# Dover Calais



## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

How are things now?
We cross in three weeks with P and O
Which other routes could we request p an o to switch us to if Calais is still a problem?


----------



## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Best to ask them if that alternative is available.It seems that even the tunnel now is open to strike action. 

cabby


----------



## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

We came back on the tunnel yesterday morning. No queues for non freight and we got put on an earlier train. our problem started when leaving the UK terminal and finding M20 junction 9 closed. It was absolute chaos with vehicles trying to get onto the A20. I cannot understand how closing the northbound M20 helps anyone.


----------



## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

rayc said:


> We came back on the tunnel yesterday morning. No queues for non freight and we got put on an earlier train. our problem started when leaving the UK terminal and finding M20 junction 9 closed. It was absolute chaos with vehicles trying to get onto the A20. I cannot understand how closing the northbound M20 helps anyone.


We came across Tuesday evening after spending from 11am 'till 6.15pm on the Eurotunnel France carpark due to the strike/disruption.
We were next to load when the trains were stopped due to burning tyres on the tracks.

Eventually got onto the M20 and thought were ok until we hit that closure.
Absolute chaos with 4 lanes down the slip to meet ???? at the island with the lights at the bottom. The lights were more or less being ignored and there appeared to be no signage until we turned left at the 'lights'. Then again chaos.
Didn't know where we were going until I saw, A28 Canterbury painted on the road surface and turned left across the traffic lanes.
I thought that's for me as I remember the A2 and Canterbury from the 'old days' getting to Dover for the ferry.

An easy scenic drive to Canterbury and eventually the A2 and M2 to the Dartford crossing.

God knows how long we would have been stuck in that queue and the drive west if we hadn't used our initiative.

We too couldn't understand why the closure was made.

Eventually got home at 11pm, that from 6.30am wake up call, Baie de Somme.


----------



## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Dover-Calais may be getting back to what passes as normality, but there is no guarantee how long this will last as the demonstrating strikers could just start again at any time. Can anyone explain how they got into the Tunnel to set the tyre fires? I would have thought that that should have been impossible due to security. They must have carried the tyres in with them. Why were those starting the fires not arrested and charged with arson, or is that a silly question? We were in France a couple of years ago when demonstrators (I think against cheap milk imports) set fires with old tyres in the carpark of at least one supermarket. There was absolute disruption, which is of course what they wanted. I don't know if any charges were ever brought.
Shame MEES that you weren't booked on the Dunkirk crossing but it's probably too late to cancel and rebook.
Lala


----------



## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

lalala said:


> Can anyone explain how they got into the Tunnel to set the tyre fires? I would have thought that that should have been impossible due to security. They must have carried the tyres in with them.
> Lala


I read later that the protesters carried cutting gear with them and cut a section out of the security fence. Others followed with tyres.

After the protesters had finished Eurostar still had to get illegals out of the tunnel before trains could run again.

We were sitting in our mh cab waiting for the call for 'N' to load when we realised that 'M' had finished loading but not set off.
I then pointed out smoke to MOH, guessed it was tyres and we'd had it for the time being.


----------



## DBSS (Jun 30, 2013)

Same here MEES. But with all the uncertainty have decided to sit tight and just keep fingers crossed we wont be sat to long for our early morning crossing 3 weeks tomorrow..!!


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Was it maybe employees that were demonstrating who set fire to the tyres? Maybe they had security clearance I dont know. They wont have now as they were all sacked yesterday I believe.

We are away on the 19th and I deliberately avoided P&O as they dont sail to Dunkirk so I am not sure what P&O will do if they cannot get to Calais as its DFDS who go to Dunkirk and Calais which is who I booked with. I would have thought though there should be no reason why a P&O ferry couldn't sail to Dunkirk if Calais was shut.

Who is to say though that Dunkirk wont be next? I would have thought it would all be sorted long before then though. Cant say its worrying me as long as I dont have to hold up in Dover.


----------



## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

Ironically we usually and prefer dunkirk but the times / prices we want were full so we settled for Calais :-(


----------



## jackeen (Dec 14, 2007)

*Calais-Dover*

Below is an extract from an e-mail I received today from DFDS.

" -All customers booked from Calais are requested to proceed to the Port of Dunkirk to be shipped on the first Dunkirk-Dover service.

There is no need to call us to arrange this transfer, simply turn up at the DFDS Seaways check in area at the ports."
jackeen.


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

I wouldn't worry about it yet. A lot can happen in 3 weeks.

I don't think P&O do any other crossings do they? If that's the case there is no way they will let you cancel without penalty. 

If you are that concerned then the only real option you have is to cancel your booking and try and get SOME money back and re-book Newhaven Dieppe or similar, trouble is that it will cost a lot more. 

Your choice!!

Andy


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

jackeen said:


> Below is an extract from an e-mail I received today from DFDS.
> 
> " -All customers booked from Calais are requested to proceed to the Port of Dunkirk to be shipped on the first Dunkirk-Dover service.
> 
> ...


Yes but Mees the OP is booked with P&O.


----------



## Carl_n_Flo (May 10, 2005)

If P&O are blocked from sailing into Calais again in the next few weeks, then they will simply sail into Boulogne instead.

They cant sail to Dunkerque as it is at capacity with the DFDS sailings. Unfortunately, the days of P&O sailing from Dover to Zeebrugge are long over as the linkspans no longer exist to take the Dover ships.

During this strike, P&O started to sail into Boulogne with impunity. Apparently, the leader of the striking French seaman was beside himself with apoplexy that P&O effectively stuck 2 fingers up to him.

PS - DFDS are still blocked from sailing into Calais, so all THEIR customers are being taken too and from Dunkerque.


----------



## robbosps (Mar 10, 2014)

Id read the P&O boats went to Bolougne too, but cant remember where. Im surprised they fit. I didnt think Bolougne was particularly large or had twin deck linkspans


----------



## Carl_n_Flo (May 10, 2005)

Boulogne had a new ferry port built back at the beginning of the recession and it has been mothballed ever since. All the current P&O fleet can fit, but only one at a time as there is only one linkspan. And yes, it is a double deck. The old ferry port still has its linkspans, but they haven't been used since the early days of Seafrance and none of the current ships will fit.


----------



## Pat-H (Oct 30, 2009)

Just come back from France Via Calais today. No problems at all. The only hold up was the UK boarder control in Calais.
Very very slow and cause a 30 minute delay.


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

I dont think people should panic. Its too important a route for it to carry on like it was a few days ago. They will make it work somehow. There may be delays but Im sure we will all get across one way or another. The only thing I found which backs up what Carl is saying is I had a real problem getting a decent sailing to Dunkirk with DFDS as they were going like hot cakes. If your booking with DFDS get in quick.


----------



## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Beware...............................
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2015/07/03/...ing-grid7|uk-ws-bb|dl17|sec1_lnk2&pLid=362888

Ray.


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

£ 2000 fine in the post ? :wink2:


tony


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

GEMMY said:


> £ 2000 fine in the post ? :wink2:
> 
> tony


Maybe that is why she said they think he got in as they got of the ferry - could be a defence strategy:wink2:

Geoff


----------



## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

We spent Thursday night on Calais aire and it was the most peaceful we've ever seen it. Plenty of space and no sign of immigrants or any other problems, neither were there any hanging around their usual haunts such as Auchan. I'm assuming they were all on the autoroute trying to hitch a lift on the queueing freight traffic. There were 5 P&O ferries running at approx 1hr intervals and others on the aire said they were being told by P&O to just turn up at the ferry terminal at any time for return trips with no waiting expected.

Our only problem was finding a junction at which to join the autoroute as due to the freight queues the French police had coned off all the ingoing slip roads but in true French fashion we only had to drive a couple of junctions north before we found a slip road where someone had conveniently moved all the cones aside. :wink2:
No sign of any French police presence on the motorway or tunnel sliproads to keep immigrants from breaking into lorries.

Eurotunnel was running to schedule yesterday and in fact we were offered an early departure, slight customs delay but nothing unusual.

This side of the channel we were fortunate that the westbound carriageway was fully open, the police having just cleared the lorries. Not so good for traffic going the other way (towards Dover) as even though the motorway could have easily been opened (not many lorries left in the stack) the police seemed determined to keep it closed. At one point we passed five police vehicles all parked up together in the middle of the eastbound carriageway, blue lights flashing, police standing around chatting, not a lorry in sight for miles. Disgraceful performance.


----------



## Pat-H (Oct 30, 2009)

We were advised by p&O to avoid the main route into Calais and enter via the town centre. That worked well.


----------



## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

Pat-H said:


> We were advised by p&O to avoid the main route into Calais and enter via the town centre. That worked well.


Yes, it does - but it doesn't work for Eurotunnel where you need to enter from the autoroute.


----------



## robbosps (Mar 10, 2014)

gaspode said:


> At one point we passed five police vehicles all parked up together in the middle of the eastbound carriageway, blue lights flashing, police standing around chatting, not a lorry in sight for miles. Disgraceful performance.


Nice to see you supporting our boys in blue. Do you actually think those people on the ground make the decision to re open the road.


----------



## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

robbosps said:


> Nice to see you supporting our boys in blue. Do you actually think those people on the ground make the decision to re open the road.


Probably not - but someone in their hierarchy presumably does?
From what we could see whilst traveling Westbound up the M20 there were a large number of police and their vehicles doing not a lot whilst just a few lorries were being marshaled towards Dover at a painfully slow pace. The vast majority of the Eastbound carriageway was clear and it certainly appeared that the motorway could easily have been opened to Eastbound traffic with minimal effort and most of the police returned to normal duties. Instead they just appeared to be passing the time of day whilst motorists trying to get to Dover were stuck in horrendous traffic chaos on the A20.

Obviously I don't have full information about what was happening and why, but it certainly appeared to the casual observer as if there was little effort being made to get the traffic flow back to normal.

The situation in Calais was the total opposite - apart from a few cones across slip roads there was little traffic disruption and not an official of any description to be seen anywhere although there were lorries strung out for miles along the hard shoulder of the autoroute.

I have no axe to grind with the UK police and generally think they do a thankless and difficult job but in this case the impression given was one of disregard for the inconvenience being suffered by the average motorist.


----------



## Pat-H (Oct 30, 2009)

In the UK we've seen a slow slide into a more and more cautious approach to everything.
The police will close a motorway for hours for the simplest matter.
Its a slope that once you start to slide down it's hard to manage.
I noticed in Holland and France that rarely are whole sections of road closed. Barriers are repaired using a few re-direction trucks. They don't even reduce the traffic speed and not all the workers choose to wear hi-vis.


----------



## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Pat-H said:


> In the UK we've seen a slow slide into a more and more cautious approach to everything.
> The police will close a motorway for hours for the simplest matter.
> Its a slope that once you start to slide down it's hard to manage.
> I noticed in Holland and France that rarely are whole sections of road closed. Barriers are repaired using a few re-direction trucks. They don't even reduce the traffic speed and not all the workers choose to wear hi-vis.


I totally agree. Health and Safety in the UK is in danger of grinding everything to a halt. The M1 is one massive 50mph zone with nothing going on for mile after mile, same on many roads.

A bit of tyre found in the road is enough for them to reduce the speed to 40mph for miles. Sadly it seems many are all too eager to go along with Nanny state Britain.


----------



## Devonboy (Nov 19, 2009)

raynipper said:


> Beware...............................
> http://travel.aol.co.uk/2015/07/03/...ing-grid7|uk-ws-bb|dl17|sec1_lnk2&pLid=362888
> 
> Ray.


 Bit odd as it is a 6 hour crossing..................

The report in our local paper, they are an Exmouth couple, states that she saw the man on the ferry & he must have sneaked in whilst they were checking the car they were towing. How did he get on the ferry in the first place?

I would love to see someone try to stow away in our wardrobe with all SWMBO clothes in it...................


----------



## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

robbosps said:


> Nice to see you supporting our boys in blue. Do you actually think those people on the ground make the decision to re open the road.


Highways Agency, the Police or whoever planned and implemented Stack Phase 4 should be publicly castigated. The decision to close the Northbound M20 between Junctions 9 & 8 to stack lorries is ludicrous . It prevents those that did get through from getting out off Kent as quickly as possible. The signage was inadequate and there was no effort made to filter the motorway lanes into the slip road. The lights on the roundabout were operative but due to the sheer volume of traffic it was gridlocked. To say it was dangerous and unsafe is to underestimate it. As autostratus said it was chaos.


----------



## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

I'd be interested to know just how long it took for traffic to get through the gridlock and to get back onto their normal route again.
I'm grateful that experience told me that if I could get to Canterbury it would be preferable to inching along in the mayhem of that diversion.


----------

