Eurotunnel traffic
- Thread starter Rong
- Start date
No it’s not as you board the train before Dover.
Dover won’t be a problem,but I would arrive at the terminal with loads of time because it will be the beginning of the school holidays and will be busy.
- May 23, 2013
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Yes and no.
Yes in the fact sometimes they close part of the M20 so depending on the direction you are coming from might need to consider a different approach but this changes day by day.
No if the trucks are queuing back to Folkestone they have people in place to ensure you can exit the M20 at the Eurotunnel exit.
If you can avoid the first few days of School Holidays there is a lack of Border force staff at ET, Dover & Calais causing longer delays then needed plus the extra time to check and stamp passports.
We came back through Calais on the ferry yesterday and no queues at check-in or French Customs but took an hour to get through Border Farce as only 2 lanes out of 12 open and searching every vehicle.
Impossible to predict,it changes hour by hour,day to day.
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Why are the trucks queuing if there are empty spaces on P&O boats?
Why are the trucks queuing if eurotunnel are not runningt 4 trains per hour 24 hours a day?
Why aren't there more 'border' staff on duty?
Why are the trucks queuing if eurotunnel are not runningt 4 trains per hour 24 hours a day?
Why aren't there more 'border' staff on duty?
- May 23, 2013
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Hhmm I wonder what might have changed in the last few years to add extra delays and red tape to seamless processes....It is a mystery that is for sure.
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Only ever use the tunnel, and did it again last week. We have a 7.15m moho, towing a 2.8m 500kg trailer.
Mid July is a week before more most schools break up. Shouldn't be too bad.
As a general rule, if you get a later PM crossing from UK to France, and morning crossing from France to UK, it is cheaper and less busy.
Try to complete the advance passenger information two days before you cross. Upload your passport number & expiry, and your Covid vax letter as a pdf. They can check it on arrival, but it may take some time.
Outbound was easy. Firstly Operation Brock wasn't busy. It sits between junction 8 and 9 and basically restricts your lanes from three to two, but with no hard shoulder. I'd check it out on the AA map app, when you get to Junction 4. If it is clagged up, you CAN go round it by staying on the old A20, but it will add 20 minutes to the journey from Junction 8 and many others may be doing the same.
Landy Andy is correct, Dover is ten miles up the coast, on a different motorway, the M2 and the tunnel terminal is four miles this side of Folkestone on the M20. The freight backup has to be catastrophic before it impacts on the tunnel traffic.
We arrived at 06:30, an hour earlier than the crossing. Breezed through the check in. They use number plate recognition, and sometimes ask you to confirm with the credit card you used to book the crossing. Have it handy. We then waited for five minutes to be called and then went round to the Customs area. The French police check your passports and stamp them (they have absolutely no friendliness or sense of humour, but their job does look pretty boring).
You then move to the checking area where someone will ask to check your gas is off. We weren't checked for sausages or cheese, and I didn't see anyone else being checked. Could have got a couple of ox through the check.
Onto the holding area and waited for five minutes before the barrier went up. Onto the train.
You don’t say whether you have done this before so sorry if this is egg sucking. Firstly, if you tow anything, put your hazards on. The train guy/gal needs to know that you are longer than you look so he/she can leave enough space for you.
Driving on is easy. They get 72 seat coaches on, so a moho of any size is doable. Just steer to clear, as they say, and stay in the centre of the track. Pull your mirrors in.
If you have got a flask of hot water, grab a brew – you can’t reconnect your gas on the train, obv.
Driving off is the same. You are on the French road within a couple of hundred yards and the continent is your oyster.
Coming back, has in the past been a bloody nightmare. But not yesterday. Never known it working so well. They have changed the layout at Coquelles. You drive through the check in and park up at the shopping centre, before going through passport control.
Immediately called, although we were expecting a 40 minute wait. Went round and into the passport area. French Douane customs not interested in us and waved us through. UK passports were as slow as always, but no problems. Note that motorhomes and tuggers have to go to one of two booths on the far right of the concourse, so best if you stay that side.
Once though, quick gas check, and into the holding area. We expected a long wait. Five minutes later, barrier goes up and we were bumped onto an earlier train. Fantastic.
Operation Brock caught us on the way back. Some poor sausage had broken down and we were down to one lane. However, the Highways chaps were there like a rocket and we were moving inside five minutes.
We always used to go over in Whitsun and can safely say, the naysayers are wrong. It was much easier and quicker last week, than before a certain virus and a certain exit from a certain union.
However, our next trip in August might present a different picture…
Mid July is a week before more most schools break up. Shouldn't be too bad.
As a general rule, if you get a later PM crossing from UK to France, and morning crossing from France to UK, it is cheaper and less busy.
Try to complete the advance passenger information two days before you cross. Upload your passport number & expiry, and your Covid vax letter as a pdf. They can check it on arrival, but it may take some time.
Outbound was easy. Firstly Operation Brock wasn't busy. It sits between junction 8 and 9 and basically restricts your lanes from three to two, but with no hard shoulder. I'd check it out on the AA map app, when you get to Junction 4. If it is clagged up, you CAN go round it by staying on the old A20, but it will add 20 minutes to the journey from Junction 8 and many others may be doing the same.
Landy Andy is correct, Dover is ten miles up the coast, on a different motorway, the M2 and the tunnel terminal is four miles this side of Folkestone on the M20. The freight backup has to be catastrophic before it impacts on the tunnel traffic.
We arrived at 06:30, an hour earlier than the crossing. Breezed through the check in. They use number plate recognition, and sometimes ask you to confirm with the credit card you used to book the crossing. Have it handy. We then waited for five minutes to be called and then went round to the Customs area. The French police check your passports and stamp them (they have absolutely no friendliness or sense of humour, but their job does look pretty boring).
You then move to the checking area where someone will ask to check your gas is off. We weren't checked for sausages or cheese, and I didn't see anyone else being checked. Could have got a couple of ox through the check.
Onto the holding area and waited for five minutes before the barrier went up. Onto the train.
You don’t say whether you have done this before so sorry if this is egg sucking. Firstly, if you tow anything, put your hazards on. The train guy/gal needs to know that you are longer than you look so he/she can leave enough space for you.
Driving on is easy. They get 72 seat coaches on, so a moho of any size is doable. Just steer to clear, as they say, and stay in the centre of the track. Pull your mirrors in.
If you have got a flask of hot water, grab a brew – you can’t reconnect your gas on the train, obv.
Driving off is the same. You are on the French road within a couple of hundred yards and the continent is your oyster.
Coming back, has in the past been a bloody nightmare. But not yesterday. Never known it working so well. They have changed the layout at Coquelles. You drive through the check in and park up at the shopping centre, before going through passport control.
Immediately called, although we were expecting a 40 minute wait. Went round and into the passport area. French Douane customs not interested in us and waved us through. UK passports were as slow as always, but no problems. Note that motorhomes and tuggers have to go to one of two booths on the far right of the concourse, so best if you stay that side.
Once though, quick gas check, and into the holding area. We expected a long wait. Five minutes later, barrier goes up and we were bumped onto an earlier train. Fantastic.
Operation Brock caught us on the way back. Some poor sausage had broken down and we were down to one lane. However, the Highways chaps were there like a rocket and we were moving inside five minutes.
We always used to go over in Whitsun and can safely say, the naysayers are wrong. It was much easier and quicker last week, than before a certain virus and a certain exit from a certain union.
However, our next trip in August might present a different picture…
We've crossed both ways round 8pm and always been pretty quiet during the August school holidays.
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