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Aug 2013 Italy Road Trip
- Thread starter warrenpfo
- Start date
What are the chances of that happening. Shame we didn't see you to say hello.
warrenpfo
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2010
- Messages
- 2,895
Man I hate tourists. This is the last holiday I do in summer to a tourist hot spot.
Next time it's either winter or going somewhere off the beaten track.
The cruiser is going great, the AC has been a godsend with temps over 30 everyday.
Next time it's either winter or going somewhere off the beaten track.
The cruiser is going great, the AC has been a godsend with temps over 30 everyday.
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We think the temperature is just nice Warren, was nearly 10 degrees hotter when we were here last year, that was hot 
been freezing our buts off in high 20's for a few days near Paris so it's nice to get down south to some proper warmth 
Sent from my HTC ChaCha A810e using Tapatalk 2
been freezing our buts off in high 20's for a few days near Paris so it's nice to get down south to some proper warmth Sent from my HTC ChaCha A810e using Tapatalk 2
chadr
Well-Known Member
We also got back late last night (early hours TBH) after our holidays in France. Not a road trip as such, we had a few days in Paris and then on to a campsite on the West coast (Gulf of Morbihan area). The whole round trip was a bit less than 1500 miles.
On our way back home yesterday, we took a detour to see Mont St Michel and with it our sense of time seemed to get a bit distorted. This caused us to have an epic 300 mile dash to catch the Calais Ferry - in just under 4 hrs. . The truck was pretty good doing 80-90mph most of the way. However on the inclines, the V6 (plus the bigger tyres and lift etc.) just doesn't have the torque to maintain those speeds without revving the nuts off it - which I was reluctant to do. So it was a bit annoying when the small diesel hatches/saloons I had passed on the flat, would whizz past me on the inclines*, like I was standing still.
All that was in vain as the queues for the Border Control were so long at Calais, nearly an hour wait, that we missed our ferry anyway!! No big deal, we were £20 lighter but booked on the next ferry, which got in around 11pm to Dover. After stopping for a late supper, we finally got home at around 2am.
Whilst the truck once again proved to a be great "do-it-all" vehicle, I'm looking forward to upgrading to something with a bit more oomph in the future. A nice 100 TD or 120 D4D would be nice I think......
Anyway we still have a week in Inverness/Highlands in late October to look forward to in the 90 though!
* I was surprised by the gradients on the French Autoroutes, not sure whether the UK motorways would have inclines that large, without them being graded?
On our way back home yesterday, we took a detour to see Mont St Michel and with it our sense of time seemed to get a bit distorted. This caused us to have an epic 300 mile dash to catch the Calais Ferry - in just under 4 hrs. . The truck was pretty good doing 80-90mph most of the way. However on the inclines, the V6 (plus the bigger tyres and lift etc.) just doesn't have the torque to maintain those speeds without revving the nuts off it - which I was reluctant to do. So it was a bit annoying when the small diesel hatches/saloons I had passed on the flat, would whizz past me on the inclines*, like I was standing still.
All that was in vain as the queues for the Border Control were so long at Calais, nearly an hour wait, that we missed our ferry anyway!! No big deal, we were £20 lighter but booked on the next ferry, which got in around 11pm to Dover. After stopping for a late supper, we finally got home at around 2am.
Whilst the truck once again proved to a be great "do-it-all" vehicle, I'm looking forward to upgrading to something with a bit more oomph in the future. A nice 100 TD or 120 D4D would be nice I think......
Anyway we still have a week in Inverness/Highlands in late October to look forward to in the 90 though! * I was surprised by the gradients on the French Autoroutes, not sure whether the UK motorways would have inclines that large, without them being graded?
warrenpfo
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2010
- Messages
- 2,895
Its been one rough week since our return with my daughter being admitted to hospital, my parents leave to head back to SA, interviewing for a new job and us looking to move house so sorry for the late update and i will do a trip report but here are some cruiser shots.
Last edited:
warrenpfo
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2010
- Messages
- 2,895
Being my first Trip Report I’m not to sure where one starts….. I guess what needs doing is for me to put the trip into context.
The idea of a European trip came about 6 months back when my parents who live in South Africa said they were coming out to Greece for a 2 week sailing holiday around the Islands and that afterwards it would be good to catch up and why not make it somewhere in Europe. At the same time I had not seen my mother in law for a good 6 months and the two families had not been together since we got married a good few years back so why not fly mother in law over to the UK from the Czech Republic, she can then drive down with us and meet my parents in Italy and we make it one large family gathering.
On the face of it we thought it was a great idea BUT it all hinged on me.
I have not been able to travel for just under 3 years whilst my passport has been in process for my Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. You would think living in a first world country a visa application should take no more than a few weeks but you could not be further from the truth. I won’t bore you with the detail but seen as I had not travelled outside of the UK for such a long time I can only liken the importance of this holiday to me as similar to that of being let out of prison.
Given I was not sure if I would get my passport back in time and the fact ALL the planning was left to me it was time to kick things into high gear and so after many phone calls to UKBA and my local MP who happens to be Theresa May my passport with ILR arrived the same day my parents landed in the UK prior to their departure 2 days later for Greece. Now I am no big drinker in fact I would say I’m actually tea total but we could not have asked for a better occasion to celebrate the arrival of my passport along with the two families being together after many years apart.
I pause here as some of you might be thinking…”I can think of anything worse than my parents and my mother in law going on holiday” BUT to me family is the most important thing in the world and I must be the luckiest man in the world as both families get on great and we all love each other’s company. It probably helps that my mother in law does not speak much if any English so we communicate amongst us with lots of hand gestures and translation by my wife but that just adds another dimension to the trip rather than being a hindrance. Anyway let’s just say a good party was had by all that evening and we woke later than usual.
After two days of running around with my folks getting them sorted for the trip ahead we dropped them off at the airport and waved them off. I now had two weeks to book and plan the route as best we could prior to departure and to top it off I still had to get a Shengan Visa as being South African traveling in Europe still requires a visa.
The Shengan visa was done for me by a chap a friend had used previously and as luck would have it I was granted a 2 year Shengan with multiple entries so traveling in Europe for the foreseeable future is not going to be a problem. I had given the route we should take some consideration so had a vague idea as to where we should go but had not yet booked the ferry or accommodation.
I usually like to have things planned well in advance and don’t like change or surprise’s…it’s something I am working on…but suffering from anxiety I find it helps if in my mind things are well thought out.
Seen as we were going to be 5 adults and one baby (18 months) in the cruiser with no trailer and two roof boxes camping was not an option and so I instructed everyone to pack the essentials only as traveling with a baby one has so much extra kak (cr&P) you have to take with you that space was going to be at a premium. This meant we were either going to be staying in B&B’s, hotels or ideally self-catering accommodation with limited space to take even the most basic of provisions from one location to the next. So after much time spent on the tinternet and many emails I was able to secure us the following accommodation on our route as well as book a return ferry from Dover to Dunkirk for £93.
• 9th August, Ibis Hotel Strasbourg at 93 EUR for 2 triple rooms (Very basic but clean, secure parking, no restrictions on arrival a good bed, AC and breakfast included)
• 10th August, Hotel Gardenia www.hgardenia.com at 130 EUR for 2 double rooms (Quite, good bed, AC, empty hotel, very friendly staff and great breakfast included)
• 11th to 17th Self-catering just outside Lucca in Northern Tuscany http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/pisa/473974 472 EUR for the house
• 17th to 22nd Self-catering Mantova just outside
• 22nd Breno
• 23rd Ibis hotel Strasbourg
• 24th to 25th Self-catering Epiphany France
Given it was August and last minute I was pleased with the results and found that all bar one was happy to do a deal on the quoted price as they would rather the occupancy and cash that an empty space.
So accommodation was sorted, ferry was booked, visa was done, I guess it was time to assess the transportation and get the old girl ready for her first “big” trip. Having printed off the requirements for driving in the various European countries we would visit I was able to source triangles, hi viz jackets, breathalyzers, bulbs, headlight adjusters, extinguishers and a GB sticker at my favourite online retailer and through some good friends at Thames Water. I had to fit the two roof boxes I had bout earlier on in the year and do a fluid and engine once over along with wheel bearing check just to make sure.
Apart from filling the window washer bottle and torqueing the transmission drain plug to the correct torque to stop a very slow leak the old girl was good to go. It pays to keep on top of maintenance and hence there were no surprise’s and I had no concerns…I did forget to check one vital item but more on that later.
The day prior to departure I was still waiting for my Garmin Dezl 760 to arrive from Amazon when I got an email to say the stockist was having problems and there would be a delay….bugger….I was relying on my European map book to use as a reference and the satnav to get us from point A to point B. I had no choice but to cancel the order and head to my local Halfords to purchase a satnav. I ended up getting a Garmin Nuvi which although got us there and back was returned as soon as we got back due to a technical problem where by it would freeze whenever you tried to leave the map screen and when the car icon got to the “end” of the map and it had to load the next one it would freeze again.
I know that all it required was either a software update but was not overly impressed and the screen was too small so back it went.
That evening I packed the car and as we were only 3 adults and a child going down I was able to fold the rear seat up and fit both 200l roof boxes on top of each other in the boot along with the pram, travel cot and roof racks. It meant less windage going down but it was a bit of a faff to get things out at the end of each day. With an early night planned we hit the sack and where up at 2:30 to leave the house for 3 to get to Dover by 5 and catch the 6 o’clock ferry.
The drive down was uneventful with the whole car sleeping apart from the driver. With much excitement we “checked in” and lined up in our row to board. I could hardly believe that after three years I was finally getting to leave the UK and go abroad with my family on a holiday.
As soon as the line of cars in front started to move I may have got some sand in my eye which made it water but that was soon swept away as we drove up to the top deck in the ferry and parked up. The ferry trip over was rather empty and once again uneventful. We managed to get one of the round booths and so I crashed and caught up on some lost sleep whilst the family ran around and explored the ferry.
On arrival in France I’m not quite sure what I was expecting but in my mind I had thought there would be some kind of brass band along with a welcome party and maybe some balloons and confetti but I was sadly very disappointed. What a boring, uninteresting, plain and uninspiring place Dunkirk port is. We docked drove off the ferry and where just expected to get on with things…I was most unimpressed and almost felt let down not knowing what to expect.
We pulled over at the first available place, stuck on the headlight deflectors, adjusted the satnav and entered in the final destination for the day just South of Strasbourg.
Then it was time to load up again and head off again. The route good old Garmin had decided upon was up into Belgium, down through Luxembourg and then back into France finally stopping in Strasbourg. Prior to departure I had decided that getting to each of our destinations should be part of the journey rather than seen as just travel and so I set the cruise control to 110kmh well under the speed limit and off we went.
We stopped for lunch and fuel just the other side of the border crossing into Luxembourg next to the river.
There after it was plain sailing down to Strasbourg and our much anticipated first stop…an Ibis Hotel South of Strasbourg. We arrived around 6 and checked in as there is someone at reception until 10 and then you have to use an automated system outside the front door.
More to follow..
The idea of a European trip came about 6 months back when my parents who live in South Africa said they were coming out to Greece for a 2 week sailing holiday around the Islands and that afterwards it would be good to catch up and why not make it somewhere in Europe. At the same time I had not seen my mother in law for a good 6 months and the two families had not been together since we got married a good few years back so why not fly mother in law over to the UK from the Czech Republic, she can then drive down with us and meet my parents in Italy and we make it one large family gathering.
On the face of it we thought it was a great idea BUT it all hinged on me.
I have not been able to travel for just under 3 years whilst my passport has been in process for my Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK. You would think living in a first world country a visa application should take no more than a few weeks but you could not be further from the truth. I won’t bore you with the detail but seen as I had not travelled outside of the UK for such a long time I can only liken the importance of this holiday to me as similar to that of being let out of prison.
Given I was not sure if I would get my passport back in time and the fact ALL the planning was left to me it was time to kick things into high gear and so after many phone calls to UKBA and my local MP who happens to be Theresa May my passport with ILR arrived the same day my parents landed in the UK prior to their departure 2 days later for Greece. Now I am no big drinker in fact I would say I’m actually tea total but we could not have asked for a better occasion to celebrate the arrival of my passport along with the two families being together after many years apart.
I pause here as some of you might be thinking…”I can think of anything worse than my parents and my mother in law going on holiday” BUT to me family is the most important thing in the world and I must be the luckiest man in the world as both families get on great and we all love each other’s company. It probably helps that my mother in law does not speak much if any English so we communicate amongst us with lots of hand gestures and translation by my wife but that just adds another dimension to the trip rather than being a hindrance. Anyway let’s just say a good party was had by all that evening and we woke later than usual.
After two days of running around with my folks getting them sorted for the trip ahead we dropped them off at the airport and waved them off. I now had two weeks to book and plan the route as best we could prior to departure and to top it off I still had to get a Shengan Visa as being South African traveling in Europe still requires a visa.
The Shengan visa was done for me by a chap a friend had used previously and as luck would have it I was granted a 2 year Shengan with multiple entries so traveling in Europe for the foreseeable future is not going to be a problem. I had given the route we should take some consideration so had a vague idea as to where we should go but had not yet booked the ferry or accommodation.
I usually like to have things planned well in advance and don’t like change or surprise’s…it’s something I am working on…but suffering from anxiety I find it helps if in my mind things are well thought out.
Seen as we were going to be 5 adults and one baby (18 months) in the cruiser with no trailer and two roof boxes camping was not an option and so I instructed everyone to pack the essentials only as traveling with a baby one has so much extra kak (cr&P) you have to take with you that space was going to be at a premium. This meant we were either going to be staying in B&B’s, hotels or ideally self-catering accommodation with limited space to take even the most basic of provisions from one location to the next. So after much time spent on the tinternet and many emails I was able to secure us the following accommodation on our route as well as book a return ferry from Dover to Dunkirk for £93.
• 9th August, Ibis Hotel Strasbourg at 93 EUR for 2 triple rooms (Very basic but clean, secure parking, no restrictions on arrival a good bed, AC and breakfast included)
• 10th August, Hotel Gardenia www.hgardenia.com at 130 EUR for 2 double rooms (Quite, good bed, AC, empty hotel, very friendly staff and great breakfast included)
• 11th to 17th Self-catering just outside Lucca in Northern Tuscany http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/pisa/473974 472 EUR for the house
• 17th to 22nd Self-catering Mantova just outside
• 22nd Breno
• 23rd Ibis hotel Strasbourg
• 24th to 25th Self-catering Epiphany France
Given it was August and last minute I was pleased with the results and found that all bar one was happy to do a deal on the quoted price as they would rather the occupancy and cash that an empty space.
So accommodation was sorted, ferry was booked, visa was done, I guess it was time to assess the transportation and get the old girl ready for her first “big” trip. Having printed off the requirements for driving in the various European countries we would visit I was able to source triangles, hi viz jackets, breathalyzers, bulbs, headlight adjusters, extinguishers and a GB sticker at my favourite online retailer and through some good friends at Thames Water. I had to fit the two roof boxes I had bout earlier on in the year and do a fluid and engine once over along with wheel bearing check just to make sure.
Apart from filling the window washer bottle and torqueing the transmission drain plug to the correct torque to stop a very slow leak the old girl was good to go. It pays to keep on top of maintenance and hence there were no surprise’s and I had no concerns…I did forget to check one vital item but more on that later.
The day prior to departure I was still waiting for my Garmin Dezl 760 to arrive from Amazon when I got an email to say the stockist was having problems and there would be a delay….bugger….I was relying on my European map book to use as a reference and the satnav to get us from point A to point B. I had no choice but to cancel the order and head to my local Halfords to purchase a satnav. I ended up getting a Garmin Nuvi which although got us there and back was returned as soon as we got back due to a technical problem where by it would freeze whenever you tried to leave the map screen and when the car icon got to the “end” of the map and it had to load the next one it would freeze again.
I know that all it required was either a software update but was not overly impressed and the screen was too small so back it went.
That evening I packed the car and as we were only 3 adults and a child going down I was able to fold the rear seat up and fit both 200l roof boxes on top of each other in the boot along with the pram, travel cot and roof racks. It meant less windage going down but it was a bit of a faff to get things out at the end of each day. With an early night planned we hit the sack and where up at 2:30 to leave the house for 3 to get to Dover by 5 and catch the 6 o’clock ferry.
The drive down was uneventful with the whole car sleeping apart from the driver. With much excitement we “checked in” and lined up in our row to board. I could hardly believe that after three years I was finally getting to leave the UK and go abroad with my family on a holiday.
As soon as the line of cars in front started to move I may have got some sand in my eye which made it water but that was soon swept away as we drove up to the top deck in the ferry and parked up. The ferry trip over was rather empty and once again uneventful. We managed to get one of the round booths and so I crashed and caught up on some lost sleep whilst the family ran around and explored the ferry.
On arrival in France I’m not quite sure what I was expecting but in my mind I had thought there would be some kind of brass band along with a welcome party and maybe some balloons and confetti but I was sadly very disappointed. What a boring, uninteresting, plain and uninspiring place Dunkirk port is. We docked drove off the ferry and where just expected to get on with things…I was most unimpressed and almost felt let down not knowing what to expect.
We pulled over at the first available place, stuck on the headlight deflectors, adjusted the satnav and entered in the final destination for the day just South of Strasbourg.
Then it was time to load up again and head off again. The route good old Garmin had decided upon was up into Belgium, down through Luxembourg and then back into France finally stopping in Strasbourg. Prior to departure I had decided that getting to each of our destinations should be part of the journey rather than seen as just travel and so I set the cruise control to 110kmh well under the speed limit and off we went.
We stopped for lunch and fuel just the other side of the border crossing into Luxembourg next to the river.
There after it was plain sailing down to Strasbourg and our much anticipated first stop…an Ibis Hotel South of Strasbourg. We arrived around 6 and checked in as there is someone at reception until 10 and then you have to use an automated system outside the front door.
More to follow..
