Early Arrival at Channel Tunnel

matsue

matsue

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We are due to go to France via the Channel Tunnel on Saturday morning on 20 May. The last time we went we drove from home in West Yorkshire and slept in the car parking area until it was time to board. No problem. This time we planning to leave home on the Friday afternoon which means we could arrive at any time up to midnight. Looking on the Euro Tunnel website it says “Do not arrive more than 4 hours early or we may charge you a supplement of £200 or ask you to go away and come back later”. However the paragraph below that refers to having to wear masks at all times which could mean that this was in Covid times and they haven’t updated the pages. Has anyone very recent experience of arriving early (ie more than 4 hours before booked departure time) or is this just something to try and discourage too many people? They can’t be short of parking space, even with the current crossing issues, because HGV’s can’t park in the car parks by the Terminal facilities.
Any relevant information greatly appreciated.
 
AFAIK its always been the rule that you cannot stay longer (eg overnight). When we went down a day early we stayed at Folkestone seafront at the end of Lower Sandgate Road (on the road itself, not the car park) right next to a lovely park/garden/prom - we were originally going to stop on Marine Parade but there weren't any spaces.

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You can change your booking online pretty close to travel so once you know you are getting closer you could book an earlier slot, otherwise just rockup and they may let you in otherwise you could exit if you did not want to pay any extra fee if applicable.
 
We arrived five and a half hours early in February and got on a crossing straight away. I have always found that if it’s a quiet time (passenger not freight) and not school holidays or July & Aug, they usually just let you on the next train.
 
Thanks for both of those. I don't think they will let me change online because we booked via CAMC😈 and can only change via them. Last time we went via the Tunnel which was 2015 we arrived about 7 hours early and having checked in had a nap until it was time to embark. What I was really trying to find out was how strictly they were enforcing the 4 hour max rule, if at all.
 
We were 4 hours early at 0320 hrs.
No issues for catching that one Friday morning
 
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matsue said:
We are due to go to France via the Channel Tunnel on Saturday morning on 20 May. The last time we went we drove from home in West Yorkshire and slept in the car parking area until it was time to board. No problem. This time we planning to leave home on the Friday afternoon which means we could arrive at any time up to midnight. Looking on the Euro Tunnel website it says “Do not arrive more than 4 hours early or we may charge you a supplement of £200 or ask you to go away and come back later”. However the paragraph below that refers to having to wear masks at all times which could mean that this was in Covid times and they haven’t updated the pages. Has anyone very recent experience of arriving early (ie more than 4 hours before booked departure time) or is this just something to try and discourage too many people? They can’t be short of parking space, even with the current crossing issues, because HGV’s can’t park in the car parks by the Terminal facilities.
Any relevant information greatly appreciated.
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Covid has not gone away, its just the Government would like people to live with it and the press are not reporting very much about it. Three friends over the past week have caught it, for two this is the third time and they are feeling pretty miserable and rough (and their sense of taste and smell has not returned from the original infection) The third individual is very poorly.

The Government has pushed the responsibility on to the public so its your choice on what risk or otherwise you choose to take currently there are around 9,600 people in hospital and about 200 deaths per day

It is up to the individual to decide if they wear a mask in shops traveling on the rail bus etc

"Public advised to cover faces in enclosed spaces" (dated the 11th May)​

The public is advised to consider wearing face coverings in enclosed public spaces such as shops, trains and buses to help reduce the spread of coronavirus.

  • People who use public transport or visit shops should consider covering their mouth and nose based on advice from SAGE
  • Face coverings are not a replacement for social distancing and regular handwashing which remain the most important actions, says Chief Medical Officer
  • Public urged not to buy medical grade masks so they can be saved for frontline health and care workers, and instead make their own face coverings at home
The public is advised to consider wearing face coverings in enclosed public spaces where you may be more likely to come into contact with people you do not normally meet, the government announced today.

After careful consideration of the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), the government confirmed face coverings can help reduce the risk of transmission in some circumstances.

Face coverings can help us protect each other and reduce the spread of the disease if you are suffering from coronavirus but not showing symptoms. People with coronavirus symptoms, as well as members of their household, should continue to follow the advice to self-isolate.

They may be beneficial in places where it is hard to follow maintain social distancing measures. This applies when using public transport, such as trains, buses and metro systems, or when visiting shops."
 
orridge said:
You can change your booking online pretty close to travel so once you know you are getting closer you could book an earlier slot, otherwise just rockup and they may let you in otherwise you could exit if you did not want to pay any extra fee if applicable.
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AFAIK it's a minimum of 24 hours before, at least that's what it is for the frequent traveller tickets.

Carpmart said:
We arrived five and a half hours early in February and got on a crossing straight away. I have always found that if it’s a quiet time (passenger not freight) and not school holidays or July & Aug, they usually just let you on the next train.
Click to expand...
It will probably depend on what type of ticket you have as to when you can get on 'early'.
 
Jo662 said:
Why don't you head to the Canterbury park and ride. Its convenient for the tunnel and there is Motorhome parking.

New Dover Road Park and Ride
01227 862429
maps.app.goo.gl

New Dover Road Park and Ride · New Dover Rd, Canterbury CT1 3EL

★★★★★ · Park and Ride
maps.app.goo.gl maps.app.goo.gl
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You can’t leave work at 5.00pm in Yorkshire and get down there for 8.30 when they shut the gates 🤷‍♂️😤😤

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Coolcats said:
It is up to the individual to decide if they wear a mask in shops traveling on the rail bus etc
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In Spain there was still mask wearing in shops by most people, but in France it was the complete opposite, we wore ours but many didn't.
 
WESTY66 said:
You can’t leave work at 5.00pm in Yorkshire and get down there for 8.30 when they shut the gates 🤷‍♂️😤😤
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Some people have no idea of geography! :LOL:
 
Lynne Roy said:
We arrived at 11pm and access allowed to Canterbury park’n’ride
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My bad then, I never ventured there because I can’t get there for 8.30pm which I heard so many times that the gates shut at that time!!
Apologies to all who were confused at my false statements!!
Next tunnel trip I’ll head down and get there for around 9.30-10.00 and get head down and catch the early next day train. Thanks for the heads up👍👍
 
WESTY66 said:
My bad then, I never ventured there because I can’t get there for 8.30pm which I heard so many times that the gates shut at that time!!
Apologies to all who were confused at my false statements!!
Next tunnel trip I’ll head down and get there for around 9.30-10.00 and get head down and catch the early next day train. Thanks for the heads up👍👍
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It was only 10 days ago, we read the same but no problem with access x
 
Minxy said:
AFAIK it's a minimum of 24 hours before, at least that's what it is for the frequent traveller tickets.


It will probably depend on what type of ticket you have as to when you can get on 'early'.
Click to expand...
Using frequent traveller I have recently on a few occasions changed a crossing within 1 or 2 hours of departure as I drive back from Belgium and unsure of the traffic so book a much later crossing just incase then get near to Calais and change it.

Agree depending on the ticket the options may be limited but if the do not want to accept the change ET will allow them to drive through the barrier and exit back onto the exit road.
 
orridge said:
Using frequent traveller I have recently on a few occasions changed a crossing within 1 or 2 hours of departure as I drive back from Belgium and unsure of the traffic so book a much later crossing just incase then get near to Calais and change it.

Agree depending on the ticket the options may be limited but if the do not want to accept the change ET will allow them to drive through the barrier and exit back onto the exit road.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I checked this on Saturday as we were thinking of changing our 8.50 am Sunday crossing to 1.00 am so we could get back to the UK then and sleeping at Folkestone for the night but when I looked up the T&Cs it said it had to be at least 24 hours before the booked date/time.
 
In my experience if they are not busy they'll let you go through quickly, and even if you've booked a certain time there's no guarantee they'll put on that actual one. So they're flexible-ish, but to suit themselves. Some times we've had to wait for the actual time when we were really early. The best way to find out is just turn up. May be lucky, may not.

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Minxy said:
Interesting, I checked this on Saturday as we were thinking of changing our 8.50 am Sunday crossing to 1.00 am so we could get back to the UK then and sleeping at Folkestone for the night but when I looked up the T&Cs it said it had to be at least 24 hours before the booked date/time.
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The T&C's may say that but if you go onto the website or the app you can change it much later than that if using Frequent traveller tickets.
 
We rolled up at around 22.00 hrs on April 12 and stayed in the car park until our train was due at 06.20 without any hassle when arriving at the automatic check in it offered us an earlier crossing at an extra £190 which we declined and stuck to our original booking we got our boarding card and then drove straight to the terminal car park for a few hours Kip👍😊
 
if you cant get in to canterbury drive down to fathing corner near the drum and wild camp
 
Black Horse Farm Caravan Club Site, Hawkinge. Wardens here are used to late arrivals and early departures and nice easy ride to tunnel or ferry.
 
We used to stop at Folkestone sports club, tucked in behind Morrison’s as we travel from Pembrokeshire and always book an early train the next morning, but heard they’d started closing the gate at night, so used Canterbury park and ride for our last trip on 28 April. We got in just before 8.30pm so can’t comment about being able to access after that time.
In the past we’ve stayed at the Valiant Sailor (not recommended but ok in an emergency) and tried a pub in the middle of a housing estate which I can’t remember the name of, but it’s on p4n. We left quite soon after finding it as there was a party going on.
I‘m reluctant to stay in the coach parking on case we get all settled and fast asleep then get moved on.

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orridge said:
The T&C's may say that but if you go onto the website or the app you can change it much later than that if using Frequent traveller tickets.
Click to expand...
Agreed - we almost always change ours as we're approaching Calais: we usually book an mid-afternoon crossing but log on to the app or the website mid-morning once we know what time we'll be arriving. With Frequent Traveller they even give you a refund if your original booking was a peak time but your new one isn't (y) You can also change normal tickets in the same way, though I guess you'd have to pay the difference if your new crossing is in a different fare bucket.
 
I had to phone to change when I’d used Tesco vouchers a couple of years ago
voucher systems changed a bit since then so it might not be so now
 
Just a catch up and to thank all those who replied to my post.
We arrived at the Channel Tunnel at 11.45pm for our crossing at 07.20. The automatic number plate reader picked up our booking and offered us earlier crossings. The first was at 01.20 for £99. Since I am a Yorkshireman that was out. However we were also offered 05.50 and 06.20 for free. We chose the 05.50 and settled down in the car park for a sleep until our crossing was called. Incidentally, the car park was virtually empty. In the morning we were called 45 minutes before the crossing and went to UK immigration where our passports were checked and a separate check was made that our gas was switched off. We then proceeded to the French immigration where our passports were checked and stamped. There was no check for COVID nor for foodstuffs.
The shuttle left exactly on time and arrived exactly on time in France. There were no further checks on disembarking. After that we made a short hop to the Carrefour 24 hour filling station inside the Cite d’Europe. 1.78 euros a litre for diesel. Another bargain! So in essence, no problems at all.
We are now in Beaune staying at Les Cents Vignes. A word of caution don’t just turn up unless very early because it is often fully booked. Yesterday 45 Autostars turned up on a rally. If we hadn’t booked we would have been turned away as many other motorhomers were.
We are heading to Provence but our first night was at Camping Lac d’Orient at Mesnil Saint Pere. Never had to book there. Serviced pitch 19.40 euros per night with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, restaurant and grocery. CAMC eat you heart out.
 
matsue said:
We are heading to Provence but our first night was at Camping Lac d’Orient at Mesnil Saint Pere. Never had to book there. Serviced pitch 19.40 euros per night with indoor and outdoor swimming pools, restaurant and grocery. CAMC eat you heart out.
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We ‘tried’ to stay at Camping Lac d’Orient about a month ago, but there was a road closure preventing vehicles of our size (7.3T) getting in! It sounds as nice as we thought it would be! 👌
 

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