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Post by Jim Franklin on Jan 4, 2013 9:27:41 GMT -5
Hi all, cost is a critical factor in this trip, or any trip, and as such I have been looking at various options. I took a more in depth look after an email Charlie received from a friend suggesting that driving from Calais was the cheaper option. I had very quickly looked at this and though the difference not too great, but after looking at this properly and putting the data into a spread sheet have realised there is a MASSIVE saving to be had that makes the whole trip even more economically viable.
Dover to Calais € 43.85 (£35.00)
Calais to St Jean-De-Luz 664 miles € 142.09 (£113.67)
St Jean-De-Luz to Algeciras 744 miles € 159.21 (£127.37)
Totals 1,408 miles € 345.15 (£276.04)
Total Round Trip Costs 2,816 miles € 690.30 (£552.08)
Note: € to £ rate based on €1 = £0.80. This will fluctuate but is the average over 2012. Note: Fuel costs based on 10.1L/100km(28mpg) and calculated at the current diesel costs in the relevent country.
Portsmouth to Santander/Bilbao € 622.00 (£498.00)
Santander/Bilbao to Algerciras 744 miles € 159.21 (£127.37)
Totals € 781.21 (£625.37)
Total Round Trip Costs € 1,562.42 (£1,250.73)
So what we have is by driving from Calais, including the return ferry costs, the trip costs from Calais to Algaceris and back stands at a little around £550-£600 depending on fuel economy.
However if we get the ferry to Spain, we still need to a return driving trip from Northern Spain to Algaciras, and the cost for the Ferry, accommodation on the Ferry(Mandatory) and the return fuel costs total some £1250...
I have no issue driving from Calais, the journey is about 23 hours at 60mph, but the Ferry from the UK to Spain takes some 34 hours in clear weather, plus we then have the 12-14 hour drive across Spain...even with breaks we can knock 10 hours off the Journey time as a minimum and save a few hundred pounds or more..
So whats the consensus???
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Post by charliedenny on Jan 4, 2013 13:47:13 GMT -5
I am going to go with the across France option, we will have to look at accommodation on the way down and on the way back.
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5709
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by 5709 on Jan 4, 2013 17:17:52 GMT -5
I did think about suggesting driving accross France as I knew it would be cheeper and quicker, but figured that others would've been glad of the break from driving and was happy to go with the flow.
However if this is now an option, it gets my vote.
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Post by Jim Franklin on Jan 5, 2013 2:48:17 GMT -5
I think if the difference was only about £100 then the break would be worth it, but we are looking at potential savings of £450 - £700 (depending on fuel efficiency of vehicle) and that is well worth ignoring the ferry option in my book.  I have done the drive from Caan-Alicante/Murcia a few times over the years and have enjoyed it every time, the only time I can say I hit traffic was in high summer going over the Gironde Bridge outside of Bordeaux, and the time we are going we will be missing all the holiday traffic. |
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Post by charliedenny on Jan 5, 2013 17:07:39 GMT -5
I am all for the French run, I will ask one of my parents very nicely if they can go down to the ferry ticket office in Algeciras and get some prices. In march last year the crossing to Cueta cost me 90 euros single and I was driving a 27 seat minibus, from memory it was about 70 euros for the land rovers, the other information I pulled from my trip file was the name of the campsite in Marrakech its called le Relais de Marraketch and the web site is www.lerelaisdemarrakech.comthis is the start point of the tizian test (sp!) |
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Post by stevepdefender123 on Jan 11, 2013 17:19:23 GMT -5
Hi are you saying against the the ferry? Cause i was a little disappointed about the ferry bit. Im the sort of the persons that just loves driving. Iv driven 36 hours before on loads of events with one 20 min sleep on one of them and acouple of stops of about 30-60 mins.
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Post by Jim Franklin on Jan 12, 2013 8:56:30 GMT -5
Steve, at this stage it looks like driving the whole journey from Calais will be cheaper by about £600 depending on fuel economy of the respective vehicles.
I originally considered the ferry to Spain as I thought people would be opposed to driving all the way, and I didn't realise the costs would be so far apart.
I am happy to drive all the way, I have drive Calais or Chergurg to Alicante and further south several times, so I'm good with that.
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Post by discojay on Jan 14, 2013 16:05:09 GMT -5
ive been intrested in doing something like this for a while but have now lost my job, and i doubt my new buissnes will pick up in time for me to come along, will you be doing anything like this in 2014?
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Post by stevepdefender123 on Jan 14, 2013 16:24:38 GMT -5
Im really happy to drive all the way. And will really test the land rovers out. And i can justifie having a discovery transfer box for once.
Jay theres always expeditions going on. Im sure after a couple of years some of us will want to do something similar anyway. Would of forgotton the bad bits by then. If you make a new thread on landrovernet forum you will find other people will want to do it and might even organise it.
Steven
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Post by Jim Franklin on Jan 15, 2013 4:03:55 GMT -5
A friend from the Discovery owners Club wanted to come this year but sadly his other half is unable to get time off in October and Paul will not go alone (understandably) so we have been discussing a shorter trip to the Pyrenees perhaps in the Summer as this can be done in a week. failing that, a Pyrenees / Alps trip is a real possibility for 2014.
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Post by Jim Franklin on Jan 30, 2013 14:01:07 GMT -5
OK...route...
16th October: Day 1: Ferry from Dover @ 12:05 hrs (GMT) arrives Calais at 13:35hrs French time (CET)
The plan is to make the Spanish border that night, it's about a 10-12 hour drive to the Pyrenees, failing that, we could have a break of a couple of hours and drive straight across the border, but I would want to be in Algericas by midnight of 17th October.
The Morning of the 18th we get the Ferry across to Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in Morocco and then cross into Morocco proper.
Head South on the N13 toward Tetouan, then we turn south on the N13/N2 to Chefchaouen, then we turn east on the N2 toward Bab Taza then we follow the N2 toward Ketama. Here we turn south onto the R505 toward Taoumate on the N8. At Taoumate we will have covered 330km (205 miles) and stop for the night.
Day 2:
Continue on the N8 South for about 65km, just before we reach Ain Kansera we turn onto a gravel road which takes us South east about 15km, here we turn right (South) onto the road toward Sid-Abdel-Razeck, here we get onto the N6 to Bir TamTam, here we turn toward Sidi Youssef, after about 12km we turn south on a unmarked road (track) toward the town of El Menzaeh, we then follow the R505 about 20km to Sefrou. Here we turn south onto the R503 toward Bouleman and follow this road to the Junction of the N13, here we turn South East toward Midelt. We can either camp or stay in Midelt.
Total distance for this section is 345km (220 miles)
I am in the process of redoing the rest of the route as I screwed up some distance calculations and want to redo and make sure they are correct due to fuel limits in our vehicles. I will posts more as I complete sections, will have it completed over the next couple of days...
Please a look at this and say if there are any issues you know of or would like changed
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Post by charliedenny on Jan 30, 2013 15:36:07 GMT -5
mmm now I am thinking, I have to drive down from Scotland I might take the Southampton/Santander ferry and meet you at Algeciras on the morning of the 18th, I will be on my own until my co driver meets us out there (most likely Gib but not sure)
will sit down and do some calculations
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Post by Jim Franklin on Jan 30, 2013 16:39:33 GMT -5
Charlie, the time we take to get to Algeciras is up to us, if you want to stretch it out as you will be coming a long way, then we can, we could have a "rest day" in the Pyrenees so that we could fine tune routes, plans and gather ourselves...nothing is cast in stone..
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Post by charliedenny on Jan 30, 2013 17:06:32 GMT -5
if I was going to do the Santander route my plan would be to drive down from Haggis-land, Tuesday night, get to Southampton about 10am ish Wednesday for the midday ferry have my rest day on the ferry and try to do the run from Santander to Algericas in a one.
from memory there is a ferry at 8am to Ceuta that was quiet when we did it, also meant crossing the border into Morocco only took half an hour! (rather than the 3 to 4 hours we had been told!!)
there is a ticket office for the ferry behind the carrefour just off the AP7 at junction 115 Lat/long: 36.179324,-5.441185
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Post by charliedenny on Feb 4, 2013 13:41:49 GMT -5
Right folks,
I booked my ferries today, I am travelling down to Portsmouth on Tuesday 15th of October catching the 1715 ferry to Santander arriving in Santander the following day at 1815,
I will meet everybody at Algeciras on or around the 18th!!
My co-driver has to be back at work on the 4th of November so we are booked on the santander to Portsmouth ferry on the 2nd of November arriving back in the Uk on Sunday the 3rd.
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