French Experience 2013

This story happened on: 08/08/2013

Day 1

Luckily we always allow a day to get to Folkestone, you never know what will happen! This year is pretty typical. Yesterday sitting eating my lunch I thought "what's this hard lump in my sandwich?" Yes folks one of my front crowns had come off. So instead of packing the van ready to leave started the day with a visit to the dentist. Good news, he could fit it back on. Bad news, I need to go and see him on my return from hols to discuss replacing both front crowns as they badly need replacing. Things just don't last do they, I've only had them for forty years!
Fetch the caravan from storage and start loading. Stop for lunch, carry on loading. Ready to leave by 1:30pm pretty good. Head up to junction1 of the M6 so we can get onto the M1, overhead signs inform me 'accident M1 jct6 traffic delays from jct10'. Just what we need. OK onto the A14 then M11. Everything running smoothly and making good time. Reach the M11 and the overhead signs are telling me 'delays M20 jct4 to jct6 due to accident'. OK carry on, there is always the M2. As we reach the M25 signs are telling us 'M25 jct29 to jct1A long delays'. Looks like the usual problems at the Dartford crossing. Not joking took us nearly an hour to get to and cross the Queen Elizabeth bridge. Whilst we're queuing the overhead signs inform us that 'M20 jct4 to jct6 is closed'. Can this really get any worse? Yes it can. There has now been an accident on the A2approach to the M2 so the traffic problems are increasing. Just as I'm starting to think we need to sprout wings to reach Folkestone the signs inform us that the M20 is now passable but slow. By the time we reach the offending junction there is no delay and nothing to show there was ever any problem. A short time later we reach our CL at Postling. An excellent site on a sheep farm only ten minutes from the check-in at Eurotunnel. If you need to count sheep to get to sleep this is a site for ewe, the adjacent fields are all full of them.
 

paul56 commented on 09/08/2013 15:57

Commented on 09/08/2013 15:57

This story adds further weight to the argument that it is better to travel down to the ports the day before travel. Nothing like a bit of stress as the planned departure time gets closer....

Dave commented on 09/08/2013 16:31

Commented on 09/08/2013 16:31

Dave remind me never ever to convoy with you!  At least you made it safely

 

that's nothing compared to a trip to Switzerland with some friends, we got cut off from our caravans for three days by floods and landslides. spent those days ina hotel half way up a mountain waiting for the rain to stop and some roads to be cleared.

Dave

Woman sitting in camping chair by Wastwater in the Lake District with her two dogs and picnic blanket

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