We are new to camping this season and have really enjoyed our 3 trips this year. We have now invested in a trailer and bike rack so we can take our bikes along on our trips as well.
We would really like to take our outfit to Germany next year and planning to go across to Calais from Dover and then drive down to Herbolzheim where we seen a nice site on this website which is close to the Black Forest. It's a bit of a drive though, approx 420 miles from Calais. Just wondering if anyone else has done this trip and how they found it towing a trailer all that way. Thinking about getting a late ferry and driving down overnight which may make it easier.
Has anyone got any advice for us?
Thanks
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I can't be of an awful lot of practical help as we don't actually tow, but I just wanted to let you know that we have just come back from a fabulous holiday in the Mosel and Black Forest and absolutely loved it! I much preferred Germany to France and our kids loved it. We did Dover Calais but stopped off in Belgium for a night, went to the Mosel (about 2/3 hours drive) then 3 further hours to the Black Forest. Roads were fine. Loved it!
I did the trip a few years ago (to Tittisee), but with a motorhome. Germany is my favourite destination.
So here goes.....
1. I prefer Dover Dunkirk, but that's neither her nor there.
2. I would NOT recommend getting a late ferry. It's bad enough with tiredness in the UK, but driving overnight on unfamiliar roads is perhaps not a good idea. How about stopping at the CC site near Dover overnight (special area for early/late departures), and start early for Germany.
3. If you pay the French road tolls, you can have a pretty good journey to Germany and then the roads are all free. We went roughly Reims, Metz, Strasbourg, then across the Rhine into Germany.
4. 420 miles - 8 or 9 hours?? Germany is a lovely country (in places), so I'd stop overnight.
Anyway - lots of time to plan it - it's only September.
we are travelling to Germany this weekend, having an overnight stop in calais before we travel on to germany the next day going belguim and travelling down to germany that way.
Margaret
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we do the tour every year, as we live near Heidelberg and have spent every holiday for 13 years in GB.
I agree with Capt Lightning in 1., 2. and 4. :-). We always drive via Brussels and down the A61 in Germany, though. Drive on a sunday, if possible, as the roads are free (truck ban on Autobahn)
Crossing is Dover/Dunkirk as we like the purely psychological advantage of shortening the drive for 40km.
Don't forget the speed-limit for towing cars in Germany.
We usually take the caravan across the channel, this holiday we had a smaller trailer with bikes on top (In fact, we returned from Inverness last friday and the trip through France/Belgium/Holland/Germany took us about 9 hours for 400miles, including a 1 hour brake.)
You'll find some very good cycling-routes here!
And yes - Germany is a nice country, just too many Germans around ;-)
Should you plan to stay anywhere near us - we love to have guests from GB!
Thanks for all your helpful advice and tips. We are probably going to book in at the Premier Travel Inn at Dover Marina the night before and get the ferry at 4am, arriving in Dover at 7.30am. Not practical for us to stay at the CC site as we have a tent. The crossing to Dunkirk is more expensive and we don't mind driving the little bit extra. Anticipate from your feedback that it will take approx 9 hours to get to our destination taking into account a 1 hour break.
Markus, thanks for the information and the invite to your lovely home - really nice gesture. Let you know!
Just done a route search on AA route planner and comes up with this route:
A16, A4, A35, N83, N353, A5 taking us via Reims and Strasbourg.
Markus, what is the towing speed limit in Germany then?
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Topic: Thinking about a trip to Germany?
