DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Thought I'd bring all the Dover crossing info into one thread as the other thread has got a bit confusing.

So for those of us wanting to go to CLM 2008 Via Dover :

Dover to Boulogne with Speedferries


www.speedferries.com

Wednesday 9th July @ 14.20 GMT, arrives 16.10

return Monday 14th @ 17.10, arrives 17.00 GMT

Cost is £56.00 return

+ Overnight stay @ Rouen , then meet with the Caen group at Sees, Thursday morning.


Those booked so far :

James ( hot66)
Will
Brendan
Mike
James & Tracy
Derek & Caroline
Dave
Phil

Hi James.
Do you know the approx travel times and distances for the different ferry crossings? and who I need to speak to for the CLM tickets?.A rough guestimate would really help with my decision making.
Thanks Matt

Matt, I think the Dover options are more or less a couple of hours, and the Portsmouth ones between 5-6 hours depending on which way and time you travel.

As for tickets, there is a camping thread underway (ticket details are on there), tickets for the event itself are being organised (hopefully allowing us some sort of club arrangement) but nothing yet.

As far as I'm aware the priorities at the moment for anyone is sort accomodation (chateau: to be sorted by individuals or camping: if you want to camp at Maison Blanche, with the main group of DDK'ers, then register your interest with James Hot66, if you want to camp elsewhere, then you need to sort this yourself), and then ferry tickets.

I'd imagine there'll be news of event tickets nearer the time.

hot66 wrote:
These are just suggestions & of course we could do speedferries on the Thursday & visa versa etc. What do people think? ( I have not decided on my ferry crossing yet so have not booked. I am debating wether to get a Wednesday ferry & camp en route in france Weds night )

I'm happy to go with the flow. But an overnight camping stop on the Wednesday sounds good to me...might give us a chance to build in better roads / a couple of sights along the way.

willbrown wrote:

hot66 wrote:
These are just suggestions & of course we could do speedferries on the Thursday & visa versa etc. What do people think? ( I have not decided on my ferry crossing yet so have not booked. I am debating wether to get a Wednesday ferry & camp en route in france Weds night )

I'm happy to go with the flow. But an overnight camping stop on the Wednesday sounds good to me...might give us a chance to build in better roads / a couple of sights along the way.

Well I'm happy to book the wednesday afternoon ferry. I'd better start searching for a campsite

hot66 wrote:
Well I'm happy to book the wednesday afternoon ferry. I'd better start searching for a campsite

sounds like a plan

we can leave the stick waving old codgers to their delux cabins and get some practice in for MB

willbrown wrote: But an overnight camping stop on the Wednesday sounds good to me...might give us a chance to build in better roads / a couple of sights along the way

Yep thats what we've done, Speedferries Wednesday 9th July @ 14.20 GMT, arrives 16.10 £56.00 return - leisurely drive down from Yorkshire on the Wednesday, stay overnight in France and scenic route to Le Mans thursday

58A - 71E wrote:

willbrown wrote: But an overnight camping stop on the Wednesday sounds good to me...might give us a chance to build in better roads / a couple of sights along the way

Yep thats what we've done, Speedferries Wednesday 9th July @ 14.20 GMT, arrives 16.10 £56.00 return - leisurely drive down from Yorkshire on the Wednesday, stay overnight in France and scenic route to Le Mans thursday

Thought I'd heard the idea somewhere before Are you camping James ?



I have now booked with speedferries

hot66 wrote:Thought I'd heard the idea somewhere before Are you camping James ?

I have now booked with speedferries

Looks like we've got a convoy from Yorkshire

Was thinking about booking a cheap hotel like Etap or Formula 1 etc as they cost less than £20 for the night and it saves unloading all the camping gear (and at that price its as cheap as some camp sites) Only thing is you can book up to 250 days in advance so the dates are not yet available, ok you get what you pay for, but a bed, shower, no hassle with camping gear and a continental breakfast will do just nicely thankyou

Matt black70 wrote:Do you know the approx travel times and distances for the different ferry crossings?

Speedferries is 50mins only, their blurb says its the fastest crossing, so given the time difference you get back to England on the return leg just before you set off from France Plus they go to Boulogne rather than Dunkerque, which is 80km further South

The Norfolk lines crossing is 1hr45mins.

Several travel time options available on their respective websites, personally going for the wednesday afternoon crossing with speedferries as Dover is 270 miles away and I couldnt make the thursday 8am crossing with Norfolk unless I set off at some ungodly hour - even with the way I drive

willbrown wrote:we can leave the stick waving old codgers to their delux cabins

Oi!

Just booked option 2 - Speedferries.

If it suits, I can obtain a discount for up to 3 rooms in an Accor hotel (Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis, Etap & Formule1) for the overnight stop. I get the discount because my firm has spent £150k with Accor so far this year.

For example, I just looked up the Mercure in Arras, which has parking and I can get rooms that are usually £73.86 per night for £18.46. Breakfast is extra: £9.05.

That's limited to 3 rooms though, so unless single travellers want to double up it's going to be pretty limited. Let me know where the overnight should be and I'll get some rates for the closest Accor hotel(s).

I think James should benefit from your discount offer for his input in organising the Maison Blanche camping & checking out the ferry options.

Just to confirm that Brendan and me will be booking the speedferries crossing on the Wednesday and having an overnight stop en France. Last year we stayed at a hotel in Rouen with a secure underground hotel carpark. We would like to stay there again because the centre of Rouen is beautiful and was such a buzz for our meal that night (we hope the World Cup final will be on again next year and if it is I don't think Zinadine Zidane will make the same mistake again in extra time) and of course because of the security for our cars. If anyone can help us with alternative accomm. or want to convoy to Rouen please chip in with suggestions.

We will both be travelling as light as possible so that we can give megasquirt and Glenn a lift home.



Regards Mike

Mike can you give me the details of that hotel as I would be interested. I love Rouen great old place..I used to part own a flat there. Trouble is you can't park anywhere nr it.