Well, the Channel Tunnel. Lets start with a bit of history here. Apparently they had been digging it or trying to for far far longer than I can remember, or even my mother who is my travelling companion. According to my mum the original idea was Napoleon's.
So, what is it?
I have had a look at the website, and read all about it and now I know more than I did just by travelling along it, so in short, Euro tunnel is a long tunnel that goes under the sea joining France to England. There are three tunnels, the English end starts in Folkestone, Kent and the other end is in Coquelles, France, that is near Calais.
I didn't know there were three tunnels, usually they only use two single track rail tunnels and the trains go in one direction only, which means you go along one tunnel on the way there and come back on the other tunnel. The third tunnel is between the two and is used if there is an emergency and everyone needs evacuating, it is also used for maintenance. There are four crossover points so that the trains can go from one rail tunnel to another while work is carried out on a section at a time. This allows an uninterrupted service, not like the ordinary trains here where they seem to close sections at the weekends mostly and ferry people to the next bit by bus.
How do you get there?
Follow the signs of course. It is signposted 50 miles away and a pretty straight-ish road, well signed and easy to follow, unless you are like me and are always in the wrong lane of the motorway as the turn off comes up with lorries either side so you can't read the signs anyway. Anyway, you need to follow the M20 from west to east
and it is really easy to find.
When you arrive?
There are tollbooths for you to show your ticket, you need to book in at least half an hour before the time of your train. Usually we get there a bit early because of leaving extra time in case of heavy traffic. If you do get there too early and there are spaces on the train you could be offered an earlier train at no extra cost which is nice. You need to show your booking ticket which has a reference number on it and the card which you used to book with. I generally use a debit card but you can book with a credit card also. Here you collect your return ticket with the time and date on it, and a letter that you hang on your driving mirror. All trains have a letter and you go down to the train itself only when your letter comes up on the screen inside the terminal building.
Then what?
You drive through customs and security. Customs barely glance at the passports most of the time but you do need to have a valid passport just in case they decide to look closely. As you drive away from the passport check you will see some customs and excise people and they pull the odd car out of the line and ask a few questions and sweep it with some sort of hand held machine. This is to check there are no drugs or explosives on board. We were security checked only once and they were very polite and it didn't take long. This is the French security, you get to go through the English ones on the French side just before you come home again.
Then?
Follow the signs that say France, park in the car park, go into the terminal and wait until your letter is called or comes up on the screen.
The terminal.
Well, it is a little like an airport terminal, there are a few duty paid shops, a few places to buy a magazine like W.H.Smiths, and a few places to have a drink and something to eat. It is lots smaller than an airport like Gatwick, and the choice is more limited. There are very good clean toilets that have little poesies of fresh flowers between the wash basins, a nice touch that.
What we do.
After a trip to the ladies, we generally go to the Pret coffee place, order a drink (mum has cappuccino, tea for me) and buy a delicious sandwich for the journey.
Watch the screens and when our letter shows, it's back to the car and drive down to the train.
This is well signposted once again, because we carry a wheelchair and have a blue disabled badge we need to follow the disabled signs, people with blue badges board the trains first. This is because in case of an emergency disabled people need to be near the front to be able to get off.
Once driven on the train you slowly drive as far as you can go, there is a person to show you how close to get to the car in front, they are pretty much packed solid and almost bumper to bumper. There are metal sliding doors that close between carriageways for the journey. The train is very long and there is an upper deck as well as a lower one, but it only seems to take just over fifteen minutes to load.
You sit there wondering if you are every going to move off, check the time, each train goes off exactly the time it says it will, and suddenly you realise that the landscape is sliding past the window and you are off. Very quickly you are in darkness, can't see a thing out of the windows, and although you hardly feel a thing you are travelling at something like 70 miles an hour. The first time it is a bit daunting suddenly realising you are under the sea!
The safety announcements come over the loudspeakers in both English and French, there are a few posters on the walls to read, and some music plays while you are travelling. Oh, and toilets if you need them. Altogether it is quite boring, not scary and the time passes quickly.
We eat our sandwich, drink our drink, check the time every so often and before we know it there is light outside the windows once again, 35 minutes later, and we are in France.
They do their safety checks and then slowly the cars start to leave the train……
And that is it!
The first time I went I was really scared, don't know why but I was, but now I have been quite a few times it is really easy and simple and as the actual journey is only 35 minutes not even time to get bored.
My opinion.
I don't much like boats, ferries or whatever, I like driving and having my car with me so I can go wherever I please, when the tunnel was first built I really wanted to travel on it. I think it is the best way to travel, no steps for my mum to struggle up or down, no where that we have to stand and wait, it is all done sitting in the comfort of your car. I absolutely love it and am still fascinated by the concept of travelling to another county under the sea with such ease. We go three or four times a year, it is mum and my special day out, it wouldn't be the same with anyone else. We have a great day and buy all sorts of fruit and cheeses and meaty things that are so much nicer and tastier than we can buy in England. We look forward to going and talk about it after we have got home. Whoever was the mind behind that tunnel has my thanks because it has allowed us to do this.
Apparently the people who own/run the channel tunnel are in financial difficulties, I just hope they don't price it out of the market, there is only the one and it would be a shame if it became too expensive for ordinary people like us to use.
An afternoon trip costs £29.00 that is car and however many people it holds. A day trip after 12 noon cost £34.00 as above A whole day is more leaving before noon, but I have never left that early. We leave home at 9.30am to get on the 12.15pm train and that suits us. There are different prices for single trips.
I can't comment on the toilets on the train because I have never needed to use them. They are located near the stairs.
There is a lot of information and booking form on the website: www.eurotunnel.com
I have regular emails from them after booking the first time with special offers. There is a travellers club that you can join and get slightly discounted prices but I think it would only be worth joining if you go more often than I do.
You need to book at least one day in advance and there are several different options, with insurance, without, etc.
What you need!
Your passport, your driving licence, your car insurance (check if you are covered for European trips) A first aid kit and one of those kits that has a red triangle and torch and stuff in case you break down.
A tip, don't break the French speed limit, otherwise it will ruin your day, I don't because I have heard horror stories.
But, this review is about the tunnel itself, so thanks for reading and I hope it helps someone to decide to travel this easy way.
Sue:o)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Excellent review. I've used it a few times and agree on all the points you made. I found the toilets were clean and well maintained. Congratulations on the Diamond.
docpov 09.09.2005 19:26
Well worth a diamond, loads of info there, nice one.
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Advantages: Could be good value, frequent, simple to book and travel, comfortable, fast Disadvantages: Price strategy, the unnecessary waits, the width for some vehicles, no scenery, nothing to do on the train
Advantages: Could be good value, frequent, simple to book and travel, comfortable, fast Disadvantages: Price strategy, the unnecessary waits, the width for some vehicles, no scenery, nothing to do on the train
May 31st, 2005
(Jun 30th, 2005)
exceptional by (13%):
very helpful by (85%):
helpful by (2%):
