collection mission to SPAIN!!!! COMPLETED IT M8

[Frogchod]

Here in Frogshire rego docs must be with you. 

I've gotten away with photocopies. 

Still remember Les flicks being mildly miffed when they asked for rego and insurance and I just pointed at my C6 which happened to be in flames at the time 🥴

 

[EyesWeldedShut]

1 hour ago, dollywobbler said:

Oh. I've never once taken my V5 anywhere. Oops.

Taken a copy of mine most times, never been asked for it, ever. Ditto insurance (green card too - remember those?)
Modern times it's all first aid kits, reflective jackets, Crit Air stickers, blah blah - it's like Hilary setting up base camp just getting to Calais.
 

[barefoot]

7 hours ago, warren t claim said:

Isn't getting fucked senseless the whole idea of going to Cap D'Agde in the first place?

This was back in the last century before the intergoogle became all powerfull. We didn't know what we were getting into. 

[jim89]

6 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Taken a copy of mine most times, never been asked for it, ever. Ditto insurance (green card too - remember those?)
Modern times it's all first aid kits, reflective jackets, Crit Air stickers, blah blah - it's like Hilary setting up base camp just getting to Calais.
 

Les fruits de low hangment...

[jim89]

4 minutes ago, barefoot said:

This was back in the last century before the intergoogle became all powerfull. We didn't know what we were getting into. 

Innocent naturists eh

Barefoot by name, bare arse by nature?

😉😉

[scdan4]

9 hours ago, 2flags said:

I know when I look at bikes on ebay there are always loads that are USA imports. They say the nova thing is done and you can register it for £55. I always think 'why don't they just do it and save other the hassle?' Is it just another way of saving themselves £55? 

I think they need to be presented for (a successful ) mot as part of the registration process . 

[Dave_Q]

If over 40 years old no MOT required.

If the bike or car has a NOVA it's generally very easy to register, maybe people assume that a buyer would like to be the first UK owner rather than the importer registering it and adding a name to the logbook?

[lesapandre]

Coming back watch out for the weather - those wipers may need lots use - weather in France has been v. wet.

If you are coming back through Dover around the May bank holiday  - there is likely queues in Calais - or use the port at night.

Myself I'd stick to the autoroutes given your limited time - using the D roads is nice but often very slow.

Trip sounds very do-able. Just choose which detours to leave out if behind time.

There are lots of nice cars out there not available in the UK... so any extra trouble is well worth the roadtrip.

🍀 Good luck.

[Stinkwheel]

On 01/05/2024 at 10:04, scdan4 said:

I think they need to be presented for (a successful ) mot as part of the registration process . 

Only if they need an MOT and arent 'Vehicle of Historic Interest' exempt (or that was the case when i did my Visa anyway - Citroen Variety, not travel)

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Thanks LeSap. I havent booked it yet but I think I am gonna splurge TEH BIG D0LLAR$ on a channel tunnel crossing, I looked yesterday and it was £155 (or £185 if you want it refundable, which might be prudent) I feel like I am gonna be under serious time pressure on the Sunday so the speed element is probably worth paying for... plus they're pretty casual about letting you on earlier or later trains if you get a bit ahead of or behind schedule. I'm sure by the time I get to Calais I'll be dreaming of my flipping bed already despite only being halfway home at that point!!!!!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I had a mild panic about travelling around without a Crit'Air Eco sticker but it seems that classic cars are exempt from the scheme so I can drive through Rouen with a clear conscience thankfully

[lesapandre]

32 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

Thanks LeSap. I havent booked it yet but I think I am gonna splurge TEH BIG D0LLAR$ on a channel tunnel crossing, I looked yesterday and it was £155 (or £185 if you want it refundable, which might be prudent) I feel like I am gonna be under serious time pressure on the Sunday so the speed element is probably worth paying for... plus they're pretty casual about letting you on earlier or later trains if you get a bit ahead of or behind schedule. I'm sure by the time I get to Calais I'll be dreaming of my flipping bed already despite only being halfway home at that point!!!!!

I'd try for whatever flexible ticket they do to give yourself a bit of flexibility on the eta.

If you can pack a sleeping bag on the way out even better for a kip if needed.

[lesapandre]

26 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

I had a mild panic about travelling around without a Crit'Air Eco sticker but it seems that classic cars are exempt from the scheme so I can drive through Rouen with a clear conscience thankfully

The Rouen ring road up to the tunnel is not inside the Crit'Air boundary - but like you say all 'black plate' cars exempt anyway.

[Sigmund Fraud]

1 hour ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

I havent booked it yet but I think I am gonna splurge TEH BIG D0LLAR$ on a channel tunnel crossing,

I should mention that the last four times I used Le Shuttle (two of which during the recent easter holiday) there was a two-hour delay and total chaos. It felt like they had only started running their service the week before, not in bloody 1994.

Needless to say, it  completely defeated the point of paying £££ extra compared to ferry crossing, and it convinced me to use the ferry next time.

[stephen01]

14 minutes ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

I should mention that the last four times I used Le Shuttle (two of which during the recent easter holiday) there was a two-hour delay and total chaos. It felt like they had only started running their service the week before, not in bloody 1994.

Needless to say, it  completely defeated the point of paying £££ extra compared to ferry crossing, and it convinced me to use the ferry next time.

It's been shite for a couple of years now, last year it took us well over two hours to get on the train - getting through security on the french side was an utter joke. We were early for our 8 am crossing, which had come and gone before we were even through passport checks. It is also becoming very expensive  - our summer crossing is close to £400. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

53 minutes ago, Sigmund Fraud said:

I should mention that the last four times I used Le Shuttle (two of which during the recent easter holiday) there was a two-hour delay and total chaos. It felt like they had only started running their service the week before, not in bloody 1994.

Needless to say, it  completely defeated the point of paying £££ extra compared to ferry crossing, and it convinced me to use the ferry next time.

good intel. I did wonder about the ferry and whether maybe a couple of hours of chilling and a plate of expensive fried food might be a good input into the equation.

[Dave_Q]

Swings and roundabouts on the tunnel, we have had some OK trips through in the last couple of years but also some long waits, both sides. 

Depends a bit on how busy it is I reckon.

[lesapandre]

47 minutes ago, stephen01 said:

It's been shite for a couple of years now, last year it took us well over two hours to get on the train - getting through security on the french side was an utter joke. We were early for our 8 am crossing, which had come and gone before we were even through passport checks. It is also becoming very expensive  - our summer crossing is close to £400. 

That is partly the price of diesel and the cost uncertainty on the futures market given what's happening in the world meaning that all the prices have been bumped up across the board.

Calais port has been completely rebuilt but does still bottleneck at the peak holiday times. It's best to go through at night if possible. The juxtaposition of the immigration arrangements doesn't help - there are also the security checks. But it is what it is - a slightly tense international boundary with a sea crossing involved too.

It's swings and roundabouts as has been said - but the ferry's are still cheaper but more vulnerable to delay.

Plan accordingly. I always take food, drink, bedding and internet, fuel topped up etc enough for a 24hr wait. Some people turn up unprepared which is difficult for them.

[N Dentressangle]

24 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

good intel. I did wonder about the ferry and whether maybe a couple of hours of chilling and a plate of expensive fried food might be a good input into the equation.

A sit down and a cup of coffee and something to eat might be very welcome.

I like the speed of the tunnel, but tbh the ferry trip is usually a welcome break from driving and over quite quickly.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

26 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

 

Plan accordingly. I always take food, drink, bedding and internet, fuel topped up etc enough for a 24hr wait. Some people turn up unprepared which is difficult for them.

24 hours worth of food and bedding is taking it seriously!!!! You're clearly a man who understands the true value of 'soverintee' and can plan accordingly.

[lesapandre]

Just long experience - and of european road tripping. I like to be like Richard Hannay* - one step ahead of my pursuers...

These road trips test our ingenuity and resolve. Made an extension tank cap out of an old hot water bottle,  fixed an exhaust with parts from an old cooker and ordered a new exhaust from LeBonCoin while en route. This week I've changed an alternator belt at the side of the road...😂

* John Buchan literary character.

Have fun!

[loserone]

We've had no trouble getting cheap motels I'm the wee small hours

[dean36014]

Last year I booked tickets to see a band in Rouen. Now when my late partner was alive I did many drives to  Versailles in my bx. So I confidently booked a room in a hotel in Rouen for 4 nights and headed over in the c15 van. Imagine my surprise to discover that there was now a low emission zone in Rouen and my van wasn't compliant, not did I have a sticker to display in the windscreen. So I had to dump the van a 2km walk away from the hotel and I'm partially disabled. I subsequently discovered that a, if I'd had a sticker I could have used an exemption by displaying my disabled badge, and b, at the time they hadn't yet put the cameras up to enforce it. I recovered the van the next day and dumped it in the underground hotel carpark. Band was great though, got to be an aging rocker again and saw Ghost( the band , not the film).

[loserone]

I discovered a week into our last trip at Christmas that Toulon had installed the cameras.  Ordered the vignette and it was activated immediately and arrived home within a few weeks

[Rust Collector]

If you decide to come back through Newhaven and need a safe place to abandon your vehicle/rest/repair/cry then my gaff is 3 miles down the road. The ferry crossing from Dieppe is a bit shit at 4 and a bit hours though.

[jim89]

1 hour ago, loserone said:

We've had no trouble getting cheap motels I'm the wee small hours

You sound like the gendarme from allo allo 😅 crabtree?

[dean36014]

19 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

If you decide to come back through Newhaven and need a safe place to abandon your vehicle/rest/repair/cry then my gaff is 3 miles down the road. The ferry crossing from Dieppe is a bit shit at 4 and a bit hours though.

If you get a daytime crossing you can normally book a cabin for an extra 20 quid. Great for a midday nap.

[Surface Rust]

I've been thinking about what other essential tools you might need, and I think you'd better  take a genuine Simca feeler gauge, used to set the valve clearances on these in the factory and fortunately still available;

[Sigmund Fraud]

23 minutes ago, Surface Rust said:

I've been thinking about what other essential tools you might need, and I think you'd better  take a genuine Simca feeler gauge, used to set the valve clearances on these in the factory and fortunately still available;

A tappy valve is a happy valve, n'est-ce pas ?

[egg]

If I awake and hear a tapping in the night I'll know it's Mr B passing 20 miles away up the A2.

All these warnings about emission zones and paperwork make me think I'll happily just jump on a Eurostar instead, except they don't bloody go from Ashford any more :-(.