Used the Motorail earlier this year to go from Toulouse back north to Paris. After 1800 miles flying around the Pyrenees, it was the perfect way to head home instead of the ferry. If heading south to the Pyrenees, there is no better way than taking the ferry to Santander/Bilbao.
I'm looking at a Plymouth/Santander ferry trip, and it's £250 return with a cabin (£119 without, but you're on the boat for near enough 24 hours, so the cabin's pretty necessary). so it's a choice of 24 hours doing naff all, or an early morning thrashathon to Paris, cheap flight, and cocktails in Biarritz while you wait for the bike to land. No-brainer in my book, but then I have a mate who lives a hell of a lot closer to Plymouth than me...
This is my dilemma. I'm not keen on rattling round a tub for a day and night, rather be somewhere nice imbibing the local essence. But the run to Paris is far from pleasant, and always longer than you expect.
By the time you add waiting around for loading, getting to airport, flight cost and process, waiting for train for unloading, then same again back, think I'd rather pitch up on ferry, go get pissed, have some food, sleep, up and gone
There's almost no waiting with the train. You queue up, hand over your keys, that's it. The drop off times were between 9 and 5. Go to the airport (CDG and Orly are around an hour and a half from Gare du Bercy), straight through security as you only have hand luggage, hour or so on the plane, etc. You could be in Biarritz or Nice five hours after dropping the bike off, and have a relaxing evening in the sunshine drinking cocktails on the terrace. Pick up the bike next morning after a proper breakfast, get going. And no need to worry about terrifying wet metal ferry ramps or the butchers strapping your bike down on the boat. And no seasickness! I found it took me two hours from Le Havre to Gare du Bercy, and I was two up with a lot of luggage. I'd do anything to avoid the Calais - Paris run to be honest.
It's the Periferique that's the worry. Punched a few wing mirrors off the last time I had to use it...
If you board at Plymouth the crossing to Santander is a bit shorter. By the time you watch the acts in the lounge, some of which are so crap they are funny or some even quite good and had a beer, then it's time for bed. After breakfast you are almost there and by then if the suns out a trip on deck is nice. There is a cinema which has current films too. I have done the ride through France, or part way to Brittany by ferry, but the Plymouth Santander is the best. Not tried the Autotrain but riding to Paris is just a hassle for me from Devon when i can board a ferry in Plymouth so easy.
To be honest I'd be happier to ride down if it weren't for the cost of fuel and the current cost of living in France, which makes it an expensive business. And being in Surrey means I've got a long old haul just to get to Plymouth. I might suggest splitting our journeys to the other guys, and meet them in Spain. Dunno, got plenty of time to decide.
So you keep off the motorways and split it over 2 days. What's so expensive about it? The fuel isn't any worse than the UK and a bed, steak and chips isn't exactly extortionate. Can't figure out why you think that France has suddenly become Norway costwise.
Reckon be cheaper to ride. £75 tops for the tunnel, £50 for hotel, and £18 every 200 miles if its just churning them out. Aga nst c£300 ferry, £100 flight and 1 night hotel
Fuel was about 2 Euros a litre for 95 unleaded, which is more than it is here. Also, I took a pillion, and I don't think I'd have got to take the bike to Italy if I'd said we'd be riding all the way there. However, having done Riomaggiore to Nice and then Paris to Tulse Hill in successive days, maybe next year...
Er, that sounds like complete bullshit, or I'd have noticed when I rode from Switzerland to the UK a month ago. It's all much of a muchness, a few cents here or there (which fades into nothingness when you consider the cost of tyres). Fuel-prices-europe.info - Current Fuel Prices in Europe
You don't have to use the French Auto train, there are Dutch and German options which are similar distances to Paris (from Calais) but allow you to travel with your bike overnight, saving you at least the cost of a hotel plus dropping you both off in the morning somewhere more exotic. Prices are still quite high but you have the options of a lot more destinations including Italy etc. This website is great for putting all the options together in one place. Guide to Motorail trains in Europe | Taking your car by train
Everything is a bit more expensive, and it adds up. Fuel is a fair bit more expensive, and unless you eat at mcdonalds so is the food, then you have to factor in an overnight stop. I wouldn't be using the toll roads anyway so that's not an issue. Even the fags are dearer in some places Not a chance bradders. you can double that fuel bill for starters, and why would you need a flight if you're taking the ferry? £50 will get you a Formule1 cubby hole on an industrial estate at best. Last time I rode round France we were filling up every 100 miles or so, at around £17 a fill-up - it's got dearer since, and we never touched a motorway on that trip, so it wasn't all flat out. And then double everything - that £300 ferry trip is for a return journey.
Calm down Dear! That might have been in Italy. And the price thing you quote is for 95 Ron, not Super Unleaded, which I always use (but that's another debate).
