Europe 2022

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
KM2
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Joined: 23 Oct 2008, 5:38pm

Re: Europe 2022

Post by KM2 »

elliottwithtwots
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Joined: 12 Jun 2022, 6:45pm

Re: Europe 2022

Post by elliottwithtwots »

It will, fingers crossed. I'm in Washington State and have a week-long tour across the Veloscenic planned for early-July. The trip has been postponed since 2020. See you all in the airports...

Also, if anyone has any tips on this region of the country, I'd be glad to hear them. How is water accessibility? Should I bother bringing my Sawyer squeeze portable filter?
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MrsHJ
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Joined: 19 Aug 2010, 1:03pm
Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: Europe 2022

Post by MrsHJ »

elliottwithtwots wrote: 12 Jun 2022, 7:46pm It will, fingers crossed. I'm in Washington State and have a week-long tour across the Veloscenic planned for early-July. The trip has been postponed since 2020. See you all in the airports...

Also, if anyone has any tips on this region of the country, I'd be glad to hear them. How is water accessibility? Should I bother bringing my Sawyer squeeze portable filter?
I wouldn’t bother. In France especially areas like Normandy there are regular towns and villages with small shops. Plus any local will fill your bidon if you ask. Have a lovely trip- looks like travel will be fine (I’m just back from cycling in Italy and have cycle toured in France and Switzerland in the last year).
simonhill
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Location: Essex

Re: Europe 2022

Post by simonhill »

This is something talked about a while ago - sharps on the ferry.

I came through Portsmouth yesterday to St Malo. I was stopped by security and asked to remove one pannier. He chose left, lucky for me. They scanned it and also put me through a scanner. He asked me if I was carrying any knives etc to which I replied no as they were IN my RIGHT pannier, the one with food etc for the voyage.

So no grief for me, but I don't know what would have happened if he had scanned my right pannier.

Most cyclists had already gone through and I was on my own in line with a couple. I was called forward for the search, so don't know how many others were done.
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horizon
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Location: Cornwall

Re: Europe 2022

Post by horizon »

I cycled over from Plymouth in 2020 with Brittany Ferries and was asked the same question. I was in fact camping but light - no cooking gear (yes, even I can do light :D :wink: ). So no knives. I asked the officers what applied to those people travelling in their well-equipped campervans. They were a little bit hesitant and then said that it depended on context (in other words they didn't have clue but knew that it couldn't possibly apply to caravanners etc). I would say that if you are a bona fide middle class, white, middle aged cyclist you should be fine.

NB I also cycled over earlier in the summer in 2020 with full camping gear via DFDS Newhaven and didn't get asked.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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MrsHJ
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Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: Europe 2022

Post by MrsHJ »

Brittany ferries: KNIVES (INCLUDING CHEFS' KNIVES), WEAPONS, FIREARMS AND AMMUNITION. Firearms and ammunition can only be transported on our ships if they are secured in a vehicle such as a car or motorhome. They may not be transported with bicycles or motorbikes.

I imagine that like many I often travel with a knife (in a protective cover) if only for picnics, I have to say theres probably a difference between controls to get on the ferry (where these might be removed) and controls coming off where presumably customs won’t care. I’d strongly suggest packing any knives contextually ie in with your cooking/picnic gear. Likely to reduce challenge/trouble even if removed. I could cope with losing a cooking knife but wouldn’t want to be denied travel.
ANTONISH
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009, 9:49am

Re: Europe 2022

Post by ANTONISH »

Not a cycling problem but I had always assumed that cyclists came at the bottom of the pecking order.
Now I find that it's the poor old foot passenger.
My partner and I have often wanted to visit the French mountain trains and a couple of other sites.
We decided to do a rail tour of France.
P&O were having problems at the time and we decided on Eurostar.
We booked 22nd of June but there will be rail strikes on 21st, 23rd, and 24th.
We may be OK but I decided to investigate the possibility of us being foot passengers (only available on P&O but both they and DFDS take cyclists)
It transpires that one cannot book a ticket on today or tomorrow or the next day - this isn't made clear and you have to guess when they will let you on the ferry - I could have booked for a week hence. V strange - one used to be able to go to the port and buy a ticket.
I'm trying to think of various loony options e.g use a couple of disposable BSO's and go on as cyclists .
Drive and leave car at Calais Frethun (long stay free car park - not secure of course :( )
As a last resort I could get my long suffering elder son to have a day trip and drop us off.
Before Covid we used P&O several times a year - usually cars in bike sometimes as cyclists - I'm disappointed to find how things have deteriorated.
simonhill
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Europe 2022

Post by simonhill »

Interesting and bizarre. Explains why, when I booked my P to St M ticket it said people arriving without a bike (who had booked one ) may be denied boarding if it was already full of foot passengers.

Don't get it. Once on board I'm a body, much like foot or a driver.
simonhill
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Joined: 13 Jan 2007, 11:28am
Location: Essex

Re: Europe 2022

Post by simonhill »

horizon wrote: 13 Jun 2022, 2:43pm I cycled over from Plymouth in 2020 with Brittany Ferries and was asked the same question. I was in fact camping but light - no cooking gear (yes, even I can do light :D :wink: ). So no knives. I asked the officers what applied to those people travelling in their well-equipped campervans. They were a little bit hesitant and then said that it depended on context (in other words they didn't have clue but knew that it couldn't possibly apply to caravanners etc). I would say that if you are a bona fide middle class, white, middle aged cyclist you should be fine.
I'm all the above, but what if they had scanned my knife carrying pannier, would they say OK???

I don't care about my cheapo Hainan knife, but wouldn't want to lose my SWAK that was a present from my dead mother (edit she was alive when she gave it to me).
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MrsHJ
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Re: Europe 2022

Post by MrsHJ »

I wouldn’t take a precious knife but I might stick a Swiss Army knife in with my tool under seat pack. I’ve had one confiscated before - used to be in my key ring and first flight after 9/11 it was removed! Not as bad as the time when junior had packed all of his nerf guns in his backpack without telling us- security at the airport had a field day.
simonhill
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Re: Europe 2022

Post by simonhill »

simonhill wrote: 13 Jun 2022, 7:38pm Interesting and bizarre. Explains why, when I booked my P to St M ticket it said people arriving without a bike (who had booked one ) may be denied boarding if it was already full of foot passengers.

Don't get it. Once on board I'm a body, much like foot or a driver.
Having just got off the Caen to P ferry, I think the reason is that foot passengers do not dis/embark by foot. I think they use buses, certainly not walkways and presumably buses are limited and can be full.
ANTONISH
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Re: Europe 2022

Post by ANTONISH »

simonhill wrote: 19 Jun 2022, 10:32pm
simonhill wrote: 13 Jun 2022, 7:38pm Interesting and bizarre. Explains why, when I booked my P to St M ticket it said people arriving without a bike (who had booked one ) may be denied boarding if it was already full of foot passengers.

Don't get it. Once on board I'm a body, much like foot or a driver.
Having just got off the Caen to P ferry, I think the reason is that foot passengers do not dis/embark by foot. I think they use buses, certainly not walkways and presumably buses are limited and can be full.
Yes they use buses but I find it strange that there is never space today or tomorrow or the day after until magically a week hence space is available. When I've travelled as a foot passenger in the past the bus was rarely full.
Not even as good as "jam yesterday and jam tomorrow but never jam today"
My impression is that they would rather not carry foot passengers but possibly there is some long standing legal requirement on P&O - perhaps going back to sealink or even British Rail - DFDS seem to be able to refuse to carry foot passengers with impunity.
My son is taking us by car - £35 day trip which is cheaper that £30 (one way) each as foot passengers - and of course the booking was made at short notice.
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Europe 2022

Post by Jdsk »

Vorpal wrote: 4 May 2022, 8:11am
Psamathe wrote: 30 Apr 2022, 12:29pm I find myself wondering if this news is to distract us from something else. Passport delays seem commonplace. when I got my current passport (now several years old) delays were over the 13 weeks the report highlights. I ended-up booking an "interview" and driving to the passport office and paying a significant surcharge. Couple of years ago my brother had to cancel an overseas trip because the Passport Office took over 20 weeks to process his new passport and 10 years ago different brother had to get and use an Australian passport because of UK Passport Office delays.

I don't know the causes but having a Passport Office that is always staffed to cater for rare surges in applications would cost us so if (as the report suggests) the surge is after ending of Covid restrictions and EU passport validity requirements then one can hardly blame the Passport Office because the public failed to plan their travel.

Ian
My personal experience, having renewed several passports lately...

Mini V needed a new passport early last year. I submitted the application on-line, sent in all the documents the next day, and her new passport arrived about 3 weeks later.

Littlest's passport expired later in the year. I submitted the paperwork in late December, sent the passport on the first day in January that post went, & the new passport was with us in 2 weeks (fastest service I have ever experienced).

My passport expired in the middle of April. I completed the paperwork, and sent my old passport on the day it expired. Postal tracking says my old passport was signed for on the 23rd April, HM passport office sent me a reminder yesterday to send in my documents. Passport application tracking says nothing has been received. The website & my reminder email say something to the affect of: if you sent your documentation in the last 2 weeks, it might not have been registered / please ignore this notice.

In the past, I have found the passport office to be quick and efficient. I thought that they were much better than in other countries. Although I only have passport application experience with one other, in Norway, the same process is used for other stuff, like my residency card, and it takes months.

Although it seems to me that there are delays in the British system, it probably puts them more inline with other bureaucracies.
Discussed at the Home Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday:
https://committees.parliament.uk/commit ... on-delays/

"MPs were told on Wednesday that there were 550,000 passport applications in the system at the end of June and that one in 10 had exceeded the 10-week turnaround that people are advised by the Passport Office to allow for."
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... t-mps-told

Jonathan

PS: I think that the performance data should be publicly available in near real time. As with many others.
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Europe 2022

Post by Jdsk »

From another thread:
With the problems at England's ports what is the situation regarding the cycle tourest getting aboard via ferries and euro tunnel?
Eurotunnel bike shuttle current status:
https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/travellin ... /bicycles/

Taking bikes on Eurostar current status:
https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/travel-i ... gage/bikes

For the ferries from Dover my guess is that you could could employ our usual tactic: cycle past any queues up to the next control point, smile, and push in.

It would be good to hear that this has worked in the present chaos...

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Europe 2022

Post by Jdsk »

Jdsk wrote: 9 Jun 2022, 10:54am
horizon wrote: 9 Jun 2022, 10:52am
Jdsk wrote: 9 Jun 2022, 10:45am The shuttle service for bikes isn't operating at the moment:
https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/travellin ... /bicycles/
Due to current travel restrictions put in place by the UK and French authorities, we are currently unable to provide the Cycle Service.
Do you happen to know what these restrictions are about?
Nothing more than that statement in the banner on the website.

: - (
Current status:
https://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/travellin ... /bicycles/

Have I found an old page or is it working again?

Jonathan
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