Towing from Scotland to Paris

[mh]

Hi,

Can anyone suggest any good stop-over sites on route from Scotland to Paris via Dover. I have driven abroad many times normally using the Rosyth to Zeebrugge route but this is my first time taking my own van.

I am looking for any suggestions of good sites in the UK and also France, as well as the best route.

Many Thanks

 

[MartinJ]

Hi mh,

You dont say where in Scotland you are traveling from but here's a couple of suggestions.

The caravan club have opened a new site at Poolsbrook Country Park which is just off junction 29a of the M1 (not far from where I live) - this would be about half way to Dover if you are from Glagow / Edinburgh area's.

The caravan club also have a nice site at Dover which we used for an early ferry crossing last year. Only 10 mins from the port and they have dedicated ferry pitches for early departures.

Hope that helps.

 

[mh]

Hi Martin J

Thanks for your advice, I am travelling from near Glasgow.

So as you suggest I am looking to stop halfway and then near the port so I can catch an earlier sailing.

 

[MikeJE]

mh.

Have you thought of Newcastle - Ijmuiden ferry. Saves the drive to Dover and two overnighters. Ferry leaves late afternoon and returns 9am so Glasgow to ferry to Glasgow would be easy. Dinner and breakfast on ferry and they do 'caravan goes free days'. I know Ijmuiden to Paris is further than from Dover but it mught be worth costing it out.

 

[MartinJ]

No problem mh.

Forgot to mention that we caught our Dover - Calais ferry about 7am having left the site at Dover about 6am after a good nights sleep.

We were on the Paris ring road heading south by lunch time. Pitched up in the Loire valley by 6pm with no problem at all.

 

[Jennifer2]

We too are in Glasgow. When going to Dover we usually stop at the CC Ferry Meadows site and then the CC Black Horse Farm near Folkstone. We have also used the CC Clumber Park site going south.

Next year we will use Ferry Meadows and Black Horse Farm going south and Houghton Mill on the way north. Our crossings are at midday.

 

[mh]

Thanks for your replies.

I will look into ferries times and costs before deciding which route to take.

Many Thanks

 

[Jennifer2]

Norfolk Line, Dover/Dunkirk return with 8 metre van,

 

[yvonne6]

Hi MH

We live in Stonehouse which is a mile from the M74 and this is how we did our journey to Paris. Hope it is of some use. We left our home at 3.00am, kids still in their jammies (they think its a huge adventure!)our ferry time was approx 1800hrs. We made sure that we were past Birmingham before lunchtime, we arrived in Dover approx 1600hrs but got held up in traffic or else we would have made an earlier crossing, anyway arrived at Calais approx 2100hrs and drove for 20 mins to Guines camping le bien assis. Next morning we set off about 10.00am to Paris which took us about 3 hrs. We didnt feel we had been driving for ages we took enough stops so the kids didnt get fed up. On the way back we booked a site near Birmingham but as we were making good time we drove all the way home! We left Paris at 8.00am and arrived home at 2300hrs! Our first time driving to France we stopped at Folkstone for the night and i felt it made the whole journey quite long but then its personal choice.

Yvonne

 

[TD42]

can I suggest i overnight en route to dover to get a late ferry(cheaper)then settle down in the DEPARTURES car park area of calais ferry port for a good kip & an early start when you awake with direct access on to the autoroute/motorway system