I thought I would have a little rant and make my views felt over travelling to France by ferry.
I have been going by P&O from Dover to Calais as it has always been the cheaper option for me... I have now decided NOT to go by ferry any longer. I have a lovely Corbin Seat that cost £500 and strapping the bike down over the seat has stretched the leather sightly and I feel further trips would ruin the seat completely.. .. I will travel by Eurotunnel from now on and put up with the extra cost... Sure will be cheaper than having to replace or repair the seat.
Its something to consider if you have never been abroad on the bike before..
Am I over reacting or just realising something that most bikers already know?
(http://www.desismileys.com/smileys/desismileys_4427.gif) (http://www.desismileys.com/)
I always put my gloves between the strap and the seat, having also marked one in the past
Coman
Likewise I always take a clean cloth to put on the saddle, comes in handy to clean it as well.
Alan
euro tunnel is the best thing since sliced bread.. me thinks :grin: used it a few times now, 30 minute crossing time and approx £60.00 return for midday crossing :smiley:
dont take this too harshly debs , but i just cant see what the attraction the ferry has over the tunnel, ive used both, well the ferry the first time and the tunnel the last nine times.
the tunnel,
its faster , you stay with the bike, you can use the next shuttle if you are late, use an earlier one if you are early, no strapping down , no wacky races scramble to disembark ,, it runs every 40 mins, you dont have to arrive an hour or so early, no rough crossings,
but the best thing is that once you arrive in calais and they open the door, you are gone, no customs to clear, within 5 mins you are on the autoroute !!
how can anything compete with that, the price, well typically i pay about £35 each way, even if the ferry was £10 each way it still would not be a match.
Viper I agree with you... Ive been on the tunnel once but it was the price that swayed it for me... Return ferry crossing for only £30. Not anymore tho... The tunnel is awesome and I will just accept the extra cost.
Conman & Bigalan... As you know there are thick pads on the straps that supposed to protect the seat but like :censored: they do... Waste of time.
When I went via Portsmouth to Le Havre with LD Lines. The staff on the ship strap down the bikes.. One over the seat and one on the handle bars... Thought they was going to snap the bars when I saw how tight they did them up... Guess its the tunnel and ride to Brittany as well... :shit: :censored: :asshole:
Thought bikes would have some sort of strapping down points on the frame to avoid this.. Maybe in the future they will..
I generally travel with a ratchet strap in my top box, I wonder what they would say if I used this and strapped down my bike through the rear but by the shock absorber, I wonder if they would moan regarding insurance etc?
Might give it a go next time just to see.
Alan
Quote from: BigAlan on November 04, 2012, 05:59:13 PM
I generally travel with a ratchet strap in my top box, I wonder what they would say if I used this and strapped down my bike through the rear but by the shock absorber, I wonder if they would moan regarding insurance etc?
That's why most ferry operators make you tie down the bike yourself these days. No liability on their side. :no:
If it falls over or gets damaged it's your own fault. :death:
Quote from: deb3km on November 04, 2012, 05:39:52 PM
Viper I agree with you... Ive been on the tunnel once but it was the price that swayed it for me... Return ferry crossing for only £30. Not anymore tho... The tunnel is awesome and I will just accept the extra cost.
Conman & Bigalan... As you know there are thick pads on the straps that supposed to protect the seat but like :censored: they do... Waste of time.
When I went via Portsmouth to Le Havre with LD Lines. The staff on the ship strap down the bikes.. One over the seat and one on the handle bars... Thought they was going to snap the bars when I saw how tight they did them up... Guess its the tunnel and ride to Brittany as well... :shit: :censored: :asshole:
Thought bikes would have some sort of strapping down points on the frame to avoid this.. Maybe in the future they will..
last tunnel trip was crossing at 10am on a saturday in july and returned on a sunday evening , it was £50 return, the other saving is that you dont have to buy a grossly overpriced drink or sandwich which you are often tempted to, in reality it probably costs me £10 more . Pillion goes for free also like the ferry
Tunnel is good in theory, IF you get on the right train,IF it runs on time and IF You don't get bumped in the queue. Used it plenty of times and for day trips it's great assuming all the aforementioned caveats. Sometimes the tunnel just feels like a long queue.
But
If you're going to do a big day in France, for instance Geneva or Spanish border, then the ferry is better. On first, brekkie and coffee and a rest before setting off in to France. Same coming home if youve had a long day, sit down, some food and relax before the final push home.
I take a piece of foam that lives in my top box to protect the seat and secure the bike myself.
could the seat be unclipped and the strap run around the grab rails or similair
I agree. I've done tunnel for all my northern trips and short day trips to Ypres, Bruges etc. its quick and not bad pricewise. I find it too far north though for the Normandy, Le Mans, trips. It adds on hours to a days riding.
Horses for courses though - I'm doing Santander again next year for a return to the Pyrenees and tunnel for a quick week in Austria.
I strop the bike myself on most trips, I use the pads and chocks provided. GTR not been ferried yet but no obvious hard point on bike except the rack rails but they're high and not central. What does everyone else use?
i did the hull to zeebrugge ferry last year and i dont have any criticisms per say. I did all the bike strapping and thankfully it was a millpond crossing. we left port at 9pm on the friday and sailed in early next morning. Its a great crossing for the northern monkeys amongst us for northern europe destinations. I did miss the quick disembark, after getting off the ferry we had 30 mins of customs, on the return journey getting back into the uk , it took us over an hour to clear customs and actually get off the ship.
I've used the Hull Zeebrugge ferry loads of times whilst on the Bike, and never had any problem, as I always strap my own bike down with my own ratchets
I've used the Tunnel only once which was this year for the Somme trip. It was brilliant, we turned up early having pre-booked, which meant we could board very quickly, there was a very, very short queue, no strapping down on the train and we rode straight off at the other end...... BRILLIANT
I've also travelled to Northern Ireland dozens times over the years, the service from both Stranraer and Cairnryan used to be dreadful but they too have improved greatly (out of interest).
Quote from: olde coney on November 05, 2012, 07:55:10 AM
I've used the Hull Zeebrugge ferry loads of times whilst on the Bike, and never had any problem, as I always strap my own bike down with my own ratchets
I've used the Tunnel only once which was this year for the Somme trip. It was brilliant, we turned up early having pre-booked, which meant we could board very quickly, there was a very, very short queue, no strapping down on the train and we rode straight off at the other end...... BRILLIANT
I've also travelled to Northern Ireland dozens times over the years, the service from both Stranraer and Cairnryan used to be dreadful but they too have improved greatly (out of interest).
TT ? , i so need to cross that off my list
I've been on P&O Hull - Zeebrugge and Rotterdam (I work on there now!!) and done the tunnel.
Tunnel is great if you live south end of UK and would always be my preferred option down there.
For me it's too far to be a sensible option and would require a stopover as soon as I got into Europe or an overnighter before.
The strapping issue isn't a major one Debs. Don't strap over the seat, find a point on the frame either side and strap down. Leave in gear and if you can set your front brake on with a small strap or similar.
I never over-seat strap as the bike is more likely to move as well as the potential damage to the seat covering.
Did the Santander crossing earlier this year and the Barcelona/Genova - crew strapped the bike down on both ferries. Neither were over seat.
Quick tip Debs, if the tunnel cost is over £50 return, book a day return and don't come back, then do the same for the return. Usually works out about £23 each way.
I agree - when Brittany Ferries mullered my hoilday earlier this year I booked the tunnel and did two day retrun tickets at around £30 each - with booking in advance and the usual simplicity and lack of queues offered by the tunnel.
The 150 mile loop at either end of the journey didn't help my mood, but at least the crossing was reasonable, comfotable and quick.
when i book the tunnel its always in advance, i dont pay a " return " but put in my dates and then choose which out going train i want and then choose which incoming train, they are individually priced dependant on peak pricing .
i got to the tunnel early and got an earlier train at no extra cost( subject to spaces ) , on my return i also got there early but the earlier train was a £5 more as it was peak crossing , i paid the difference and boarded , what a service.
I've done all of them from Sally Line to SeaFrance, P&O to DFDS.
The Tunnel is the best for travel to France/Belgium/Holland/Germany/Switzerland/Austria/etc.
For further north I use the overnight ferry by DFDS from Harwich to Esbjerg.
If I lived Ooop Narth then I would use the Hull-Zeebrugge route
For the south (Spain/Portugal) I use the tunnel as well.
This is due to 2 VERY bad experiences in the Bay of Biscay.
Not the ferry companies fault, just REALLY bad weather.
The ride through France is actually quite fun if you plan it right.
Stay off the Autoroutes and take a little longer to get there.
Beats the hell out of chucking your cookies for 2 days in a force 12.
The thing that really gets me about the ferry from Hull is the cabin price.
They charge the same for a bunk in a tiny hole as you would pay in a luxury hotel for a decent room.
And don't get me started on the prices on board. :ohplease:
The only reason I was using the Hull ferry so far has been the fact that I would loose a whole day if I travelled south and use the tunnel.
But now I am able to finish at 13:30 on Fridays so I can make the tunnel in the evening, stay in a decent hotel in the North of France and get a proper meal without getting ripped off. :clap:
yup the hull ferry along with all european ferries do overcharge , but they can , they have a monopoly, you dont have to have a cabin , but ive done that before , its awful.
on a plus side for us, using the hull ferry to zeebrugge saved me the trip from manchester via the tunnel and back up again, so in reality i saved
You do have to take a cabin Viper.
They work out about £380.00 return per cabin. If you book four of you the cheap way to do it is book a bike rider and pillion (£380) then two foot passengers and three bikes as cargo.
Usually works out about £120.00-£150.00 return per person.
I work out that to go down south will cost about £70 in petrol, £100-ish for the chunnel and at least one night b&b at, say £40 so there's no saving really plus losing two days travelling through the UK on speed camera alleys!
Quote from: viper on November 05, 2012, 05:07:08 PM
on a plus side for us, using the hull ferry to Zeebrugge saved me the trip from manchester via the tunnel and back up again, so in reality i saved
Saved what actually?
OK it costs about 30£ more in petrol and takes at least 3 hours longer to get to Folkestone from up North.
But with the ferry you loose a couple of hours on embarkation and customs too. :hammer:
And riding even 4 hours on the GTR is a breeze even if it involves the M25.
But you can save over £100 on accommodation or can stay at a really nice place instead.
Furthermore what you pay for a crappy buffet on the ferry will buy a very nice meal including a bottle of wine in France. :clap:
Quote from: Winston Smith on November 05, 2012, 05:30:09 PM
If you book four of you ... usually works out about £120.00-£150.00 return per person.
I work out that to go down south will cost about £70 in petrol, £100-ish for the chunnel and at least one night b&b at, say £40 so there's no saving really plus losing two days travelling through the UK on speed camera alleys!
That may well be right if it's four people going but if you're on your own it's a no-brainer. :popcorn:
Quote from: Winston Smith on November 05, 2012, 05:30:09 PM
You do have to take a cabin Viper.
They work out about £380.00 return per cabin. If you book four of you the cheap way to do it is book a bike rider and pillion (£380) then two foot passengers and three bikes as cargo.
Usually works out about £120.00-£150.00 return per person.
I work out that to go down south will cost about £70 in petrol, £100-ish for the chunnel and at least one night b&b at, say £40 so there's no saving really plus losing two days travelling through the UK on speed camera alleys!
ha ,didnt know about the compulsory cabin, I took a ferry from ancona in italy to greece and i didnt have to have a cabin, slept on the deck, it was a miserable miserabl experience
Another thing about this strapping down lark is that its a massive weight on the side stand with the rolling of the ship and your extra luggage weight and the pulling of the ratchet downwards
Quote from: trousersnake01 on November 06, 2012, 12:48:34 AM
Another thing about this strapping down lark is that its a massive weight on the side stand with the rolling of the ship and your extra luggage weight and the pulling of the ratchet downwards
Again the advantage of "holding" it in place rather than strapping down
So much has been said in the past about ratcheting bikes down on ferries.
I've done it for donkeys years and NEVER had a problem, its really not necessary to excessively ratchet your bike down so much that it could strain the side stand, just enough to hold the bike secure, and as Winny say leave it in gear plus put some string or simular around the front brake lever/throttle.
If it's a very, very rough crossing your bike will always suffer the chance of falling over, but as I said I have NEVER experienced this and believe me I've been on some very bad crossings on ferries that weren't anywhere near as stable as todays ferries are. In fact when we returned from the N.W 200 two years ago the ferry cap[tain radiod ahead to say that he wouldn't accept bikes on his next sailing as it was just too rough, we were allocated a ticket for the next day and given food vouchers, however the weather, even in May really was of biblical proportions, so it was a good decision.
Yes, try and avoid strapping over your seat, although I always do, and I protect my seat with a piece of nice carpet which always does the job.
The Hull Rotterdam/Zebrugge ferry is pricey, but then they all are, the crossing is a part of our holiday and the cabins are very clean and comfy, the restaurant and its service is outstanding, so I don't begrudge it too much.
I remember sleeping on the deck of the I.O.M ferry years ago....its not good. :no:
When I travelled to France earlier this year, myself and a pal left The Lake District at 0600 hrs, and arrived at our destination in France which was 90+ miles from The tunnel terminal at exactly 16.30 hrs the same day,it was about 500 miles in total...on the GTR it was a breeze.
Quote from: olde coney on November 06, 2012, 09:21:25 AM
The Hull Rotterdam/Zebrugge ferry is pricey, but then they all are, the crossing is a part of our holiday and the cabins are very clean and comfy, the restaurant and its service is outstanding, so I don't begrudge it too much.
Maybe my standards are a bit higher than yours. :whistling:
Even the rooms and beds in the cheapest hotels are more comfy than the glorified broom cupboards you can hardly turn around in they call cabins with tiny rock-hard bunks.
And even the cheapest restaurants in France serve better food than the overcooked stuff they serve on the ferry.
But I have to agree, the DFDS Newcastle Amsterdam ferry is an even bigger rip-off. The food is better, though.
Now that I can finish work at 13:30 on Fridays without having to take half a day off I will no longer use the ferry from Hull and rather ride down to Folkestone and stay in the North of France overnight. :yes:
Ive been out and looked at baby and wanted to know your opinions on using either of these areas as strapping down points..
If I did travel by ferry again I could take a few straps of my own.
Either would do it
Quote from: mecki on November 06, 2012, 12:47:58 PM
Maybe my standards are a bit higher than yours. :whistling:
And maybe they aren't, but we'll never know, will we Mecki :whistling:l:
Quote from: olde coney on November 06, 2012, 04:46:19 PM
And maybe they aren't, but we'll never know, will we Mecki :whistling:l:
You may not, but if you really reckon those cabins are comfy and the restaurant and service are outstanding I do. :mfr_lol:
With regards to Debs pics I would prefer to wrap my strap around the frame and back down to the floor then ratcheting it down, this gives a little stretch in the web and will hopefully not bend the actual hook on the end.
I have quite a few of those 25mm wide ratchet straps and I might (if I remember) cut a couple down for such use saving having a load of strap dangling around getting in the way.
Alan
Quote from: BigAlan on November 06, 2012, 05:17:01 PM
I would prefer to wrap my strap around the frame and back down to the floor then ratcheting it down, this gives a little stretch in the web and will hopefully not bend the actual hook on the end.
Alan.
I thought the same after I posted the pics.. Have both hooks to the floor mounting points. This way the hooks cant damage or mark the parts on the bike... Just looked on ebay and will get a few and cut them down :grin:
when i was strapping my bike down on the hull ferry , i got talking to an old timer who said he had been taking his bikes on the ferries for 50 years. He cable tied his front brake, but the bike onto centre stand and ran a strap from his front wheel to the centre stand , which completely enabled the bike from coming off the centre stand. he then used some straps to stop the bike moving backwards and forwards and sideways . Ive not a lot of experience on ferry strapping myself but his system seemed to make a lot of sense .
I think that as long as its left in gear and strapped either side then it shouldnt go anywhere and be sufficient to do the job :yes:
Hooking straight onto painted metal will rub away at the surface and leave marks and or remove paint. Better to use some padding. Going to Ireland last year we used an old towel and took spare ratchet straps just in case. However the P and O guys were brilliant and took care. Shame there is no tunnel across the Irish Sea. Can't wait for May.
Last September, the Zebrugge - Hull boat issued us with brand new straps to secure our own bikes, they were also very substantial
debs I would recoimmend that whatever method you use to strap "Baby" down, make sure that the ratchet is pulling the bike towards the side stand and not the other way.
Quote from: mecki on November 06, 2012, 04:56:53 PM
You may not, but if you really reckon those cabins are comfy and the restaurant and service are outstanding I do. :mfr_lol:
Club and Premier Class cabins are of a higher standard Mecki my friend, and provide adequate comfort for a one night crossing. :yes:
Quote from: olde coney on November 07, 2012, 10:49:59 AM
Club and Premier Class cabins are of a higher standard Mecki my friend, and provide adequate comfort for a one night crossing. :yes:
You said outstanding before and now it's only adequate. :nono:
Well, if I would be willing and able to pay over £200 pound for a night I rather stay at a 5 star hotel in a room that is truly outstanding instead paying the same for a cabin that is only adequate . :sleep1:
And believe it or not I have stayed in some pretty expensive hotels all over the world in my lifetime (as long as somebody else paid for it). :mfr_lol:
Quote from: mecki on November 07, 2012, 12:56:51 PM
You said outstanding before and now it's only adequate.
Well, if I would be willing and able to pay over £200 pound for a night I rather stay at a 5 star hotel in a room that is truly outstanding instead paying the same for a cabin that is only adequate .
If i paid £200 for a room i would want a dolly bird (Debs?) or two to look after me all night including getting my beer and food. :mfr_lol:
Alan
http://youtu.be/kQFKtI6gn9Y
Chris, I can assure you that I had not nor did I have any intention of arguing with anyone on this ~ or any other forum for that matter.
I was in fact only expressing an opinion (mine) which I am aware will not always please all the people all the time.
Any way I know what I like and I'm now totally bored :shit:less with the subject.
ZZZZZ. :mfr_lol:
Quote from: olde coney on November 07, 2012, 10:49:59 AM
Club and Premier Class cabins are of a higher standard Mecki my friend, and provide adequate comfort for a one night crossing. :yes:
Only for all you shortarses.
Us lanky gits find them all painful and sleep depriving.
Another reason why I prefer the train. It has more than adequate headroom! :mfr_lol:
Quote from: olde coney on November 07, 2012, 04:12:00 PM
Chris, I can assure you that I had not nor did I have any intention of arguing with anyone on this ~ or any other forum for that matter.
I was in fact only expressing an opinion (mine) which I am aware will not always please all the people all the time.
Any way I know what I like and I'm now totally bored :shit:less with the subject.
ZZZZZ. :mfr_lol:
If you put a picture of a black bike on here , there are some that would try to convince you it was white, there are some here whos purpose seems to be to argue against everything and find fault with every coment , its becoming tiresome
Debs pics reminded me of the mod I did to the R1 when on ferry. Swap one on the pillion peg bolts - (M8 I think) for one with an eyelet. Use this to secure the bike when on the side stand in addition to the strop over padded seat. Incidentally I don't like leaving on side stand either but remember seeing my mot man "pull" the bike onto side stand and rear wheel which lifted the front wheel to check head bearings. If I saw the GTR's bearing hiked this way I'd go ballistic!
Quote from: tommytool on November 07, 2012, 07:42:38 PM
Debs pics reminded me of the mod I did to the R1 when on ferry. Swap one on the pillion peg bolts - (M8 I think) for one with an eyelet. Use this to secure the bike when on the side stand in addition to the strop over padded seat. Incidentally I don't like leaving on side stand either but remember seeing my mot man "pull" the bike onto side stand and rear wheel which lifted the front wheel to check head bearings. If I saw the GTR's bearing hiked this way I'd go ballistic!
thats a good idea :clap:
Which one - the eyelet or pivoting the bike on its sidestand? Whilst I'm on the subject it's worth asking here how trained technicians check the head bearings. I hope it's using a scissor jack but who knows?
the eyelet
don't overlook the fact that much weight can be up high on the bike, so strapping over the seat might give better security
The eye;et idea may be a goodun though :yes:
Very late to this thread ... 4 pages already !!! .... Euro tunnel for me every time :cool: :cool: