projectsalop
Member Since: 27 Nov 2012
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 96
  
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Finally took the plunge and booked Motorail through Railsavers. No availability outwards on the dates we wanted to travel down, so we booked the return leg -- Livorno to den Bosch.
Price, including car and private 2-person berth was EUR 380. (Dining car meal is extra.) I didn't think that was too bad. If I drove, it would probably cost about 200 quid in fuel, plus a night's accommodation and any tolls. And I reckon it's going to reduce a lot of the stress (/"fun"?) of the driving dash to the Channel for a specific ferry. And a significantly reduced risk of any speeding fines.
Still got to work out the route down in detail. Toying with France and a stop around Reims after a Eurotunnel Shuttle leaving early pm. Then a second night on the Italian side of Mont Blanc. The other option is via Luxembourg /Germany/Switzerland per Paulmeryan's post above. Will post again once decided. I love the smell of FBH in the morning... The smell, you know that gasoline smell... Smells like...victory!
(With apologies to Apocalypse Now!)
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 23rd Mar 2013 6:58 am |
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projectsalop
Member Since: 27 Nov 2012
Location: Shropshire
Posts: 96
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Quick update on what *actually* happened...
Didn't manage to agree the route with SWMBO until we actually boarded the Eurostar! So in the end, it was a hybrid of planning and just following the satnav.
After a mid afternoon crossing we stayed first overnight in Chalons, near Reims, in France and the second in Lugano, Switzerland. Arrived early afternoon in Tuscany on third day.
Coming back a week later, track maintenance meant our journey started from from Alessandria. The change was well handled by our UK agents, Railsavers, and the Motorail service. The journey was easy and trouble free. The train terminates at Den Bosch in the Netherlands, about 90 minutes from the Hague, for a return ferry journey via Harwich.
In all, highly recommended, although that route obviously won't take a Discovery. If anything, I'd take an extra day on the way down. In the end though, the weather was bad (about 800 miles of spray in the motorways wasn't a lot of fun), so it wasn't a problem doing it all in three days. I love the smell of FBH in the morning... The smell, you know that gasoline smell... Smells like...victory!
(With apologies to Apocalypse Now!)
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| 13th Jun 2013 2:28 pm |
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wvlenthe
Member Since: 07 Jan 2009
Location: Arnhem
Posts: 1967
 
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LHD wrote:
Is that at access or normal height? I'm thinking of using the Alexandria/Dusseldorf service in the future...
I can't quite remember. Nobody asked me to put it in access height but I might have done this out of precaution myself.
Regards,
Wiljo D3 V8 HSE Auto in Zermatt silver - driveway version gone but not forgotten, only the living room cupboard version remains
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| 13th Jun 2013 3:16 pm |
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