Best time of day to use channel tunnel or ferry?

[Sheddy]

6 hour drive to the Tunnel from Llanelli, we normally do it on a Thursday, 4pm ish train then onto Cite Europe to Lidl for goodies, meal in the 3 Brewery restaurant taking in 'Happy Hour'.
Heading for Spain we like to do the N10 from Poitiers to the Spanish border on a Sunday avoiding the trucks.
Same on the return, then an early train about 8ish, off the train we head to the Cheriton Tesco for a breakfast the delay allows us to be on the M25 for mid morning usually back home about 3pm.
We will be on our way back in 2 weeks as the Benidorm snowbirds mass exodus begins.
Cheers
Ed

 

[Ukbandit]

Ed, the short cut from Citi Europe works a treat, must have took me all of 3 minutes from the car park to the pet reception, thanks for the advice, have a good journey back, but don’t expect any good weather, cold, damp, and grey here in Barnsley.

 

[busby]

We cross about 22.00 then hit the road the other side and drive through the night. A few hours kip then off again. Northern Spain on the third morning.
Return trip the same, 22.00 arrive 23.00 so by time we get to the Dartford crossing it’s free then home in Cheshire about 04.00-05.00.

That sounds like work not a holiday,,BUSBY

 

[Camdoon]

Ed, the short cut from Citi Europe works a treat, must have took me all of 3 minutes from the car park to the pet reception, thanks for the advice, have a good journey back, but don’t expect any good weather, cold, damp, and grey here in Barnsley.

Thanks for this, it's been mentioned before but always too asleep to remember

 

[GPW]

I would of thought all the Yorkshire people would be traveling to go over the dartford crossing between 10pm and 6am to avoid the toll. Haha

LOL, I didn't even realize there was a free time to cross! I'll have to look into that a bit more, what frightens me about the Dartford charge is not necessarily the money (although lets face it - it's another road tax), it's the chance of forgetting to pay or having some technical issue which means I can't pay. It was much better with toll booths and real people IMO.

I have realised however that if I use Newhaven (from Cambridge) I can go the other way around the M25 and avoid it completely - it's even 8 minutes quicker according to Google Maps!

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[Ukbandit]

I would of thought all the Yorkshire people would be traveling to go over the dartford crossing between 10pm and 6am to avoid the toll. Haha

Haha I went the other way round to avoid it 8 mile queues before M11 1 hour standing according to radio2.

 

[Littlewheels]

We always travel on a Sunday evening - as we live in South Yorkshire. Catch the train around 8.00pm and stop overnight at Cite Europe at around 10.00pm (local time). Buy some bread, meat, cheese and wine at Carrefour. Set off south(-ish) around 11.00 am.
Just the reverse on the way back but a 9.00am train. Have breakfast on the train and arrive about the same time in the UK.

Similar but West Yorkshire and we’ve even showered whilst on the Train before breakfast.

 

[Richard n Ann]

I would of thought all the Yorkshire people would be traveling to go over the dartford crossing between 10pm and 6am to avoid the toll. Haha

Yes, but not only that, the traffic is far less busy at 11pm

 

[Crazylegs]

For an extra few quid we buy a flexi ticket on the ferry then if we find we have forgotten something, get a puncture etc, there is absolutely no stress. We’re on holiday and try hard to make it as enjoyable as possible. Can’t be doing with parking in a shopping center car park, we try and spend our first/ last nights in pleasant places like La Touquet, St Omer or perhaps Honfleur, depending on our direction of travel.