I've been watching this dreadful situation develop over the last few days,and although it's eased slightly this morning Sky news are reporting that there is still 16 miles of queuing traffic waiting to get in to Dover. Apparently its all due to shortage of French border staff,but also because the French are searching every vehicle,(and in some cases every bag!),as a reaction to the Nice terrorist incident. What Sky are not reporting is that all of the other French border crossings,(with other countries),seem to be running normally,with no checks/stops/inspections whatsoever. Go to this website for to look for yourself: Webcams on french motorways: motorway web cam France - ASFA If this is the case,it will only reinforce my own view that these delays are nothing to do with the Nice atrocity,and more to do with French revenge for Brexit/Chris Froome/the general French authorities anti-British feelings that surface every now and again. Personally,(and I love visiting France),I wish some one had the guts to build a bridge/tunnel to Belgium or Holland...I'm sick to death of the French closing Calais because a fisherman in a rowing boat has had a barney with his missus or somesuch. Yes it would be expensive,but could be done,(look at Japan/Denmark etc).
I went from Spain over to France on the way back from the first part of our holiday and no one gets stopped,got back last weekend was staying in Antibes/Nice for a week and was in Nice on the Tuesday before the attack, left on the Friday and drove all the way back to Essex 17 hours. I think the french are just being funny over brexit and trying to get one over on us at Dover,
So you have not entered France since the Nice attack? Perhaps the answer is to tear up the Le Touquet agreement.
Le Touquet is a perfectly reasonable treaty between the UK and France, there is absolutely no reason to tear it up, France just has to meet it's obligations.
I think the French and Germans should just swap countries. The French would be perfectly happy in Germany. They can still brew alcohol, make cheese and take the afternoons off, but the Germans would be friendlier and more co-operative post-Brexit neighbours. They'd buy our beef and lamb without protests or setting fire to lorries and they'd run the country far better, all the ports would work and there'd be fewer silly rules for UK bikers heading south.
They'll be too busy fishing our seas bare while they still can before they get thrown out of British waters.
Can they also bring their race tracks and the nordschleife with them? It'd save me a few miles each year
One of my guys has just rocked back from Berlin. No security checks of any kind on the Belgian-French border. (Just remind me where those who committed the Parisian atrocities came from again?) As far as I'm aware,there haven't been any vile acts committed in France by UK based terrorists,and yet the UK-French border has had long delays while the other crossings have....nothing? Of course now the peak holiday rush is over,all the French customs booths at Dover are fully manned. Ho-hum...
The Calais route can be a bloody nightmare at the best of times. I stopped using it in 2014 and tried the poole/cherbourg ferry @ 4 1/4 hours. Far better for me and would recommend it.
Well I'm bowling over tomorrow,(to return some unusable Belgian truck toll transponders,another stick to beat our EU,"partners",over the head with...*fume*),on the company bike. If I'm lucky enough to avoid having rocks thrown at me,( by those who would like to be my neighbour...or pick my pocket,you choose),I'll be there and back in eight hours,and I'll put an update on here of waiting times if any.
I always use the ferry. Getting to Dover even with clear roads takes as long as the ferry crossing and Calais is a crappy part of France. Cherbourg is a better starting point IMO. And I like being on the sea.
The tunnel is sold out until late morning tomorrow,and quite expensive after that. P & O came in at £21 and change, return and sails at the right times for my travel there and back. I prefer the no-faffing of the train generally,but the boats are generally ok and there'll be time for breakfast and forty winks.
Ferry always cheapr, I just choose roll on/off convenience over cost, and normally am on a bike and I have seen enough damaged on crossing to not bother again Only time I would would be santander
Ferry on a bike is cheap but try taking a T5 van on the ferry, same footprint as an estate car but they charge almost twice as much as on the tunnel.
