CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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Owain wrote: Sun Jun 30, 2019 23:25
DUSTY ROADS wrote: Sat Jun 29, 2019 16:21:no: :no: In Maastricht after a 6 hr slog from Calais.. keeping up with the tradition of **** hitting fan when I plan something.
Hottest temperature in History, slip road closed to take me on Owain route with a twist, I decided to head for the "Hell of the North" ie Brussels ring road. Crashes, breakdowns, overheated cars, roadworks, crash debris still on a carriageway, and the beginning of Belgium national holiday when everyone hit the road,, a service station with no toilets, had to hop over a fence into a field. Just about sums up my trip. Fingers crossed for Sundays trip home. 😭
Owain wrote: Sat Jun 22, 2019 09:55on one trip through Belgium, I saw three accidents in one day
Don't say I didn't warn you!

Amazing how much damage a closed slip road can make to the best laid plans...
Add to that it is always difficult travelling on countries' public holidays, especially a big one like National Day. Two years ago getting into Luxembourg from Belgium was slow as the French frontier was closed for HGVs.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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Peter350 wrote: Wed Jun 26, 2019 22:05 More ambitious but i’ve always thought they should extend the Belgian A18 east of Jabbeke and join it up with an extension of the Dutch A58 from Middelburg, incorporating the Knooke-heist section of A11 along the way. It could cross the Westerschelde via a new barrage similar to the Afsluitdijk and would allow all Calais - Netherlands traffic to avoid the nightmare that is Antwerp.

... snip...
In theory this sounds good, but I don't think that the infrastructure across Zeeland could cope. A much better solution would be to give a decent link from the E17 (Ghent to Antwerp) to the Antwerp Western by-pass.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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Vierwielen wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2019 18:28
Peter350 wrote: Wed Jun 26, 2019 22:05 More ambitious but i’ve always thought they should extend the Belgian A18 east of Jabbeke and join it up with an extension of the Dutch A58 from Middelburg, incorporating the Knooke-heist section of A11 along the way. It could cross the Westerschelde via a new barrage similar to the Afsluitdijk and would allow all Calais - Netherlands traffic to avoid the nightmare that is Antwerp.

... snip...
In theory this sounds good, but I don't think that the infrastructure across Zeeland could cope. A much better solution woudl be to give a decent link from the E17 (Ghent to Antwerp) to the Antwerp Western by-pass.
Sound idea. It could start on the A14/E17 near Sint Niklaas and use the R2 route through the Liefkenshoektunnel before linking up with the A1/E19 east of Brasschaat. Traffic heading for Rotterdam would also have the option of using the Dutch A4/A29 route.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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exiled wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:14Add to that it is always difficult travelling on countries' public holidays, especially a big one like National Day. Two years ago getting into Luxembourg from Belgium was slow as the French frontier was closed for HGVs.
On the contrary, in my experience the best day of the whole year to drive across France is 15 August! When I chose that date - by pure coincidence in 2010 - I saw only about a dozen other vehicles between Calais and the Mont Blanc tunnel!!
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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Owain wrote: Sun Jul 21, 2019 16:06
exiled wrote: Tue Jul 02, 2019 12:14Add to that it is always difficult travelling on countries' public holidays, especially a big one like National Day. Two years ago getting into Luxembourg from Belgium was slow as the French frontier was closed for HGVs.
On the contrary, in my experience the best day of the whole year to drive across France is 15 August! When I chose that date - by pure coincidence in 2010 - I saw only about a dozen other vehicles between Calais and the Mont Blanc tunnel!!
Though 15th Aug is already in the middle of the summer holidays in France and not its national day which is 14th July. Incidently today 21st July is Belgium's national day, marking the installation of the first king, Leopold I, also the only protestant one, in 1831.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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I’m very grateful to B1018 ... for recommending the ‘N8 alternative’ via Veurne and Ieper; we have done the drive to southern Belgium and into Germany on many occasions, and had been looking for something more enjoyable than the tedious Lille or Brussels options. Following an early (Sunday) morning shuttle we were passing the delightfully neat little town of Vleteren by lunchtime, and were very impressed with the rustic looking pub/restaurant on the square by the church that B1018 helpfully flagged up: Het Witte Paard provided a great lunch, and was an excellent introduction to Flanders.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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B1018 A120 M11 wrote: Mon Jun 24, 2019 13:22 Leaving Eurotunnel at Calais, we get on the French A16 and follow it past Dunkirk until a few miles beyond the Belgian border, where it becomes the Belgian A18. We turn off onto the Belgian N8 near Veurne, at junction 1a. There follows about 25 minutes of pleasant S2 driving through pretty Flanders villages until you reach the N38, a wide S2 ring road of Ypres. You never get near urban Ypres, though, because after about another five minutes of eastbound travel, you hit the terminus of the Belgian A19 (which, travelling away from Calais, starts rather than ends here). Thereafter, you're on motorway again all the way (in our case) into Germany and certainly to Liège and Maastricht. We go A19 to near Courtrai/Kortrijk, switch to the A17 and follow that to Marquain, where you hit the Belgian A8 and rejoin 'Owain's route'. Thereafter, you just follow the E42 the rest of the way.

We incorporate the S2 N8 section in Belgium because in exchange for taking that slightly slower route, we get to avoid Lille, Antwerp *and* Brussels completely, which can all be 'sticking-point' towns on any of the other routes. The other towns we pass near on the N8/E42 route never seem to hold us up; you do go near Courtrai, Mons, Namur and Liège, but we've never had trouble at any of those. It also works well for us, because it is usually breakfast time by the time we're going down the N8 in Flanders. By this point on our trip, we've been through a couple of hours' wee-small-hours driving from Cambridgeshire to the tunnel, then the crossing and most of another hour on the road, and it's a nice non-motorway services opportunity to have a break. We love stopping at a bakery in one of the pretty farming villages, and there's a sweet old windmill at Oostvleteren where we often have a bite to eat as the sun rises. In fact, this has become a bit of a symbol for the family that we're at the start of our holidays, when we have a sunrise breakfast at the windmill...!
I'm going on a brief trip to Germany (Bonn) later this week, so I'll give the Veurne N8/N38 cut-across a try if I have my wits about me and don't miss the turning. Looking forward to it.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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roadtester wrote: Sun Sep 29, 2019 23:07
B1018 A120 M11 wrote: Mon Jun 24, 2019 13:22 Leaving Eurotunnel at Calais, we get on the French A16 and follow it past Dunkirk until a few miles beyond the Belgian border, where it becomes the Belgian A18. We turn off onto the Belgian N8 near Veurne, at junction 1a. There follows about 25 minutes of pleasant S2 driving through pretty Flanders villages until you reach the N38, a wide S2 ring road of Ypres. You never get near urban Ypres, though, because after about another five minutes of eastbound travel, you hit the terminus of the Belgian A19 (which, travelling away from Calais, starts rather than ends here). Thereafter, you're on motorway again all the way (in our case) into Germany and certainly to Liège and Maastricht. We go A19 to near Courtrai/Kortrijk, switch to the A17 and follow that to Marquain, where you hit the Belgian A8 and rejoin 'Owain's route'. Thereafter, you just follow the E42 the rest of the way.

We incorporate the S2 N8 section in Belgium because in exchange for taking that slightly slower route, we get to avoid Lille, Antwerp *and* Brussels completely, which can all be 'sticking-point' towns on any of the other routes. The other towns we pass near on the N8/E42 route never seem to hold us up; you do go near Courtrai, Mons, Namur and Liège, but we've never had trouble at any of those. It also works well for us, because it is usually breakfast time by the time we're going down the N8 in Flanders. By this point on our trip, we've been through a couple of hours' wee-small-hours driving from Cambridgeshire to the tunnel, then the crossing and most of another hour on the road, and it's a nice non-motorway services opportunity to have a break. We love stopping at a bakery in one of the pretty farming villages, and there's a sweet old windmill at Oostvleteren where we often have a bite to eat as the sun rises. In fact, this has become a bit of a symbol for the family that we're at the start of our holidays, when we have a sunrise breakfast at the windmill...!
I'm going on a brief trip to Germany (Bonn) later this week, so I'll give the Veurne N8/N38 cut-across a try if I have my wits about me and don't miss the turning. Looking forward to it.
I tried the N8/N38 cut-across yesterday and it worked very well.

Nice run in pleasant if flattish countryside with no hold-ups. Also makes a bit of a change to just pounding the motorways without slowing things down too much. Saw a few very tempting Belgian friteries but it was too early in the day for that.

I’ll probably take this route in future now - thanks for the tip.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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roadtester wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 08:06... Saw a few very tempting Belgian friteries but it was too early in the day for that.
Worth a stop on the way home?

Enjoy your trip! I wish I had one coming up... the only place I'm going this week is Leicester. :?
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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Owain wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 19:26
roadtester wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 08:06... Saw a few very tempting Belgian friteries but it was too early in the day for that.
Worth a stop on the way home?

Enjoy your trip! I wish I had one coming up... the only place I'm going this week is Leicester. :?
Spending a few days in Belgium on the way back, so plenty of opportunities!
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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roadtester wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:19
Owain wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 19:26
roadtester wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 08:06... Saw a few very tempting Belgian friteries but it was too early in the day for that.
Worth a stop on the way home?

Enjoy your trip! I wish I had one coming up... the only place I'm going this week is Leicester. :?
Spending a few days in Belgium on the way back, so plenty of opportunities!
Where abouts?
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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exiled wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:31
roadtester wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:19
Owain wrote: Sun Oct 06, 2019 19:26

Worth a stop on the way home?

Enjoy your trip! I wish I had one coming up... the only place I'm going this week is Leicester. :?
Spending a few days in Belgium on the way back, so plenty of opportunities!
Where abouts?
De Haan, on the coast.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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Delighted to hear the alternative route is finding favour. We did go that way again in August after all... but we couldn't get anything other than a *super-early* 2:30am Chunnel crossing, so we were passing Vleteren this year before 5am! Not even *bakery* opening hours! We stopped briefly at the Ostvleteren windmill and ate a roll for old-time's sake, but we didn't hang around this time — the sun wasn't even up yet and it was chilly!

We were on the Moselle at Bernkastel-Kues by lunchtime, eating an absolutely fabulous meal in the Schützenhaus, an absolutely spectacular but very reasonable eatery while overlooking the river in the sunshine — this was the view, albeit at a different time of year. One of the best parts of our summer holiday!
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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roadtester wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 16:54
exiled wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:31
roadtester wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:19

Spending a few days in Belgium on the way back, so plenty of opportunities!
Where abouts?
De Haan, on the coast.
Going on the Coast Tram?
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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exiled wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 20:02
roadtester wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 16:54
exiled wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:31

Where abouts?
De Haan, on the coast.
Going on the Coast Tram?
I haven’t been on the tram itself but I’ve been exploring the coast by car, and the tram and its tracks have been a constant companion on the coast road.
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Re: CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

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roadtester wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 20:40 I haven’t been on the tram itself but I’ve been exploring the coast by car, and the tram and its tracks have been a constant companion on the coast road.
One day I want to do the journey, I know that there is often not much to see but the idea that it goes along almost the entire coast appeals. Nowadays I know Wallonia better, though.
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