2024 European Roadtrip

 
 
 
 
 
<BM>
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2024 European Roadtrip

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Posted: 15.08.2024  ·  #1
Last year I mixed up the usual Ferry to France with some flights to conveniently leave my MoHo in a Bordeaux Airport for the start of the Rugby Word Cup. Flew home with the family and returned 10 days later on my todd. I repeated the trick between the South Africa and Scotland games, fun fact, Tours Airport has free parking. Anyway, mixing flying and ferries meant we couldn't take the dogs last year so this years trip had to give them much more consideration. We'd never done landbridge so we decided to give it a try with Duinrell in the Netherlands the ultimate destination and the only firm booking up to a week before sailing.
We've a well worn path for UK trips, evening sailing from Dublin and park up for the night by the Sailing Club in Holyhead, then get on the road relatively early the next morning.


<BM>
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Re: 2024 European Roadtrip

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Posted: 15.08.2024  ·  #2
Our Destination this time was Billing Aquadrome just outside Northampton. I took the back roads from Chester as I'm still scarred from an M6 journey many moons ago and were at the campsite before 3 with a short pitstop along the way. There was no great draw to the place other than they availability the week before along with an indoor swimming pool. Most importantly, it was about an hour from to M25 for the following day, we had no strict schedule as the plan was to stay at the P&R in Cantebury the next night before a lunchtime sailing from Dover the next day.
Billing Aquadrome is a big park mixing Statics with Camping, there's a big focus on selling statics. It's got lots of activities, I think we only scratched the surface with the pool and arcade. There was a Bar / Restaurant with a really nice deck area looking out over a lake. Seemed to be a lot of kids club type activities and a small amphitheater for shows too, but our three lads are beyond that now. We used the pool both days, barbequed and chilled.


<BM>
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Re: 2024 European Roadtrip

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Posted: 15.08.2024  ·  #3
Anyway after a late start the next day with leisurely use of the pool we set off for Canterbury all nice and chilled. M1 had roadworks and a little bit of slow traffic as a consequence but nothing too bad and onto the M25 clockwise heading for the Dartford Crossing all ok. Then it turned to sh*t, traffic slowed to a crawl just suck it up and keep going. Realism started to hit in, the Dart was closed in both directions, crash on one side, helicopter paramedics on the other, we were on the crash side, I got as far as the M11 junction and threw my lot in with the johnny google and his maps. I knew it was ULEZ territory but I sucked it up on the basis that I'm Euro IV. Headed through Epping Forrest with the googley maps showing a route through the Blackwall Tunnell. Everyone was on the same buzz. Utter Mayhem.

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<BM>
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Re: 2024 European Roadtrip

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Posted: 15.08.2024  ·  #4
Everything was going to sh*t, driving inside the M25 which I despise in a car, manic traffic looking for any way to cross the Thames, and a f***ing dipshit with no concept of basic etiquette at a merge where the right lane ended. Stop start approaching the merge, usual sh*t but everyone getting on with it, good zipper going on, everyone going one for one. I've been ticking along in the left hand lane and let the next car as it were in between me and the car that was in front of me, all good, he's mostly pulled across in front of me and we've come to a stop. LHD so did the usual extra checking of the mirrors while stopped, car to the right of me, not quite level with me and nowhere to go as the road had tapered in at this stage, all good, or so I thought.

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Re: 2024 European Roadtrip

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Posted: 16.08.2024  ·  #5
Sounded good up to this point


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Re: 2024 European Roadtrip

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Posted: 16.08.2024  ·  #6
Quote by <BM>

Everything was going to sh*t, driving inside the M25 which I despise in a car, manic traffic looking for any way to cross the Thames, and a f***ing dipshit with no concept of basic etiquette at a merge where the right lane ended. Stop start approaching the merge, usual sh*t but everyone getting on with it, good zipper going on, everyone going one for one. I've been ticking along in the left hand lane and let the next car as it were in between me and the car that was in front of me, all good, he's mostly pulled across in front of me and we've come to a stop. LHD so did the usual extra checking of the mirrors while stopped, car to the right of me, not quite level with me and nowhere to go as the road had tapered in at this stage, all good, or so I thought.

I swear to jasus bm There was a time when I thought this until this ,,,,if you ever spend 3and a half hours at the Serbian border to Bulgaria in 38.6 ,( twice, both side’s ) , I’ve never experienced the power of authority to put people through this in my life, absolute cruelty, we will never forget that day,EVER


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