Dover-Calais/Dunkirk sea crossing - Bargains gone!

Kaleb

margaretclare wrote: »

Just talked about this with DH. From the North of England - a round trip to Dover is a heck of a long drive. How much 'cheap booze' do you have to buy to make any kind of saving on the cost of driving that distance, and including a night's stay in Calais? Don't the Customs boys and girls get a bit interested if they think you're carrying more than 'personal use'? Does it really save you any money given the cost of fuel for that distance?

I don't know where in the North of England you live, but we're 250 miles from York and 90 miles from Dover. Wouldn't it be cheaper to get an overnight ferry - there used to be one from Hull?

Coming back last Thursday evening Customs didn't even look at us. But they did pull over a large white van.

I am attending our annual reunion along with others from all over the UK. It is cheaper for all of us to stay in Calais than to get a similar hotels/meals/meeting-room in the UK-- including fares! Two of us are coming from the North, my car returns with 372 bottles of wine. We buy this at £2.00 a bottle. Usually we buy Australian (just to upset the French), this year a typical wine will probably be Lindemans Shiraz Cabernet as it is on offer. I can buy this same wine in the UK for as little as £4.20 (If I bought 372 I'm sure this would drop but I have never tried this!), a saving of £2.20 or £818. My fuel costs £90, the ferry costs £22, the hotel costs £50 and dinner costs £50. As for customs, I have done this once a year for 12 years and never been stopped. All the wine is for personal consumption, three and a half bottles a week is what it works out as and my cellar is currently running dry. Before you ask; you need the right car! My car has a load space of 1,670 litres and a takes a load of 650kg. One other thing, we fill up with French diesel too, (€1.35) I haven't factored this into the above!