Anyone else running the Eurotunnel gauntlet this summer?

Participant · 21 Jun 2017 at 05:34

Going to France in late July and whilst I'm looking forward to the holiday, I'm not looking forward to the queues, operation stacks, train break downs, and course the delightful migrants blocking the roads and tunnels and throwing rocks at people like it was 2000BC.

Keep thinking about shelling out for that fast track banter but I'm not sure it'll actually help!

LabR@t · 21 Jun 2017 at 07:01

Bickaxe · 21 Jun 2017 at 07:06

I am as ferry is just too expensive.
Late July as well but overnighting in Folkestone and going for an early AM crossing as i hope it'll be quieter.

scorza · 21 Jun 2017 at 08:12

What time is your crossing? You shouldn't need to worry about the migrants blocking the roads as long as you're traveling on that stretch during the day, but yeah, all your other concerns are valid. A lot of the so-called 'technical faults' on Eurotunnel are actually migrants getting onto the track at Calais. If I was driving to France I'd probably be looking at sailing from a different port - Newhaven or Portsmouth - these days, Calais is a disaster waiting to happen.

Jimbeam3678 · 21 Jun 2017 at 09:33

Used the tunnel several times never had problem to be honest.

enigma27 · 21 Jun 2017 at 09:35

We have used it twice in the last 2 years and have never seen anything like whats reported. in fact never saw a migrant full stop.

Freefaller · 21 Jun 2017 at 09:36

Jimbeam3678 said:
Used the tunnel several times never had problem to be honest.

Same. It's never been a problem.

Dan_P · 21 Jun 2017 at 09:39

I've used it once before and was fine, no delays or problems. We are going in September/October this year (cant decide on dates yet) and hoping that as its out of the main summer holidays we should have little to no problems.

HecFam · 21 Jun 2017 at 09:40

I'm going through on the 9th of July, normally go Mid morning 10-11ish.

Went through it around the same time last year, no issues at all. Always been very quick and easy for me.

Django x2 · 21 Jun 2017 at 10:42

Participant said:
Going to France in late July and whilst I'm looking forward to the holiday, I'm not looking forward to the queues, operation stacks, train break downs, and course the delightful migrants blocking the roads and tunnels and throwing rocks at people like it was 2000BC.

Keep thinking about shelling out for that fast track banter but I'm not sure it'll actually help!

In over a decade of summer Euro travel, I have never, ever, experienced any of the above.

Rich1988 · 21 Jun 2017 at 10:47

I went on the chunnel this Monday just gone, the queue was reasonably long but thats because me along with hundreds of others were coming back from the 24 hours of Le man, no migrants or other hold ups to speak of and the train only ran about 10 minutes late

Avenged7Fold · 21 Jun 2017 at 10:59

Been through a handful of times in the last year. Absolutely no issues like the ones described in the Daily Scorza.

Chris Wilson · 21 Jun 2017 at 11:41

Avenged7Fold said:
Been through a handful of times in the last year. Absolutely no issues like the ones described in the Daily Scorza.

And covered by all major UK and French newspapers and TV channels, here's the daily Telegraph's take on this "issue"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/20/van-driver-dies-migrants-block-calais-road-tree-trunks/

"A van driver was killed when he crashed into a tail-back on a motorway near Calais, northern France, where UK-bound migrants had blocked the road with tree trunks, sparking calls for higher security measures.

The Polish-registered van burst into flames when it crashed into trucks.

A spokesman for the Prefecture du Pas-de-Calais said the fatal crash took place at around 3.45am on Tuesday, between junction 49 and 50, near the town of Guemps.

He said: "This van hit one of the three trucks stopped by the block and set alight. The identity of the driver is not known at this stage, considering the state of the body."

"Nine Eritrean migrants found in one of the heavy goods trucks held up by the roadblock were arrested. They were taken into custody.

One police source said there had been an increase in such incidents in recent weeks."

The_Abyss · 21 Jun 2017 at 11:42

We're going through in a few weeks time, on motorbikes same as last year. Last year was fine - late afternoon - but there were quite a few migrants around, in some cases wandering around the queues for border control. Never felt uncomfortable though - I guess a motorbike isn't their primary target.

scorza · 21 Jun 2017 at 11:42

Apart from migrants throwing stones/blocking roads, I've experienced all of them at some point in the last 10 years. To be fair to Eurotunnel, their contingency plan is reasonably effective once you actually get to the port(?) - basically they park you up in lanes before passport control, let you go to the toilet if needed, then send one lane off at a time to passport control/customs/security - you won't get chance to go to the terminal and visit the shops (in my book, that's a win though).

You're most likely to see a migrant on the A16-spur road to the Port of Calais, though I have seen them around main A16 around Eurotunnel as well, and in the isolated aires as far as 30km away from Calais <--do be aware of this, better to make your last toilet stop a good distance away from Calais.

Deleted member 66701 · 21 Jun 2017 at 11:56

Have they not cleared the camps?

And yeah, in 5 years and 12 crossings never had an issue.

Take no notice of Chris Wilsons' scare mongering and his agenda pushing.

platypus · 21 Jun 2017 at 11:58

My in-laws make several journeys a year at all times of day in a camper van, most recently last week. No issues at all for them.

We make the journey at least twice a year, no issues at all.

scorza · 21 Jun 2017 at 12:10

amigafan2003 said:
Have they not cleared the camps?

And yeah, in 5 years and 12 crossings never had an issue.

Take no notice of Chris Wilsons' scare mongering and his agenda pushing.

The migrants aren't satisfied with life in Paris, so are starting to move back to Calais.

Evidence: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4413134/Migrants-lured-Calais-charities.html

Sui · 21 Jun 2017 at 12:14

Traveled once a year for the past 3 years, smooth as you like.

Never had an issue, so much nicer than the damn ferry.

Hotwired · 21 Jun 2017 at 12:20

Chris Wilson said:
"A van driver was killed when he crashed into a tail-back on a motorway near Calais"

Motorways don't have much subtlety, they are big with high visibility a long way ahead. Crashing into stopped vehicles is the drivers fault.

The reason for there being a blocked road does not excuse the van driver for his lack of control.

Anyone else running the Eurotunnel gauntlet this summer?

Deleted member 66701

Deleted member 66701