Edinburgh to Barcelona.

[j2 lot]

My other half hates flying too but trip to the Docs for a few Valium and jobs a good un.
Often quoted that flying is the safest form of transport- whatever you decide hope you have a good honeymoon and fingers crossed for test on Monday. Keith

[EliseR]

Here are the various driving times involved.....exclujding stops.



Edinburgh to London:
7 hours

London to Dover:
90 minutes

Calis to Paris (may miss this step via Eurostar):
2.5 hours

Paris to barcelona:
8.5 hours

Leave on Sunday around 3.30pm, would ideally like to be in Barcelona at the very latest on Tuesday morning, however I do not want to be driving after midnight on any day if I can help it.

Gary.
Off to check calculator!!!

[neil]

Here are the various driving times involved.....exclujding stops.



Edinburgh to London:
7 hours

London to Dover:
90 minutes

Calis to Paris (may miss this step via Eurostar):
2.5 hours

Paris to barcelona:
8.5 hours

Leave on Sunday around 3.30pm, would ideally like to be in Barcelona at the very latest on Tuesday morning, however I do not want to be driving after midnight on any day if I can help it.

Gary.
Off to check calculator!!!

I think you're being a bit optimistic with you're timings. I'm over in Paris reasonably often with work and the motorways tend to be pretty busy. Just getting round Paris could take you a good few hours and playing with the trucks in an Elise could be an experience. Taking the car into the centre is another thing entirely - lane discipline doesn't seem to apply and your average Parisian car tends to have at least 1 dent in it. If you're determined to do it I'd factor in an overnight stop in Paris and book a hotel in advance as they tend to be busy.

[Skyenet]

My advise would be to save the road trip for another time

Current plans if I do drive will roughly be:

Leave Edinburgh sunday aftenoon.
Arrive in London around midnight.
Have breaky on London.
Drive onto EUROSTAR and get off in either Calais, or Paris (preferred).
Depending on what time we finish in Paris, either attempt to make Barcelona in time for bed, or concede defeat and get half way there, sleep in a B and B and continue on in the morning.

All dpendent on me passing my test!

Gary

I did a three week tour round Europe in my old Punto (France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany) with Skye and it can be tough going covering large mileage. As Neil said travelling at night is a good way but can be hard going if only one driver (Good luck with test). Longest run we did was from Austria leaving about midday to Nurburg then up to Calais for the early hours of the morning. In fact was about the only time we were on European motorways during the 3 weeks. In France we had kept off motorways enroute to Switzerland. Cheaper, more scenic but SLOW.

The Calais to Paris journey is boring so probably worth getting Eurostar right to Paris. Paris can be quite a challenge to an experienced driver let alone anybody not used to driving on the continent. It was about my first time driving on the right and my biggest challenge was driving around the Arc De Truimph and getting out the other end in one piece. But after that everything else is easy.

Loads of great advice in posts so don't rush in and think about it. I planned for quite abit in adavnce and was glad I did as it turned out a great holiday and not a mile after mile slog. I have some Europe Rough Guide books you are welcome to borrow.

On costs don't forget wear and tear. When I had my Elise my tyre costs alone matched my fuel costs. Worth thinking about every time you top up with petrol

Biggest help to me was a GPS as Skye is not that good at map reading Though it was hard pushed in Paris in all the tunnels and then froze at one stage

Good luck to you and Claire.

[EliseR]

My advise would be to save the road trip for another time

Current plans if I do drive will roughly be:

Leave Edinburgh sunday aftenoon.
Arrive in London around midnight.
Have breaky on London.
Drive onto EUROSTAR and get off in either Calais, or Paris (preferred).
Depending on what time we finish in Paris, either attempt to make Barcelona in time for bed, or concede defeat and get half way there, sleep in a B and B and continue on in the morning.

All dpendent on me passing my test!

Gary

I did a three week tour round Europe in my old Punto (France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and Germany) with Skye and it can be tough going covering large mileage. As Neil said travelling at night is a good way but can be hard going if only one driver (Good luck with test). Longest run we did was from Austria leaving about midday to Nurburg then up to Calais for the early hours of the morning. In fact was about the only time we were on European motorways during the 3 weeks. In France we had kept off motorways enroute to Switzerland. Cheaper, more scenic but SLOW.

The Calais to Paris journey is boring so probably worth getting Eurostar right to Paris. Paris can be quite a challenge to an experienced driver let alone anybody not used to driving on the continent. It was about my first time driving on the right and my biggest challenge was driving around the Arc De Truimph and getting out the other end in one piece. But after that everything else is easy.

Loads of great advice in posts so don't rush in and think about it. I planned for quite abit in adavnce and was glad I did as it turned out a great holiday and not a mile after mile slog. I have some Europe Rough Guide books you are welcome to borrow.

On costs don't forget wear and tear. When I had my Elise my tyre costs alone matched my fuel costs. Worth thinking about every time you top up with petrol

Biggest help to me was a GPS as Skye is not that good at map reading Though it was hard pushed in Paris in all the tunnels and then froze at one stage

Good luck to you and Claire.

Thanks for the advice, really taking it all on board. I will wait until I pass or fail before really planning things.

G.

[campbell]

Eurostar to Paris? That means you are not taking the car after all? Only Le Shuttle transports cars to France, and it terminates at Calais (last I heard!)

[fd]

<skitzo>
The other alternative is to bite the bullet, and come down with a bang somewhere over the English channel. No ta.
</skitzo>

Unlikely . . . but . . . bang somewhere at the side of an autoroute ? . . . much more likely . . .

I've fallen asleep at the wheel when I was younger and thought I could not die . . . I was wrong . . .

Fd

[Skyenet]

I've fallen asleep at the wheel when I was younger and thought I could not die . . . I was wrong . . .

Fd

I did that during a weekend trip from Faslane to Portsmouth and back. Woke up just as an artic took the wing mirror off my hire car. Very, very, very close shave

[Edin430]

maybe a silly question but do most standard insurance policies cover travelling outside the UK?

[campbell]

maybe a silly question but do most standard insurance policies cover travelling outside the UK?

It varies. Some package it as a selling point, others you have to specifically arrange.

In all cases they usually want to know the dates you are going abroad though so be sure to advise them.