for next season but it'll still be much quieter than this side!

 

[Ebenezer]

Sandwiches are available in France, so there’s no need to take them from the UK.

On the other hand, I’ll be sneaking some Patum Peperium through the tunnel in a few weeks time (en route to Mallorca) as that isn‘t readily available over there.

My Christmas treat!
Eb

 

[mowlas]

My Christmas treat!
Eb

Just read up on Patum Peperium as never heard of it before! Apparently, the secret recipe is withheld from all but one employee at Elsenham Quality Foods in Elsenham, England!

 

[CatmanV2]

Just read up on Patum Peperium as never heard of it before! Apparently, the secret recipe is withheld from all but one employee at Elsenham Quality Foods in Elsenham, England!

View attachment 105698

Anchovies, butter, salt, breadcrumbs. Roughly speaking. Lovely stuff

C

 

[midlifecrisis]

Just read up on Patum Peperium as never heard of it before! Apparently, the secret recipe is withheld from all but one employee at Elsenham Quality Foods in Elsenham, England!

View attachment 105698

I thought that was the bit between the ring and sack...

 

[RoaryRati]

Thanks for advice. Looks like as long as we turn up on time all should be good. Certainly not paying over £150 just to go on an earlier train.
We’ve booked for Monday the 19th which now turns out to be a bank holiday Monday. Not sure how that might effect things but hopefully traffic on the motorways should be a lot lighter?
We’ve always done the ferry so we can strech our legs and sit down to a full breakfast before a long drive to Switzerland. 740 miles in a day!
Doing it different this time with a later start, crossing and stopover near Reims. Onto Colmar for a night to see my uncle, then 4 nights at Lake Garda. Hopefully visiting Modena and Panini. 3 nights in Switzerland, another stop near Reims before heading back to Calais.

Sounds gr8 - where is Switzerland - we did some good passes there

 

[MarkMas]

I thought that was the bit between the ring and sack...

Apparently, I learned a few weeks ago, that is called the 'taint', because 'it ain't' either the ** or the **.

(edited to add some 4-letter words' )

 

[Vince2]

Sounds gr8 - where is Switzerland - we did some good passes there

My brother has a skiing apartment at Nendaz near Sion that we go to in the winter in the Discovery. It’ll be a first to do the last 10 miles of z bends in the summer, in the GT.
Getting there from Lake Garda is going to be interesting too! Not sure till the day which route to take.

 

[MarkMas]

Apparently, I learned a few weeks ago, that is called the 'taint', because 'it ain't' either the ** or the **.

(edited to add some 4-letter words' )

Oddly, if you write four stars to represent '****', like this ***, you just get two stars like this *.
Not sure what happens with any other string of four characters like AAAA or $$$$

 

[MarkMas]

Oddly, if you write four stars to represent '**', like this *, you just get two stars like this *.
Not sure what happens with any other string of four characters like AAAA or $$$$

A bit of an experiment:

1. One star test * how does it come out?
2. Two star test ** how does it come out?
3. Three star test *** how does it come out?
4. Four star test **** how does it come out?
5. Five star test **** how does it come out?
6. Six star test ** how does it come out?
7. Seven star test *** how does it come out?
8. Eight star test **** how does it come out?

(I really must get on with my work...)

 

[RoaryRati]

Not sure till the day which route to take

Yep spoilt for choice with some wonderful passes, but less fun if wet (rain or snow - we had snow in June on Julier pass!!!)

 

[Gazcw]

Just read up on Patum Peperium as never heard of it before! Apparently, the secret recipe is withheld from all but one employee at Elsenham Quality Foods in Elsenham, England!

View attachment 105698

He must be busy flavouring all those pots.

 

[Ebenezer]

Sandwiches are available in France, so there’s no need to take them from the UK.

On the other hand, I’ll be sneaking some Patum Peperium through the tunnel in a few weeks time (en route to Mallorca) as that isn‘t readily available over there.

My Christmas treat has arrived!



Eb

 

[Gazcw]

Generally if you arrive early they will put you on an earlier tunnel but not always, as above searches are random and if you are unlucky to get searched and they find anything they will remove it. There are comments that this even goes down to sandwiches so if you have ham and cheese and get selected eat it quickly pretty sure they are not allowed to force you to regurgitate

Does it count if it is Brie on your sandwich?

 

[Doctor Houx]

They have a daily quota of cars to search I’m sure. Even before Brexit. About 15 years ago I got the 1am Chunnel back from France. There were only 3 of us on it. I was on the bike with a rucksack and there was an Orthodox Jewish bloke in a Volvo who’d been to Amsterdam to get a wardrobe he’d been left in his grandmother’s will. They gave us both the full baggage search, including drugs swabs, even got the wardrobe out of his car to check the under boot bit.

I did have a laugh on the way back from Classic LM this year where they wanted to search every car at Dieppe Ferry, inc the GT40. They asked me to open the “boot” and were surprised to find an engine and transaxle, so asked me to open the front clam and found the front suspension and not much more. They then asked what was in the plumbed in extinguisher canister to which I replied “extingushant surprisingly” . They lost interest at that point and let me go.

 

[Ebenezer]

On VEOB we all exited the ferry in Santander. Out of 12 masers, only the 4 black ones were pulled aside and frisked whilst the rest were waived on their way... !
Eb

 

[Gazcw]

On VEOB we all exited the ferry in Santander. Out of 12 masers, only the 4 black ones were pulled aside and frisked whilst the rest were waived on their way... !
Eb

Rascist customs!