So I’m going to Germany, what is the best way to get there? Well I needed to carry quite a lot of bits and pieces with me, I am working is a long way from an airport, so the best option is to take the car.
** What is it **
Eurotunnel is the channel tunnel crossing. It is a train which runs from just outside Folkestone in Kent, to just outside Coquelles, just outside Calais in France. The train is basically a car and lorry transporter. You drive on in England, and drive off in France (or vice versa) sounds so simple!!
There are two types of trains, one to take the lorries, and one to take the cars. The lorries have their own loading area, so there will be no other detail for truckers in this op.
** What is it not **
It is NOT Eurostar!! A lot of people seem to get the two confused. Eurostar is the passenger only service which runs from London or Ashstead to either Paris or Brussels. Yes Eurostar uses the Channel Tunnel, but it doesn’t allow you to out a car on it!!
** How do you get a ticket **
There are several ways to get a ticket, I always get mine on line at www.eurotunnel.com you can ring up, or you can get a ticket through a travel agent. There are many different price structures, which can make things a tad confusing! So the trip I’m on bought a flexible long stay, which basically allows me to pick a travel time and day outbound and inbound. This is just a guide time, as you can roll up before your allotted time, and make the crossing. I generally get the 08:30 Sunday crossing and the 20:45 Friday crossing (but I always seem to get to the return crossing about 2 hours earlier)
A long stay ticket will cost you about £300, which is for a car, and occupants, so I guess if there are four of you it would work out to be very cheap.
I have bought a “short stay ticket” which is for 4 days, which cost about £150, which again could be good value for money.
I have taken a truck across before, but that was about 4 years ago, and I really can’t remember how much it cost.
They also do deals, so you would be best to check prices, for when you want to travel. They also give discounts if you travel off peak.
** How do you get there **
To get to Eurotunnel, you basically drive down the M20 in Kent, and follow the signs. It is extremely well signposted, there are Blue motorway signs every few miles, telling you how far to go, for either the ferries, or the tunnel. You get off the motorway at junction 11A.
If the French decide to blockade the tunnel, or prevent lorries from entering, you will find massive queues of lorries on the approaches to the tunnel. Kent police have all this in hand when they mount operation “Safe Stacker” which allows them to park up on the approaches. I’ve only seen this once, and the queue is miles long !!! For normal car traffic the only effect is that you might have to travel a little slower to get to the check-in.
** The English Side **
The way the motorway system has been designed, it filters you straight to the terminal. You pull up to a ticket kiosk, and had over your details (I always print out my confirmation, and give that to the person in the ticket booth) They then ask for your credit card (this is to check) You do need to show the same credit card that you made your booking with, otherwise there may be delays. They also give you your return ticket at this time.
You are asked if you are carrying gas or explosives, or if your car is LPG, They do not allow these to be transported through the tunnel (just in case!)
Once you have checked in, you are given a boarding time, and a tag with a letter to hang from your rear view mirror.
From here you can proceed to the terminal building, where you can park until your boarding is called.
** The Terminal Building **
This is a good place to stop, use the loo before your trip, get currency (there is a Travelex there).
When I have been there the inside is always spotless.
You can get “duty free” goods here. As I don’t drink spirits or smoke, I never go there, so I’m not sure if the prices are good!
There is a branch of WH Smith, so you can stock up on magazines or newspapers for the journey.
There are a few other shops there, such as Dixons, again I don’t really go there.
There is a food court, where you can get all sorts of things. I just use Prêt a Manger, to get tea and croissants for the crossing. 1 tea and 1 croissant was £2, so that isn’t too bad!
There are plenty of Eurotunnel staff around, to help you, especially at the help desk.. There are also a number of screens displaying the train times, and if they are boarding or not.
** Getting on the Train **
So my boarding time is called – off I drive. There are lots of Eurotunnel people there to guide you in the correct direction.
First off you pass immigration and customs for the UK. I have never been stopped; in fact I have never had to show my passport!! I have seen a number of cars stopped, and taken to a search bay, but I’m not sure what goes on there!!
You then pass through French customs, again I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone there!!
You then drive to a holding area, where you wait for your train. There are a number of lanes for you to wait in, to which you are guided to by the staff. Then it is time to board. Off you go, you follow the signs, and eventually you drive down a ramp onto the platform. The staff are there to guide you to the train. At this point you have to turn off your headlights (it might set off the fire alarms) That got me thinking, what about the brake lights then?
You drive down the inside of the train, until you are told to park by the Eurotunnel staff. Then you have to leave windows half open, car in gear, handbrake on, and engine off. These are safety features. The bulkhead doors for each compartment are then shut, so you now have a sealed unit with 5 or 6 cars in it. There are doors so you can walk up and down the train.
** The train ride **
The train is 32 carriages long, and double decked, there are also areas where coaches are loaded on. Once everybody is shut in, were are almost ready to go!! First thing there are some safety announcements, explaining the alarms and what they mean.
No flash photography, it might set the alarms off!!
On the train, there are lots of safety notices about what to do in case of….. It is well worth you while to read these. There are lots of signs pointing the way to emergency exits!
Each carriage has cameras in, so they can keep a safety check on everything.
The Eurotunnel staff walk up and down the train on a frequent basis. On this trip she stopped to talk to me! It seems that many people had asked for on-train catering, so as an experiment they have a man in a van selling hot rolls and coffee. I went along just to see. Bacon roll costs £2.80
The train pulls off very smoothly, and seems to glide. Soon you are entering the tunnel. I generally walk about rather than sit in the car.
If you need the loo, they are generally situated in every third carriage.
30 minutes later you are in France, the train is slowing down, so you get in your car ready to drive off.
When the train is slowing down, it runs in a massive loop to get to the platform area. During this part of the journey, you suddenly realise the scale of the Eurotunnel operation.
** Getting off the train **
The train stops, the doors open, and off you go. The way the site has been designed, you really don’t have to worry about driving on the “wrong side of the road” as you filtered onto a dual carriageway, you then just find the sign pointing to where you want to go. (I would recommend doing some planning before your trip, so you have some idea about where you need to go)
** The French Side **
To get to the tunnel, you basically follow the signs which say “Tunnel sous la manche”
Once there, the procedure is much the same as on the UK side. You show your return ticket, and they let you in, if you have the flexible ticket as I do, they get you on the next available train.
From there you can park up at the terminal buildings, use the loo, get something to eat and drink, and go to the duty free. I think most people actually go to the Hypermarkets dotted around the area, I couldn’t say which was the best value, as I don’t use them.
Prices for food seem to be quite reasonable, baguette and coke for about 5 Euros.
They have a tannoy system, and video screens to tell you when to board the train.
The boarding process is identical to that in the UK.
When you get to the UK, the road system filters you straight onto the M20
** Contact them **
www.eurotunnel.com
Eurotunnel Call Centre (For travel information) St Martin's Plain Cheriton Folkestone Kent CT 19 4QD Tel : 08705 35 35 35
REMEMBER – If you go you do need your passport. Also there are several things you require for your car. Spare lamps, warning triangle, and headlamp deflectors.
Eurotunnel run a member scheme called "points plus" they are ending this in January, so if you do have points, use them up otherwise you might loose them.
11/2/05 I have just used this crossing, and can tell you that since the "points plus" scheme has been stopped, teh price of a flexible return is now below £200.
Thanks for reading this, hope it was useful.
Larry
More details
Speed of trains
Fast
Safety of trains
Very safe
How extensive is their Rail Network?
Not very extensive
How well does it cater for disabled people?
Satisfactorily
Ticketing System
Excellent
Value for Money
Excellent
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