Driving Manchester to Paris.

Burnleyfc

Hi,
I will be driving from Manchester to Paris in a standard 1.6 05 Astra using the ferry from Dover.
How much will it cost in fuel do you think?
Have you any tips for driving in France as well?
Cheers

Cornucopia

I would have thought 4-5 tankfuls.

The toll-road all the way to Paris costs about 16 Euros.

OddballJamie

Take it easy and aim for 40mpg, 500miles each way at £6 a gallon, about £75 each way. About 2 1/2 tanks of petrol, drive economically and you might do it on 2 tanks.

I have a 1.8 Astra and can average 45mpg on longish trips.

Also depends on the weight you are carrying, full load with family, knock a few mpg off.

OddballJamie

Tips - make sure you have breakdown cover, appropriate insurance, GB plates or sticker, light deflectors and all the other gubbins.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/touring_tips/france-monaco.pdf

Trebor16

Apart from the obvious of drive on the right, there are a number of laws in France that don't apply here which you will need to take note of.

Sat navs. If you are using one and it has a speed camera database then the camera database needs to be disabled as it is illegal to have warnings of speed cameras in France.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/radar-detectors-in-france.html

You will need to carry a spare bulb kit with you in the car as well.

It is compulsory to carry high viz jackets in your car whilst in France.

You will also need to carry a warning triangle and will have to fit beam deflectors on your headlights.

A GB sticker will also need to be displayed.

http://shop.theaa.com/content/driving-in-europe

Burnleyfc

I have bought the driving abroad kit with everything included.
It will be a fully loaded car.
Also which way is best to dover setting off at 3am from Manchester
M6? M1?or down the a1?
Cheers for the advice maybe looking at 2 1/2 tanks 3 tanks on the safe side and only be doing 65/70

Trebor16

M6, M1, M25, M20 which is about 285 miles from Manchester. You should easily miss rush hour traffic around Birmingham and if you are lucky you may find yourself picking up the M25 at about 6am, but it will be starting to get busy at that point.

Burnleyfc

Cheers Trebor sounds like the best route.

Iceweasel

I run from Aberdeen to Dover regularly and would not recommend using the M1 at all.

The junction with the M25 is pretty busy - even at 6 in the morning. Going that way also means that you need to use more of the M25.

I also would not be going around the M25 clockwise either - that means using the Dartford crossing - too busy.

My recommendation would be the M6 south to Birmingham where you pick up the M5 going south as far as the M42 near Bromsgrove.

Then you follow the M40 south past Oxford to meet the M25.

Follow the M25 as far as the M26 which heads south to meet up with the M20.

Money saving tips:

You will gain nothing by using the M6 Toll.
Fill up with fuel in France rather than in Dover.

Cheapest fuel in Calais is to be found at the Total Filling station 100 metres off the motorway you will be using to exit Calais.

As in UK do not buy fuel on the motorway.

See here:

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Rue+Costes+et+Bellonte,+Calais,+France&ie=UTF-8&ei=ym1mUtSQB-SG0AWBlIGQDw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg

The Total station is between the marker 'A' and the motorway - you can see the trucks if you zoom in on the satellite map.

Also don't buy any booze in Calais - it's much cheaper in any supermarket anywhere else.

Have a safe trip.

OddballJamie

Petrol prices aren't that different to the UK, diesel is where the savings are made. My Dad recently drove partly through France to Belgium and he found the petrol prices to be the same. This was before the recent drops in the UK.

Trebor16

I was in France at the beginning of October and petrol prices for 95 unleaded varied between 1.43 to 1.65 which at the current exchange rate of 1.15 euros to the pound is price of between £1.24 to £1.43 so not a great deal different to UK prices.