Reply to: Four weeks to go

[G8_Summit]

Why not let him drive with L plates on - by the time you get back he'll be ready for his test !!

[Bod]

Alfa hey..... So how many of those stop ofs were the result of a breakdown mid journey??? :P

Amazingly, none of the above ! 4.5k miles and she sang sweetly all the way.

[Ardesco]

Bought the Mrs an Alfa Spider last summer so we decided to take a road trip in it.

3.5 weeks, went something like this :

Manchester-Hull (yay)
Hull-Rotterdam
Rotterdam-Cologne
Cologne-BadenBaden + few days in the Schwarzwald
BadenBaden to Basel
Basel - Berne
Berne - Grindelwald + few days gawping at the Eiger
Grindelwald - susten pass - oberalp pass - to Vals + don't miss the Thermal baths @ Vals
Vals - Desentis
Desentis - Lukmanier pass to Belinzona
Belinzona - Lugano
Lugano - Como/Lecce (for the Moto Guzzi factory)
Lecce - Milan + shopping
Milan - Genova
Genova - Albegna + few days on beach
Albegna - inland for a few days - brilliant little sleepy villages
Albegna - San Remo + Few days on beach
San Remo - Monaco + Few days on beach, few nights in Casino
Monaco - Nice
Nice - Antibes
Antibes - Cannes
Cannes - Mad drive back to Calais + another mad drive back to Manchester

as the ad says..... "Just do it", the trip was truly incredible.

ps. but forget it unless you REALLY get on well with your other half.

Alfa hey..... So how many of those stop ofs were the result of a breakdown mid journey??? :P

[Bod]

Bought the Mrs an Alfa Spider last summer so we decided to take a road trip in it.

3.5 weeks, went something like this :

Manchester-Hull (yay)
Hull-Rotterdam
Rotterdam-Cologne
Cologne-BadenBaden + few days in the Schwarzwald
BadenBaden to Basel
Basel - Berne
Berne - Grindelwald + few days gawping at the Eiger
Grindelwald - susten pass - oberalp pass - to Vals + don't miss the Thermal baths @ Vals
Vals - Desentis
Desentis - Lukmanier pass to Belinzona
Belinzona - Lugano
Lugano - Como/Lecce (for the Moto Guzzi factory)
Lecce - Milan + shopping
Milan - Genova
Genova - Albegna + few days on beach
Albegna - inland for a few days - brilliant little sleepy villages
Albegna - San Remo + Few days on beach
San Remo - Monaco + Few days on beach, few nights in Casino
Monaco - Nice
Nice - Antibes
Antibes - Cannes
Cannes - Mad drive back to Calais + another mad drive back to Manchester

as the ad says..... "Just do it", the trip was truly incredible.

ps. but forget it unless you REALLY get on well with your other half.

[Sockpuppet]

I'd reccomend switzerland - I loved it there

Is "it" a bloke with a one word name, like Prince?

[milanbenes]

bl@@dy 'ell, eternal optimist, I read your Norway piece, you is one brave man travelling up there in winter without winter tyres !!!

your question:

'So please, notallthere, can I get from NW France to Naples without the need for chains, and is switzerland a non starter at that time of year (end of march)?'


You know what, you know what the safest thing you can do is ?

What car have you got ? If it's a mondeo type car, buy yourself (from the scrappy or new) a set of steel wheels/rims, buy four winter tyres, michelin/firestone/nokian etc and do the trip with winter tyres

what will it cost you for a mondeo type car ? 4 x steel rims at 10quid a piece = 40 quid, four time nokian W's winter tyres at 70quid a piece

and there you are, you and your son, piece of mind


and will it be a waste of money for the future ?

NOT AT ALL,

because like middle europe (germany/switzerland/austria/cz/pl/hu)

you can run your car on the winter tyres each winter (yes even in the UK)

and the summer tyres in the summer

and you won't be buying new tyres for another three years


and even in the UK winter tyres will be safest thing you can have in winter time


what do you think ?

Milan.

[NotAllThere]

You can still go through Switzerland. Keep an eye on the weather, and as long as it remains clear and dry, you'd be ok on the route I suggest.

Otherwise, you can go Basel->Luzern->Gotthard Tunnel->Lugano. Not quite as pretty, and only takes 3 hours, but has some moments of spectacularity. Between Basel and Luzern, as you start to descend from the Jura (coming out of the Belchen Tunnel), if the weather is clear you get amazing views across Mitteland to the Alps.

A longer route is to go Basel->Bern->Vevey/Montreux and then use the St Bernado tunnel. As you come down toward Vevey, you get amazing views of lake Geneva, backed by mile high cliffs.

[MarillionFan]

Last year, I took my lad up to Norway for his 16th birthday, we drove up through Holland, Germany,Denmark and Sweden, it was a real adventure.
This year we are going the other way, down to Pompeii in Italy. Anyone have any hints or tips, I am considering going via Switzerland, is that a good idea ?

'Mmmm. Poofters hey!'

[EternalOptimist]

I'd go Basel->Zürich->Vaduz (just so you've been there)->Davos->St Moritz then down to Como.

Don't forget to pack your snow-chains.

Dont fkin talk to me about snow fkin chains.
In Norway last year, I decided to cross from Oslo to Bergan, so I went to the local info point for advice. They assured me the road was open and it was being gritted three times a day.
So there we are four hours later, sliding backwards down the main road, heading for the cliff edge, my son looks at me, white faced 'are we going to die dad?'
'er yes probably'

So we landed gently in a drift against the barrier and I turned round and came down off the mountain.

Of course the Norwegian advisor meant, its ok to cross the glacier provided you have snow chains and winter tyres

So please, notallthere, can I get from NW France to Naples without the need for chains, and is switzerland a non starter at that time of year (end of march)?

[Marina]

Last year, I took my lad up to Norway for his 16th birthday, we drove up through Holland, Germany,Denmark and Sweden, it was a real adventure.
This year we are going the other way, down to Pompeii in Italy. Anyone have any hints or tips, I am considering going via Switzerland, is that a good idea ?

Be sure to stop off at Caserta, about halfway between Rome and Naples. There's a huge palace there, open to the public, with a long garden that slopes up a hillside with waterfalls at the far end. Well worth at least a half day's visit (It's where Admiral Nelson first chatted up Emma Hamilton, while the British fleet was anchored in the Bay of Naples.)

Oh and while you're there, go and visit the picturesque village and castle at Caserta Vecchia on a nearby hilltop. It's only 10 minutes by car from Caserta.

[NotAllThere]

I'd go Basel->Zürich->Vaduz (just so you've been there)->Davos->St Moritz then down to Como.

Don't forget to pack your snow-chains.

[cailin maith]

Last year, I took my lad up to Norway for his 16th birthday, we drove up through Holland, Germany,Denmark and Sweden, it was a real adventure.
This year we are going the other way, down to Pompeii in Italy. Anyone have any hints or tips, I am considering going via Switzerland, is that a good idea ?

I'd reccomend switzerland - I loved it there

[daviejones]

That is lovely. All I got for my 16th birthday was a clip round the ear for getting pissed and sicking up on the bathroom carpet...

Sounds way too familiar...

[Xenophon]

That is lovely. All I got for my 16th birthday was a clip round the ear for getting pissed and sicking up on the bathroom carpet...

[daviejones]

Last year, I took my lad up to Norway for his 16th birthday, we drove up through Holland, Germany,Denmark and Sweden, it was a real adventure.
This year we are going the other way, down to Pompeii in Italy. Anyone have any hints or tips, I am considering going via Switzerland, is that a good idea ?

One tip...stop off at the chitty chitty bang bang castle on the way...it really is superb IMHO.