what is the Chunnel situation for motorbikes?
 

I intend to travel using the Chunnel in just under 2 weeks with my daughter on a road trip to to Germany and maybe beyond. Does anyone have any recent experience of the chunnel (post 23 rd of July) as the French have beefed up their security what are the expected delays?

Doesn't sound too bad at the minute, we're travelling out on Saturday so I'll post up what we find then.


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Sorted at the minute. Sounds like the French increased the security level but not the number of staff. So long as they have enough people on duty the tunnel works at normal pace.

Andy

thanks for the response so far!

Straight from the horse's mouth: https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/traveller-info/latest/

Be careful when approaching the French side after dark.
This makes interesting reading.

We've gone through the tunnel twice this summer, both times after dark and not seen any trouble but the signs of it are everywhere around Calais. When we came back through the ferry port two weeks ago there were a couple of areas on the approach "motorway" where piles of bricks and rocks had been swept off the carriageway.

The approach to the check in kiosks were patrolled by armed French soldiers checking anything on any vehicle, private or commercial, that looked like it could contain a human sized bundle. If you couldn't open it for inspection you didn't get in.

Ferry at Hook of Holland
 

Depending on your route once in UK, you might want to consider coming home via Hook of Holland? There seems to be plenty of space right now - I was able to book yesterday afternoon for a sailing the same evening.

Was £130 but that gave me a pirate* cabin and a good nights rest. Got to be worth it.


Rachel

* private - was a typo that autocorrected badly but decided to leave it in :-)

Yar, that be a typo worth keeping, me hearty :rofl:

Did you know the chap who invented auto correct died? His funfair is next Monkey.

Andy

I went out to France on the morning of July 22nd and there were queues building. I was delayed at the entry kiosk for about 20 minutes as traffic cleared the car park but my train left on time. The return journey, two weeks later, took 20 minutes to pass from the kiosk (no queue) to board the train.

As of today (02 Sep 16) the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a warning for people using both the Chunnel and the ferries from Calais due to the ongoing issues:

"There has been a spate of attacks on civilian cars as they approach the Tunnel and Calais Port during hours of darkness. People believed to be illegal migrants are either lying down in the road or placing tree limbs in the road to slow traffic; they then attack vehicles with metal bars, stones etc. causing significant damage. It is believed that the intention is to attract a police response, taking them away from other duties, which then enables others to get into heavy goods vehicles; a local person crashed his motorbike into one of these roadblocks and died...."

For more info:

Accueil - Bison Futé

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france

Menace terroriste | Gouvernement.fr