Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: Mr Skrunts on 11 September 2008, 19:59:51
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Just seen the news
Seems there has been annother fire in the channel tunnel. Doesnt seem serious but they cloased it all down.
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Only been through it a couple of times -- but never felt comfortable down there.
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Only been through it a couple of times -- but never felt comfortable down there.
Since the Dover-Calais SeaCat is no more, Tunnel is my choice, purely for speed. Sat waiting for crap ferries is enough to get my hackles up....
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Last Dover-Calais ferry I went on though was Herald of Free Enterprise, back in the Townsend Thoreson days ::)
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Last Dover-Calais ferry I went on though was Herald of Free Enterprise, back in the Townsend Thoreson days ::)
And that sunk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Bloody hell, I only came through the tunnel on Monday afternoon! :o
Personally, I think its great - so much better than the bloody ferries!
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Last Dover-Calais ferry I went on though was Herald of Free Enterprise, back in the Townsend Thoreson days ::)
And that sunk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aye, the one that had a small leak just outside Hook of Holland....
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I come over on the ferry today, first choice for me..Its boring on the tunnel. Excuse the pun.. :D
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I come over on the ferry today, first choice for me..Its boring on the tunnel. Excuse the pun.. :D
Yeah -- but the upside is it's only half an hour in the tunnel (as much as I dislike it)
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Quickist ferry takes 50 minutes.
Dates I picked £46. 00 return for car and 5 people
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Quickist ferry takes 50 minutes.
Dates I picked £46. 00 return for car and 5 people
Channel ferries always seem to take longer than the claim by some margin
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Maybe! This is a catamaran no lorries or coaches, Day trip
from £24.00
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Exactly what happened when I last tried to use the tunnel, and why I won't rely on it in future. A ferry sinks / catches fire / breaks down, you just get on the next available one. Chunnel goes tits up, and you are truly stuffed.
Yes, it's quicker if more boring than a ferry when it works, but when it doesn't you're in for a world of grief.
Kevin
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Every time I go on the Chunnel I get the overwhelming urge to go in to the toilets and soak myself with water head to toe and run down the carriages screaming WE'RE LEAKING, WE'RE LEAKING!!!!!
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Watching the news, think it is going to be closed for a while. :)
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Just been listening to the news, seems that the truck concerned may have been carrying items that are not allowed within the tunnel.
I'll stick to the ferry thanks, my swimming isn't that bad of all goes wrong
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It depends what you're after... If it's a quick fag/booze run then the tunnel is ideal, albeit a little worrying when you see the news of today. But for me it has to be the ferry every time, it's part of the holiday and as the sole driver on most of my European jaunts it gives a good chance to stretch and rest properly :y :y
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I take it f@g is a restricted word on here then?? :D :D
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I take it f@g is a restricted word on here then?? :D :D
Word filter is american based and f.a.g. has a completely different connotation there.... ::)
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I take it f@g is a restricted word on here then?? :D :D
Word filter is american based and f.a.g. has a completely different connotation there.... ::)
That explains it all!!! :D :D :D
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It depends what you're after... If it's a quick f*g/booze run then the tunnel is ideal, albeit a little worrying when you see the news of today. But for me it has to be the ferry every time, it's part of the holiday and as the sole driver on most of my European jaunts it gives a good chance to stretch and rest properly :y :y
The flip side is I tend to be primary driver, and when you have to do deepest Northamptonshire to the Cote d'Azur in a day, you don't want to be wasting time on a bloody ferry....
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It depends what you're after... If it's a quick f*g/booze run then the tunnel is ideal, albeit a little worrying when you see the news of today. But for me it has to be the ferry every time, it's part of the holiday and as the sole driver on most of my European jaunts it gives a good chance to stretch and rest properly :y :y
The flip side is I tend to be primary driver, and when you have to do deepest Northamptonshire to the Cote d'Azur in a day, you don't want to be wasting time on a bloody ferry....
Fair point :y :y
Another of your stealthy replies TB... Just reminds me that I have to behave myself as Big Brother is watching :D :D :D
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I must admit I often take the ferry / fast cat from Portsmouth to Caen / Cherbourg. It costs more (yet saves a load of fuel), but anything to relieve the boredom of droning up the M20 (and back down France again, given that I'm normally going to Le Mans 8-)). That road just doesn't seem to end, which makes me want to mash the right pedal into the carpet. Not a good idea.
Couple of hours on the Fast cat, or a few beers and some kip on a slow ferry works for me.
Kevin
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and notice that when there is anything gone wrong its always on the french side
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Last Dover-Calais ferry I went on though was Herald of Free Enterprise, back in the Townsend Thoreson days ::)
And that sunk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aye, the one that had a small leak just outside Hook of Holland....
Zeebrugge :y
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Last Dover-Calais ferry I went on though was Herald of Free Enterprise, back in the Townsend Thoreson days ::)
And that sunk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aye, the one that had a small leak just outside Hook of Holland....
Zeebrugge :y
Opps yes. Near enough though ::)
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Last Dover-Calais ferry I went on though was Herald of Free Enterprise, back in the Townsend Thoreson days ::)
And that sunk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aye, the one that had a small leak just outside Hook of Holland....
Zeebrugge :y
Opps yes. Near enough though ::)
Im glad you're not navigating when I sail! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Must admit the tunnel is quick and a lot less hassle, but last time I went to France we used the Speedferries Seacat and was quite impressed. :y
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There used to be a hovercraft service from Folkestone to Boulogne - that was quick and fairly painless, but a bit noisy.
And your liver got a good shaking on a rough weather day... :)
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Herald of Free Enterprise
And that sunk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hate to say it but she lives last time i saw it was in patras harbour,
is used as a island hopper down in greece about 6 years ago.
having been a regular user on the shuttle nothing surprises me with the safety on it and concerning the cargo the truck was carrying ,you have to book in at a sepparate booth then go into an office to have all your DG notes checked and if they dont allow its off round to the boat , so if the drivers has done a snide and not declared it then they deserve all the crap thats gonna come there way !!!
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I hate enclosed spaces and the thought of the Channel Tunnel fills me with horror. I'd take the ferry anyday. :-* :-*
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The media have had it in for our greatest piece of engineering in recent history since the day it was opened.....mainly I suspect because they are desperate to see major fires so they can say 'I told you so'. Reality is that its been very reliable and any very rare incidents that occur are dealt with safely and effectively.
Everybody also conveniently forgets the large number of times the ferries have not been operating due to the bloody french striking and blockading the ports!
I would use the tunnel quite happily......
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The media have had it in for our greatest piece of engineering in recent history since the day it was opened.....mainly I suspect because they are desperate to see major fires so they can say 'I told you so'. Reality is that its been very reliable and any very rare incidents that occur are dealt with safely and effectively.
Everybody also conveniently forgets the large number of times the ferries have not been operating due to the bloody french striking and blockading the ports!
I would use the tunnel quite happily......
Voice of reason at last! How many times do we hear the travel bulletins saying about Operation Stack on M20. And how often is it due to the Tunnel?
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The media have had it in for our greatest piece of engineering in recent history since the day it was opened.....mainly I suspect because they are desperate to see major fires so they can say 'I told you so'. Reality is that its been very reliable and any very rare incidents that occur are dealt with safely and effectively.
Everybody also conveniently forgets the large number of times the ferries have not been operating due to the bloody french striking and blockading the ports!
I would use the tunnel quite happily......
Voice of reason at last! How many times do we hear the travel bulletins saying about Operation Stack on M20. And how often is it due to the Tunnel?
And even then, its due to the French being on strike..
I used to take the tunnel, when driving Brum to Lyon (in a day), but started to take the ferry purely because i wanted a break!
You can't smoke on the tunnel - but you can on the ferry!
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The media have had it in for our greatest piece of engineering in recent history since the day it was opened.....mainly I suspect because they are desperate to see major fires so they can say 'I told you so'. Reality is that its been very reliable and any very rare incidents that occur are dealt with safely and effectively.
Everybody also conveniently forgets the large number of times the ferries have not been operating due to the bloody french striking and blockading the ports!
I would use the tunnel quite happily......
Voice of reason at last! How many times do we hear the travel bulletins saying about Operation Stack on M20. And how often is it due to the Tunnel?
And even then, its due to the French being on strike..
I used to take the tunnel, when driving Brum to Lyon (in a day), but started to take the ferry purely because i wanted a break!
You can't smoke on the tunnel - but you can on the ferry!
A valid if not exactly safety related reason! ;) ;D
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The media have had it in for our greatest piece of engineering in recent history since the day it was opened.....mainly I suspect because they are desperate to see major fires so they can say 'I told you so'. Reality is that its been very reliable and any very rare incidents that occur are dealt with safely and effectively.
Everybody also conveniently forgets the large number of times the ferries have not been operating due to the bloody french striking and blockading the ports!
I would use the tunnel quite happily......
Voice of reason at last! How many times do we hear the travel bulletins saying about Operation Stack on M20. And how often is it due to the Tunnel?
And even then, its due to the French being on strike..
I used to take the tunnel, when driving Brum to Lyon (in a day), but started to take the ferry purely because i wanted a break!
You can't smoke on the tunnel - but you can on the ferry!
Or, for Lyon or further South, I break the journey into 3 - first break, train terminal. You can have a fag then ;), and breakkie. Next break, about halfway down France, so Dijon area for a bit to eat around lunchtime, arriving South Coast late afternoon/early evening.
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Am I the only person to have asked " what was the lorry carrying, do loads get vetted and how easy would it be for a terrorist to target the tunnel ?"
In my view the tunnel would have to be in the top ten worldwide targets.
There are quite advanced plans for a tunnel from Africa to Southern Spain quite near Gibraltar.
varche
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If we had any kind of goods rail infrastructure we wouldn't be engaged in the farcical practice of loading lorries onto trains straight off the M20 with hot engines. We'd be sending trains full of containers through instead.
When I went through the Mont Blanc tunnel last year there was an area where they were checking lorries for hot spots with infra-red cameras, and enforcing a cool-off period before entering the tunnel. Not sure what safeguards are in place at the channel tunnel.
Kevin
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If we had any kind of goods rail infrastructure we wouldn't be engaged in the farcical practice of loading lorries onto trains straight off the M20 with hot engines. We'd be sending trains full of containers through instead.
When I went through the Mont Blanc tunnel last year there was an area where they were checking lorries for hot spots with infra-red cameras, and enforcing a cool-off period before entering the tunnel. Not sure what safeguards are in place at the channel tunnel.
Kevin
CO2 sniffer for illegal immigrants at a guess...
I thought that anyone taking goods had to declare what they were - if this stuff wasn't a prohibited one, why not? It is WAS and they still let it on, then someone needs stringing up...
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I hate enclosed spaces and the thought of the Channel Tunnel fills me with horror. I'd take the ferry anyday. :-* :-*
i love the ferry, can sit and get hammered looking out the window, so relaxing :y :y
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If we had any kind of goods rail infrastructure we wouldn't be engaged in the farcical practice of loading lorries onto trains straight off the M20 with hot engines. We'd be sending trains full of containers through instead.
When I went through the Mont Blanc tunnel last year there was an area where they were checking lorries for hot spots with infra-red cameras, and enforcing a cool-off period before entering the tunnel. Not sure what safeguards are in place at the channel tunnel.
Kevin
CO2 sniffer for illegal immigrants at a guess...
I thought that anyone taking goods had to declare what they were - if this stuff wasn't a prohibited one, why not? It is WAS and they still let it on, then someone needs stringing up...
On english side they dont use co2 sniffers they have a x-ray machine you drive into which takes 2 trucks at a time and they have 2 machines side by side . Also the guys that load you are supposed to check if you leave a fridge are nite heater on ,you get turfed out of the little bus and told to switch it off if left on . its not hot engines that seem to cause all the problems its overhot brakes or even worse wheel bearings which set off all the sensors along the track . And concerning mont blanc i now they are stricht up there no refrigderated trucks even empty ones ,its a exsorbatent price to go through with one as you need a escort to take on through ,they all via the Frejus tunnel whichs goes into Turin. Must admit i never did like the blanc to damn narrow but it saved us 45 minute a trip when going down to milan (which i did every week for 5 years ) , and when i had a serous accident in it when a van driver piled into back of me trailer and killed himself doing it i got a bit spooky when cars used sit on your back bumper id slow down even more .
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sorry that last post was a bit nerfed up will have learn how to edit post better