Day eight – The drive back

The long drive back….

Oh! God! The long drive back…. Never again am I doing that drive…. Over 600 miles (driving directions)

We left Les Houches at 6:15 am and drove north heading for Boulogne. On the way we had 3 stops, one for coffee (and the loo), one for fuel (and the loo), and one just for the loo… All stops were for the minimum amount of time. The roads were clear and snow free (it did snow but nothing settled). Total tolls, around 80 euros.

We arrived at the port in Bolougne (the ’sat nav’ worked marvelously (check out some ’sat nav’ options at the GPS Store)) at 2:30 pm – our ferry was at 6:45 pm! However, we found that for £10 we could change the booking and catch the 3 pm to Dover. The ferry crossing fine. A little ‘bumpy’ in parts.

Arrived in Dover at 2:45 pm, local time, and we were off the ferry just after 3 pm (the ferry port is a nightmare to get out of, very confusing). Home (London area) by 5:30 pm.

Total milage just over 600, total traveling time – just over 12 hours (average speed, 50 mph, that is quite scary).

Conclusion: There is no way the drive could be done any faster – and it was still horrible and took forever. One thing that was learnt is the importance of clearing snow from the bonnet (hood) of a car because as we were driving along the two inch thick layer of ice and snow that had accumulated over the holiday suddenly detached in a fairly large lump. This almost resulted in the driving having a heart attack and the passenger needing a change of underclothes…

Next time I am taking the Eurostar or getting a flight!