driving and channel tunnel

Hello,
I was wondering what options are available for driving your car from England onto the Continent.  Is it possible to put your car on a Channel Tunnel Train or must it go on a ferry across?  I'd love to do some driving through Europe but don't know the best way.   What operators (either ferry service or channel tunnel) do this and any idea of cost?

Thanks!

Yes you can take your car on the train,just drive on and off the other end,not sure how it compares pricewise but its much quicker.We're taking the car over next month but we're going by ferry to San Malo,remember,apart from the obvious things like headlamp converters and GB sticker,you need to tell your insurance company as most policies don't cover you in Europe,our insurance only cost an extra £20 for the year so not bad.

Dave

What's the deal with headlamp converters?

Cars in the UK supposedly beam the lights slightly off (to the left) which then is pointing towards the center of the road and blinds drivers when you cross the channel.

I never understood that because I thought head lights were aligned for straight ahead. Maybe somebody else will give us a better answer. This is only my understanding.

Hey, Matt, there are often coupon deals in the tabloids for free ferry passage. We've talked endlessly about doing it, but still haven't! 

We have taken our car over to France several times, by ferry and by Eurotunnel.  Both ways are very easy.

The advantage with the tunnel is you drive straight off the M20 motorway onto the train that takes you through the tunnel and 20 mins later you are driving off the train onto the French motorway.  It's very quick.

If you want to make more of a break, the ferry is very pleasant - is takes about 1 hour and you can stretch your legs and get some half decent food - nice views of the English coast too.

Competition between the tunnel and ferries is fierce - look out for special offers.

The Channel Tunnel is very quick once on board.   All the passport and other checks are done prior to boarding,  i.e. you see a French official before driving onto the train in England and British immigration/customs before boarding in Calais.  Then when you arrive at the other end, you literally just drive straight off the train and out on to the motorway or autoroute without any further stops. 

I never understood that because I thought head lights were aligned for straight ahead. Maybe somebody else will give us a better answer. This is only my understanding.

The lights are aligned directly ahead when on high beam, but the low-beam filament is offset from the focal point of the reflector.  On British headlights, it directs the low beam downward and to the left; on American/European lights, it aims it downward and to the right.      (There is a further difference between the characteristics of low-beam patterns between the U.S. and Europe, and in fact the European headlights are illegal in the U.S.)   

and in fact the European headlights are illegal in the U.S.)   

This cracks me up! Would anyone even notice? The number of one-eyed, cocked-eyed, no-eyed night beast on the roads over there are too numerous to count.

We've gone over to the continent a couple of times by ferry and have found a website to get better fares.  www.ferrysavers.com  is cheaper than actually going to the P & 0 site and booking.  This is a nice relaxing way to cross - and if you cross back at the right time, you can view the White Cliffs of Dover.  You do need the light covers to redirect your lights.  You can buy these at Halfords or on the ferry. (they are a bit higher priced on the ferry) Other things you may need depending on what countries you will be driving in:  1st aid kit, orange/yellow vest, fire extinquisher and extra fuses. 
A good map or GPS and a sense of humor also help!!

This cracks me up! Would anyone even notice? The number of one-eyed, cocked-eyed, no-eyed night beast on the roads over there are too numerous to count.  

The Federal Motor Vehicle standards for headlights were quite restrictive until relatively recently.  Prior to about the mid-1970s only round headlights were approved for fitment to U.S. vehicles (either the standard 7-inch size or the smaller 5-3/4" where quad headlights were used).    Rectangular lights were also allowed after that time, but the newer-style irregularly shaped headlights weren't permitted until sometime in the 1980s.   A lot of the older European cars had different front-end designs for their U.S. export versions to accommodate the different lights.   

Also, until sometime around, IIRC, 1983/84 all U.S. headlights were also required to be the sealed-beam type, whereas European lights had been using replaceable bulbs for a long time.

But as far as the practicalities go, for driving a U.K. car in Europe, you need to fit either a "beam bender" in the form of a fresnel lens, or a simple mask which will block out the appropriate part of the low beam which would otherwise be shining toward oncoming traffic.

The masks/lenses for the older round/rectangular headlights were pretty simply to cut, align and fit.  The ones for some of the weird-shaped modern headlights can be much more tricky, so it's best to buy them in advance to allow plenty of time to fit them properly.

At least we're no longer required to paint headlights yellow for driving France, as was the case at one time.

Hey Anne, I'll look out for those offers!
The tunnel sounds very convenient if speed is of the essence.  It also sounds quite efficient going on Paul's description.
Who would have thought there'd be so many things required?  I thought people just drove on over without any of these accoutrements.

Who would have thought there'd be so many things required?  I thought people just drove on over without any of these accoutrements.

Continental travel has always been somewhat complicated by the requirements of each country.  For example, in addition to the "yellow headlights" rule, now thankfully repealed, France has a rule which requires you to carry a complete set of spare bulbs for all exterior lights.   Most European countries have a rule requiring you to carry a red hazard/breakdown triangle.   At least one (I can't remember which  -- possibly Spain) says that if you need glasses for driving then you must also carry a spare pair with you at all times.  Some countries require a first-aid kit and/or fire extinguisher. 

Then it gets even more complicated by whether those equipment rules apply to all cars wherever they're from, or whether they apply only to locally registered vehicles, thus making foreign visitors exempt.

There is supposedly a new-ish EU traffic directive which states that an EU country cannot require a visitor (from another EU country) to carry any more equipment in his car than is legally required in the country in which it is registered, with the exception of a warning triangle.    Whether you'd be able to argue about that with a foreign cop in an unfamiliar language is another matter...... 

I understand that a similar problem was happening in France a few years ago over changes in the insurance rules.  It used to be the case that you needed to get an insurance "green card" here to show proof of cover when driving on the Continent.   That requirement was repealed, and all British insurance policies must now, by law, provide the minimum legally required liability cover for driving in any other EU country.   Apparently though, some French cops were still stopping tourists and threatening them with fines for not having the green card, even though it was no longer mandated. 

Either way, your U.K. insurance automatically provides liability cover in Europe so you're all legal, but possibly/probably not fire. theft, or comprehensive unless you request it explicity and pay a small extra premium.

Re GB stickers, they are now no longer required if you have the new-style (Ugh!) EU-format plates which have the blue "ring of stars" strip and GB on them.  I do wonder how widely that rule was ever enforced anyway.  I've seen dozens of GB-registered cars in France with no stickers.

Oh, and unlike in the U.K., you will be expected to have your driver license, insurance certificate, registration, etc. with you in the car at all times.

Continental travel ....

Wow! I never knew half that.

European Non Union (Enu - conjures up images of a headless beast springing through fields of mud)

Are we sure the EU wasn't around longer than we think? I suspect they must have a hand in formulating the rules of the English Language.

 

Paul,
Have you ever considered going on Mastermind? 

Paul,
Have you ever considered going on Mastermind? 

Well, actually I was on Junior Mastermind that the BBC Nationwide program ran in 1977.