anyone driven to Mont-Blanc?

[dugcati]

Am looking at a 3-4 day drive snowboard job with some friends but cant figure out how long it's likely to take - Google is quoting 12 hours.. anyone done it faster/longer etc?

[ringo]

Took me 12 hours from Calais in the van. I was on my own so had plenty of breaks.

Years ago I did it 7 hours. I wasn't driving but it wasn't legal.

Take a load of friends to split the cost of the tolls!

Ringo

[custard]

If using the Motorway network in a decent Van and travelling at night (no traffic and cheaper) It takes 4 Hours Derby - Dover, Calais - Reims 3.5 hours, Reims - Dejion - Macon 3 Hours, Macon - Mont Blanc Tunnel 2 Hours.
I have not done this trip in a couple of years so I might be a bit out, but not too much I hope
Have a good trip!

[toomanytoys]

900kms.. in a t25 (2l air cooled???) yeah.. 12 hours is prob about right..

I used to do 850km in my Audi 100 2.2 sitting at 120 (holland/belgium) to 140kmh (france) wherever poss from mid east Holland to central France in 8 hours.. non stop.... and I mean NON STOP apart from toll booths... 1 tank of petrol... (big tank)

ave speed of just over 66 miles an hour..... mostly motoryway (Apart fom Paris and the last hours drive) and late at night... which is pretty good going to be fair..

[Peninsulakid]

Done it a few times in a car. All timings go to pot if you hit local weekend or especially holiday traffic!! would be a good idea to check out French term times before you leave and avoid Friday evenings full stop for any time once you leave main autoroute. Especially from Annecy onwards.

[toomanytoys]

If using the Motorway network in a decent Van and travelling at night (no traffic and cheaper) It takes 4 Hours Derby - Dover, Calais - Reims 3.5 hours, Reims - Dejion - Macon 3 Hours, Macon - Mont Blanc Tunnel 2 Hours.
I have not done this trip in a couple of years so I might be a bit out, but not too much I hope
Have a good trip!

well if its really 900km (to Chamonix, say) then a van would have to traveling at some cracking speeds to do that at 66mph average... either that or its not as far as google maps reckons....

Google map says 8 hours... yeah right.. you try and average 70mph on any trip like that... you would need a very fast car and lots of luck.... but then I aint lucky....

[Simon Baxter]

I've driven there and back a couple of times.
First time we went scenic and cheap, no toll roads, took 2 full days, fairly tiring.

Second time we did toll roads, just as scenic but without the traffic, can't remember outbound and how long it took, but we did stop overnight in a petrol station somewhere.

Return the second time we set off at 9am prompt from the guile in Chamonix, took a lap of honour around the town and set off down the "Autoroute Blanch", and at 7pm I was nodding off so we stopped at Fleet services down south somewhere, so thats 10 hours inc tunnel crossing and getting around M25 and out again Devon bound.
We did that in a T3 but it was a mTDI so it used no fuel and sat at 70 up hill and down dale, oh we even had a little breakdown in there as well as the dodgy French fuel was full of water and it filled the water trap up in my fuel filter.

It's do-able but I would want to be somewhere south of the M25 to set off from, so for me that would mean an extra night somewhere.

Cor, I remember setting of the first time, We set off from Huddersfield at 6am into thick fog and then down the M1 in a 1.6TD panel van loaded to the hilt, I think we make Folkestone in a shade over 4 hours, sh!tting ourselves thinking we were going to miss our tunnel crossing, we p!ssed it and had to sit about for a little while.
Drove all day and I think we stopped in Chalons en Champagne or something in like a truck stop at 8pm, sat and had a beer, then slept like a baby!

My advise, pay the tolls and think about it later, it did add quite an alarming amount to the cost but having done both ways, tolls and no tolls I would deffo pay the tolls.
I also remember having to make a swift exit from a French supermarket once as I went for a turf out and blocked the bog and water started pouring over the top of the bog

[dugcati]

Cheers folks...

* We're going in a nice big 90 mph all day long converted merc sprinter so the speed thing is no issue provided the roads are all OK
* There is going to be around 4 of us so the plan is to keep the van moving at all times


I can't work out whether to go overnight from Hull to Rotterdam or use the Chunnel - price wise it seems much the same but nicer to start the big drive already in the continent

[dugcati]

I've not looked yet but any idea on the toll costs?

[oorwullie]

90mph all day ? you'll be nicked before ye get very far.

[ringo]

I've not looked yet but any idea on the toll costs?

I'd say budget £90-£120 each way.

Cant be more specific but its defo in that ballpark now the euro's nearly a pound...

Ringo.

Split between 4 thats well worth it though.

I'd do the Chunnel every time - it cuts your journey time down by a couple of hours....

Ringo

[ringo]

First time we went scenic and cheap, no toll roads, took 2 full days, fairly tiring.

I have to agree. This year in France we had this romantic notion of not using any Tolls. It was fine for the missus who read a book a day - but after 1600 miles i threw my toys out the pram and we did the south west of France to Calais on the toll. Cost £80 but it saved so much time. It probably saved £40 of fuel too.

Ringo

[jamesc76]

90mph all day ? you'll be nicked before ye get very far.

Dont the french toll roads time you through each section and do you for speeding??? Last time I went that way was in a 44 ton artic so couldnt go over 56mph!

[Titus A Duxass]

90mph all day ? you'll be nicked before ye get very far.

Dont the french toll roads time you through each section and do you for speeding??? Last time I went that way was in a 44 ton artic so couldnt go over 56mph!

Yes they do and it can be very expensive.

[corkyboy76]

I also remember having to make a swift exit from a French supermarket once as I went for a turf out and blocked the bog and water started pouring over the top of the bog

so that's what you mean by brickwerks.


interesting post though. giving a serious breakdown on our dream trips.