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Euro road trip 2018

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6.4K views 42 replies 8 participants last post by  tmonkeyuk  
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#1 ·
So my road trip has finally kicked off - 15 days, 9 countries and almost 3k miles. Well that's the plan if we make it all the way!

Day1

Home -> Dunkirk, France

Nothing too much to report from day 1. Set off around 9am for the Eurotunnel and apart from some congestion on the M25 it was fairly smooth sailing. Short hop the other end from the train to Dunkirk. Couldn't check in to the hotel till 6pm so went down to the eastern end of the town and then walked along the beech to look at some of the remnants of the German coastal defences from WW2.

It was raining when we 1st set off but gradually improved enough for us to drop the lid by the time we got to the train so managed to get the wind in our hair for a bit in France.

I did start throwing tantrums this morning when I was fighting to get everything in the boot whilst still being able to access what we need with the cover down. It was quite the puzzle but eventually managed to get it figured out - just got to do it all again for the next 14 mornings now!
 
#2 ·
Good on you :tu:

For interest sake, what is your country/day schedule? We did a 3 wk 10 country (or was it 11 ? :wink: ) escorted bus trip and it was way too much to cover. Just sayin'.
 
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#5 ·
Day 2

Dunkirk, France -> Rollegem, Belgium

Started the day with a visit to the Leffrinckouche Bunkers / Fort des Dunes on the edge of Dunkirk. We then headed off into Belgium to visit the WW1 cemetery at Tyne Cot and then the short hop to Hill 60 and the Caterpillar.

Again it's been a steady day on the road with no issues to report apart from the weather. Grey, with a few spots of rain, first thing and although it brightened slightly throughout the day there were always a few threatening clouds around. Managed to get the roof down though for the last 20 miles heading to tonight's hotel.

Only 72 miles covered today but from tomorrow the mileage ramps up!
 
#6 ·
Nice route. Some Ardennen, some Alps, the Côte d'Azur and a part of the Pyrenees. Enjoy! Hope the weather gets better.
 
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#8 ·
Day3 - having to do this from my mobile as the internet connection in tonight's stop is so poor!

Rollergem to Bastogne - 167 miles

Had to keep the lid up all day as it kept raining on and off. The aircon in my car needs a kick, got well stuffy this afternoon and turning the temperature down and fan up did very little. In fact the fan is getting a little noisy. I only replaced it last year so will check it out after the trip.

Apart from that it was another good day. Proved Len's comment above about the SLK being quicker and more manouverable than a bus! Think I've probably been on Belgium's twistiest road today. Nice gentle warm up for the Alps.

Took a detour past the European Space Agency communications center to look at the satellite dishes. Then went through Rocogne, Foy and via the Peace Woods to Bastogne to observe many of the WW2 memorials.

No offense to any of our Belgian members but the state of your roads is terrible. No major potholes that will rip an axle off like the UK but if something doesn't fall off before we leave the country tomorrow I'll be amazed.

Fingers crossed we see some sun tomorrow!
 
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#13 ·
Thanks! Stopping in Cannes Saturday night. All sorted route wise etc. and schedule is pretty tight. If your around though and we happen to say hello that would be great. Leave it with me for a day or two so I can see how we're going.
 
#10 ·
Looks fantastic, I hope the weather is good to you.
An idea for boot packing, take a photo of the boot contents when packed. Then just copy it every day.
Enjoy the trip and don't forget to stop now and again.
 
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#11 ·
Sounds a great trip & certainly putting in some miles...!!

tmonkeyuk said:
I did start throwing tantrums this morning when I was fighting to get everything in the boot whilst still being able to access what we need with the cover down. It was quite the puzzle but eventually managed to get it figured out - just got to do it all again for the next 14 mornings now!
Click to expand...
Packing one's SLK on a Euro Road Trip is art form - but helps if You have two suitcases of the correct size:
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.....and yes, the roof still goes down:
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tmonkeyuk said:
Day3.
No offense to any of our Belgian members but the state of your roads is terrible. No major potholes that will rip an axle off like the UK but if something doesn't fall off before we leave the country tomorrow I'll be amazed.
Click to expand...
Once You cross onto the French roads, the 18" wheels with rubber bands for tyres that the Germans like putting on there cars make sense... :tu:

Look forward to more Road Trip Report & feel to post some pictures...

Trev'
 

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#12 ·
Great road trip description! We're looking at a "War Memorial" trip down the road "escorted" unfortunately but still, it's on my bucket list.

BTW, gotta have some pics ?
 
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#14 ·
Day 4 - Bastogne, Belgium to Domremy-la-Pucelle, France. 177 miles.

Had an issue with last night's accomodation. Pam took a shower but it wasn't draining and started flooding the room! All sorted for us though and they gave us free breakfast to apologize so all good.

Spent the morning at the Bastogne War Museum. Only planned to be there for an hour but ended up.staying 3 it was that good. Decided to grab some lunch there as well before heading off.

Apart from a quick 10 minute stop we did today's drive in one hit. Took the scenic route via Luxembourg. A couple of nice twisty back roads enroute, empty with open views, which allowed for a little apex to apex hooliganism. Weather was a bit hit and miss when we set off but dropped the roof anyway and was able to keep it down all the way.

Apologies for the lack of pictures so far. Another night with poor internet but I will put some up when I get chance. I've been videoing the whole drive so fingers crossed there's some nice footage but considering the roads it might just be a blur lol.

BTW - got the boot packing down to a fine art now!
 
#15 ·
Looking forward to your overall view of this trip.


Your route is frighteningly close to the route we had pencilled in for this summer and had to postpone.


From what you've already said I may think twice about Belgium (those roads would be very bad for Deb with that level of vibration).


Maybe kick for Holland, or even add some Scandinavian miles.
 
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#19 ·
TBH the roads have been hit and miss everywhere. Doesn't help that we're taking the proper scenic route in places.

There's been the odd jolt Pam has complained about but her physical ailments have suffered more due to the places we've visited than the roads.

Time will tell how much she suffers come the end of the trip. Might even be worth her and Deb having a catch up at the end of it.
 
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#18 ·
Day 5 - Domremy-la-Pucelle, France to Montreux, Switzerland, 207 miles.

Toughest day so far! Weather has been scorchio so the tops been down all day!

Started the day with a quick stop at the birthplace of Joan of Arc a stone's throw from where we stayed last night. From there we had the journey pretty much split in 2. First run was to the Citadel de Besancon. Rather than just stop somewhere random I'd decided we might as well take in some culture on what was essentially a day focused on relocating ready for the Alps run. Roads were empty for the most part so made good 'progress'. Citadel really wasn't worth the effort of looping through the narrow streets of Besancon for.

After lunch we pushed on towards Switzerland as the roads got increasingly busy. Our route has been planned to stay away from motorways and take in the sights but we got more than we bargained for. Due to roadworks and congestion the satnav took us from the scenic route to 'off the beaten track'. Some spectacular views and a proper warm-up for tomorrow! The last 20 miles took almost 90 minutes as we battled serious congestion through Lausanne and Montreux and at the end we were glad to call it a day.

Again apologies for no photos. The late arrival at tonight's hotel and Pam's laptop deciding to do a Windows update means I'm once again resorting to the mobile to write this update whilst the laptop is flat out backing up the footage from the cameras.

Actually got another SLK on video today, only the 2nd one I've seen since leaving England. At 2 of our overnight stops so far the owners have been really impressed with it. The chap from last night said he'd never seen one before but was really taken with it!
 
#21 ·
Chateau De Chillon just along the road from Montreux to Villeneuve is well worth a visit of you have time tomorrow. Great views along Lac Leman if the day is clear.
 
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#22 ·
Spotted it when I was doing the planning but had already decided to skip it due to time constraints. We ended up being an hour ahead of schedule come the end of the day so could have visited after all! Pam is starting to suffer (due to existing ailments) with the walking and steps at our stops so maybe for the best on this occasion.
 
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#24 ·
Day 6 - Montreux, Switzerland to Torino, Italy, 175 miles.

Well it's been another scorching day with the top remaining firmly in the boot. The whole day has been one long blast of scenic glory, the highlight of course being the run along the Great St Bernard pass. Just after we reached the top there was a significant amount of snow that fell down the hillside and needed the next few cars to push their way through it to clear the road again.

The views have been spectacular - the mountains, waterfalls, rivers running alongside the road, a helicopter swooping in from nowhere and landing in a field by the road as we drove past etc., etc., etc.

The actual run through the pass took much less time than I thought and seemed to be over in a flash. Pam got a bit scared in a few places but I swear I was taking it really easy. Plenty of playing around with the gearbox to switch it between lockdown in 2nd and 3rd during the decent. Took a wrong turning in an Italian town at one point and the satnav ended up directing me through a maze of very narrow 1 in 5 gradient streets to get me back on track. Luckily nobody was coming the other way but I still threw a tantrum like a 2 year old when we kept getting sent down road after road round and round in circles :laugh:

Stopped off in Italy in the afternoon to get an ice cream at a proper ice cream cafe - yummy! Tonight we're staying in a converted castle which itself has great views but they kind of pale after what we've seen all day.

Oh, did I mention the views! I'd thoroughly recommend doing today's run to anyone who's considered it. Only thing I would say though is do it with someone else - so that once you've done it you can do it all again, but this time with them driving whilst you get to admire the view!
 

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#26 ·
Day 7 - Torino to Imperia, Italy, 117 miles

A nice steady day today planned in to recharge our batteries a little and get us down to the coast whilst still taking in some great views.

Today's route included some picturesque sections crossing back and forth over a spectacular river flow, a series of tunnel sections that were just crying out for playing with the loud pedal and a slight climb followed by a proper descent that was more twisty than the Alps yesterday and had the additional challenge of meeting arctics (trucks / HGV's / lorries / 18 wheelers) coming the other way. Pam took a few deep breathes on the way down :laugh:

The weather was kind again so the lid stayed down all day. One of the highlights of the day was that at the highest point we were actually running parallel to a storm that was raining only a 100 metres or so to the side of us and we were only just below the cloud line of it and yet, despite looking threatening, we got away with it. To be honest, the drop in temperature that occurred with that section was a welcome respite whilst it lasted.

I have picked up me first driving injuries though. Both elbows (but more so the right one) have got sore and started to blister from where I'm resting them on the centre console and door! Such hardships :wink:
 
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#28 ·
Day 8 - Imperia, Italy to Cannes, France, 77 miles

Back to doing the update on the phone again!

Shortest day distance wise but far from it time behind the wheel wise. Driving through this sort of area on a Saturday was never going to be any different so it came as no surprise that average speeds were in the mid teens at best.

Passed a load of Ferrari's heading the other way whilst in Italy this morning, spotted pretty much every kind of exotica on the way through Monaco and saw more SLK's during the last hour or so on the French Riviera than I have for the rest of the trip so far!

Loads of nice twisties again today along the coast. Highlight though has to be driving through San Remo. It really was absolute madness and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. You needed eyes in the back of your head and at one point even found ourselves on a short stretch of road where the traffic going the other way passes both sides of you.

Weather wise it was pretty good for most of the day but we did get hit by a brief but heavy shower near the end so put and kept the lid up from that point.
@LeonardoDaBenz - thanks for the trivia. I might have to do 1 video from the trip just on the tunnels alone ?

Also thanks to @Marco06 for the offer of assistance around this area. We've been exchanging texts tonight where he's given me a weather update and it's kind of comforting to know that there's someone local on hand if needed. A great testiment to this forum and the people on it.
 
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#29 ·
Day 9 - Cannes to Montpellier Sud, France, 209 miles

Not a great deal to report today. It's been all about eating up the miles so that we can get to Andorra (via another long day) tomorrow.

This morning started nicely with a lovely, long twisty section as we headed inland from the coast a few miles from Cannes. Got passed by quite a few bikes (motor that is) that were obviously being ridden by locals who know the road! Also quite a few pushbikes on that road as well and due to the speed some of the those were carrying in the downhill section, and the shortness of straights to get past, it was a case of being patient and giving them the room they need. To be fair one or two weren't exactly holding us up much with the pace they were carrying :surprise:

Apart from a couple of comfort / food stops the rest of it has been pushing on as much as traffic would allow to get the miles done. Getting closer to Montpellier there was a surprising amount of traffic, especially coming the other way, which made overtakes difficult. Must have been lots of French people who'd taken advantage of the weather to have a weekend / day at the coast. Could have done it so much quicker if we'd just taken the motorway but that wasn't the point of this trip. Still managed to take in a multitude of delights which will hopefully translate well to video. The weather has also been great again all day so the top continues to stay where it belongs - in the boot :wink:

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Luxury vehicle Personal luxury car
 
#30 ·
@tmonkeyuk


We'll definitely have to have a catch up post tour.
Sounds like we have touring issues in common.
Would be good to get a heads up to try and better plan our trip, if we ever get insurance.
 
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#32 ·
Day 10 - Montpellier, France to Andorra la Vella, Andorra, 217 miles

Another day of mile munching! Plenty of decent scenery along the way but it was one of the tougher days just because every time I looked at the satnav it felt like the arrival time was 'eternity'.

We could see the Pyrenees in the distance from a good 50 miles or more out which kept the spirits up and it all became worthwhile once we actually started the first decent climb :smile:. Apart from getting held up early on by a lorry on the French side and catching some slower traffic on the first section after crossing into Andorra we got a reasonably clear run at the twisty stuff so got to have a bit of fun. Got 2 more runs through the Pyrenees over in Spain tomorrow morning before heading north and starting the mad dash up the west of France on the final push for home over the next few days.

Weather again has been outstanding all day, so much so that a sign in Andorra was showing 36 Celsius and that's at altitude! Put the aircon on in the end just to get some slight relief from the heat. I did get a photo of the car parked up part way through one of the mountain climbs but I've left the camera in the car. I'll have to upload it tomorrow provided we've got a decent internet connection.
 
#33 ·
Ya know, I enjoy your narrative but like us on our bus, it seems to me that you are more interested in getting to a destination than seeing what there is to see along the way.

Take time to "smell the roses".
 
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#34 ·
You've hit the nail on the head there Len and I have to admit that, even to me, as the miles go by it feels more and more like a driving holiday than a sight seeing tour. I am videoing the whole thing and we're taking notes of the interesting things that we see as were going along but there's no doubt there are many other things along the way that we could have stopped and taken a look at.

The one saving grace is that we are sticking to the countryside for a vast majority of the trip so weaving our way through lots of little hamlets and seeing the real countries we are travelling through not the sights that most people on holiday would ever get to see. Of course the downside of that is that it does add to the journey time and therefore necessitates the need to push on to cover the distances we need to in the time frame we have. The last 3 days coming up are very much about making the leap to get home whilst still trying to take in as much countryside as possible and also getting back to the seaside (Pam loves the sea :wink:).
 
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#36 ·
Day 11 - Andorra la Vella, Andorra to Moucha, France, 201 miles

Had an absolute blast this morning. We headed out of Andorra into Spain so we could have a play with some more mountain roads in the Pyrenees. The route would take us on the twisty N-260 and C-28 roads with a calm(er) run along the C-13 between the 2.

The N-260 was great fun and in my opinion far more of a driving road than the Alps pass we did last week. After we finished it and got onto the C-13 we stopped off in a small town we were passing through to get a quick drink, relax and more importantly, give the car a chance to de-stress before the next run. The C-28 was even better than the N-260 and probably the best 'driving' road we'll cover all holiday. At the bottom of the run we stopped at a cafe on the edge of another small town to get some lunch. We pulled up outside the cafe next to a Scottish couple who were doing a similar (different route) 2 week road trip in a Lotus Exige. As we got out they smiled at us and remarked that the smell coming from my car would indicate we'd had a 'pretty good run' :laugh:. I think the car was just as grateful as we were to be taking some time out!

One thing i have been aware of from the moment we set off is the amount of weight we are carrying in the car and how this is distributed. The front end is a little light compared to normal and I've been factoring this in during the trip especially on the hairpins that these mountain roads throw up. I could have attacked all of them a lot harder than I did but was happy finding that balance between having fun and leaving some margin to play with and getting back in one piece.

The afternoon was spent covering the rest of the 120 miles to our stopover heading north back into France along some decent back roads. Apart from farm machinery traffic was relatively light and despite making 2 more stops for provisions and a rest break we still got to our final destination, a lovely isolated house renting out a single room as B&B in the middle of nowhere, hour an hour ahead of schedule.

I know there is a lot of debate on this site about whether to keep the original 'whip' aerial or change it to the stubby type and I myself had considered doing this as well. Today I found a good reason not to bother! Now, I've been very meticulous in printing out daily itinerary sheets detailing things about the days route, no of miles to specific locations, expected arrival / departure times etc. I've also left a section on the bottom of each of these daily plans where we can write down times of interesting things we see along the way to make it much easier for me to find things when I come to edit all of the video footage. Today we were going a steady 80+mph down some nice straight country road with the lid and both windows down when I spotted something I wanted noting down for the video. Pam dutifully grabbed the folder located at the side of her and opened it to make the note on today's sheet. Now most of the sheets are inside protective pockets that are ring bound to the folder but today's sheet (and a couple of other bits) was loose so that Pam could write on it. You're probably all one step ahead at this point and have guessed that said sheets of paper got taken by the wind blast and shot out of the car :laugh:. I looked over at Pam and asked her if she still had today's sheet whereupon she confirmed that it had gone along with all of today's notes :crying:. I scanned down the road desperately hoping to find a spot where we could turn around and then glanced in the mirror to try and see if I could spot the paper to make a mental note of where to start our search for it when we'd turned round. And there it was......wrapped around the whip aerial, a bit of a tear in it but all safe and sound :grin:
 

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#37 ·
Day 12 - Moucha to Royan, France, 176 miles

Back to updating via the phone again!

This morning was a nice run through the countryside to Bordeaux - mainly higher grade roads so made good progress on the whole. Driving in Bordeaux was interesting, made more so by the fact it was lunchtime and they are doing some major road works. We went to have a look at the WW2 U-boat pens (only from the outside) and had some lunch whilst we were there.

The afternoon was a much more rural run to Royan through multiple villages with a stop midway for pastries. After our break we did a nice 20 odd mile section with a bike for company, both keeping the same approximate pace through the twisty back waters.

Our hotel in Royan is right on the front with our room overlooking the beach. Pam didn't waste much time in wanting to head down for a quick dip before we went looking for a restaurant for dinner.

All in all it's been another glorious day. Some nice sections of road, covered at a good pace without feeling too rushed, with great weather to boot. In fact this morning was a little overcast for a while which was actually quite welcome, temperatures were well into the 30's (Celsius) once the clouds broke. Oh.....and I'm happy to report there were no issues with the pace notes today lol!
 
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