2684 Mile Road Trip

billz · Post by **billz** » Wed 25 May, 2011 16:27

Well just got back from our road trip, got to admit it was absolutly brilliant and i would reckomend to anyone wanting to do one. We covered 2684 miles in 12 days. This is a copy of our route and also some photos. Have done a link as there is quite a few photos just click to enlarge. This is only 20 of around 450 photos
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&sourc ... 31&t=h&z=5

enjoy
bill

rgf · Post by **rgf** » Wed 25 May, 2011 16:29

Welcome back!
Glad you've had a good and safe trip. Some great photos.
Hope no more bits were pinched off your car!

billz · Post by **billz** » Wed 25 May, 2011 16:47

Thanks Roy
No more bits lost of the car apart from a load of brake dust

bill

billz · Post by **billz** » Wed 25 May, 2011 16:57

Some more Photos

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Wed 25 May, 2011 17:25

Glad you had a brill time Bill & Kim, our turn next

Will have to get one together for next year, so that we can all go together, sod the package hols, this is the best way to travel...

billz · Post by **billz** » Wed 25 May, 2011 17:35

Absolutly brilliant Jim. There are some great camp sites with good facilities, its whether we can get the women to slum it

The places you see are fantastic and loads of prossys on the entrance into major towns is a site to be hold in itself

We are on about doing something simlar next year,
bill

billz · Post by **billz** » Wed 25 May, 2011 17:38

In fact a lot of the sites have places on them that you can stay in, ie caravans and cabins from anywhere from one night or more. All in all including everything we prob spent around £1100 for a 12 night holiday.
bill

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Wed 25 May, 2011 17:45

billz wrote:Absolutly brilliant Jim. There are some great camp sites with good facilities, its whether we can get the women to slum it
The places you see are fantastic and loads of prossys on the entrance into major towns is a site to be hold in itself We are on about doing something simlar next year,
bill

Will never get Lena to slum it, she would rather stay at home than go camping...

billz · Post by **billz** » Wed 25 May, 2011 17:55

If you decide to put something together for next year, can you let us know well in advance as we would be up for it if we can get the time off work when you plan it.
bill

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Wed 25 May, 2011 17:58

billz wrote:If you decide to put something together for next year, can you let us know well in advance as we would be up for it if we can get the time off work when you plan it.
bill

No problem Bill, will start planning it as soon as we get this one out of the way, but we need to get together with everyone to decide on a destination, quite fancy, Black Forest, alps into Italy, Nice, Monte, into Spain..

Jim

Malcolm E Zed · Post by **Malcolm E Zed** » Wed 25 May, 2011 18:02

TaffZee wrote: Will never get Lena to slum it, she would rather stay at home than go camping...

Quite right too

maurice the martian · Post by **maurice the martian** » Wed 25 May, 2011 18:09

Glad to see you both back safe and sound,pity this one`s finished, but you`ll be able to look forward to the next.
I`ll get Andrea to sit down in a bit so we can both have a look at your pics
When she`s finished cleaning the oven,and the ironings all done.

Cheers Maurice

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Wed 25 May, 2011 18:32

Just been through your pics very nice, only thing is your Z looks lonely on some of them

billz · Post by **billz** » Wed 25 May, 2011 19:08

Yeh i know, good job we met up with some other zeds or ours might of jumped over some of the barriers and committed harry karry

Have just ordered a new roundal and dust caps

bill

billz · Post by **billz** » Thu 26 May, 2011 05:46

A couple of videos of our trip
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/1797/16x.mp4
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/5555/gdh.mp4
http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/3786/36w.mp4
bill

Z3cade · Post by **Z3cade** » Thu 26 May, 2011 06:52

Looks like you had a great time Bill and took in some fab sites and roads

Would love to do something similar one day...

Ragtop · Post by **Ragtop** » Thu 26 May, 2011 08:37

Fantastic pictures & videos Bill. Thanks for sharing them.

TrickyZ1 · Post by **TrickyZ1** » Thu 26 May, 2011 10:09

Nice work Bill

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Thu 26 May, 2011 10:19

http://imageshack.us/clip/my-videos/580/wlp.mp4/

Hey Bill is this the road from Sitges to Barcelona?

Mouldy · Post by **Mouldy** » Thu 26 May, 2011 10:39

Some nice photos, Bill. I'm particularly interested in the ones of the Millau Viaduct as we will be (all being well) crossing it in three weeks time on our way to our hols in the Gorge du Tarn. Unfortunately, the Zed will be at home and our trip will be made in the daily driver . . . . . . four adults and luggage just won't fit in the Zed!!!

I have checked on Google Maps and there is a viewing area by the side of the A75 as you approach the Viaduct from the North. Are there any services there or is it just a viewing area?

Thanks.

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Thu 26 May, 2011 11:03

Best way to see it is driving under it!

If you have a tomtom click below, this will take you on the road under the bridge..

<a href="http://addto.tomtom.com/api/home/v2/con ... .xml"><img src="http://www.tomtom.com/lib/img/TomTomTip ... button.gif" alt="Add-To-TomTom" border="0"/></a>

Well worth the detour...

Mouldy · Post by **Mouldy** » Thu 26 May, 2011 11:43

Thanks for that Jim. We will be staying about a half hour drive from Millau itself, near Cantobre so will be having plenty of opportunity to see it from under the bridge during our stay.

We are having an overnight stop on the way at Montlucon, so will be looking for a coffee break before hitting the supermarket to stock up with essentials, (food, wine, more wine and beer etc.) before heading for the accommodation.

It would be good to combine the coffee stop with the opportunity to view the bridge from road level, hence the question.

I will download the info onto my Tomtom, anyway.

billz · Post by **billz** » Thu 26 May, 2011 13:03

Jim yes it is the coast road from sitges to barcelona, excellent coastal road. Mouldy there isnt any services at the viewing point just a visitor kind of place with souviners. In millau though there us an excellent super u supermarket

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Thu 26 May, 2011 13:21

billz wrote:Jim yes it is the coast road from sitges to barcelona, excellent coastal road. Mouldy there isnt any services at the viewing point just a visitor kind of place with souviners. In millau though there us an excellent super u supermarket

Thought I Recognised it, Drove along that road a number of times... Loads of Bikers Killed along that stretch of road

One of the routes planned for a cruise while were down in Salou..

seasurfer · Post by **seasurfer** » Thu 26 May, 2011 14:28

Very nice photo Billz, looks like you had a great time, and you are just home in time for coming up to Walney on saturday

Gill

pingu · Post by **pingu** » Thu 26 May, 2011 18:34

Great photos. Reminds me of last year when I toured Europe. Millau Bridge was the only toll road I went on

.

snoops · Post by **snoops** » Thu 26 May, 2011 19:22

billz wrote:Jim yes it is the coast road from sitges to barcelona, excellent coastal road. Mouldy there isnt any services at the viewing point just a visitor kind of place with souviners. In millau though there us an excellent super u supermarket

That's strange because when we went the was a building that was a visitors centre with souvenires but also large cafe for drinks and snacks with a seating area outside for the cafe, picnic tables and toilets etc. Wonder why they've gone it was doing roaring trade when we were there.

billz · Post by **billz** » Thu 26 May, 2011 19:44

Dont know snoops but the area we was there was only the visitor centre, mind it was around 7pm when we arrived there, there was also some areas of the centre closed off to the public.
bill

snoops · Post by **snoops** » Thu 26 May, 2011 20:04

billz wrote:Dont know snoops but the area we was there was only the visitor centre, mind it was around 7pm when we arrived there, there was also some areas of the centre closed off to the public.
bill

aaahhh maybe that's why, wouldn't have thought they would close it down but closed for the night probably.

Glad you had a great trip, it was lovely reading your updates.

It's fantastic touring in a zed isn't it, did the Millau make you go "WOW", it's impressive to say the least ...

Mouldy · Post by **Mouldy** » Fri 27 May, 2011 01:52

snoops wrote:
billz wrote:Dont know snoops but the area we was there was only the visitor centre, mind it was around 7pm when we arrived there, there was also some areas of the centre closed off to the public.
bill
. . . aaahhh maybe that's why, wouldn't have thought they would close it down but closed for the night probably . . . . .

Thanks for that. I will be wanting to explore a few photo opportunities while I'm there and as long as the coffee shop is open, I can park SWMBO there with the in (out)laws and take my camera for a walk. The pictures that I've seen of it look stunning, I can't wait to get there and see it for myself.

Shame about the Zed, though, but I'll do my best to enjoy my stay in the area. Just hoping for plenty of

.

billz · Post by **billz** » Fri 27 May, 2011 04:24

Hi Snoops, yes it certainly is a brilliant piece of engineering, but i think you get a better perspective of it when you go below it and look up, we enjoyed the road trip so much we will probably do it again next year. I dont think they see many zeds over there as we always got folk looking, in all the miles we did we only saw 4 z3s and 2 z4s and 1 z3 coup, we even got a pip and a wave from someone in an F40 Spider as he shot past us going upto Millau. But i have to admit every zed we saw gave a wave. When we got off the ferry we past in both directions 5 z3 and not one of them gave us a wave back.
bill

TaffZee · Post by **TaffZee** » Fri 27 May, 2011 04:56

Just a few pics gives you some sort of perspective to the size of the bridge, It spends a lot of time with its head in the clouds.

Jamezee · Post by **Jamezee** » Fri 27 May, 2011 23:03

Nice to see you had a great trip.

What's a litre of orange juice going for over there Bill ? just in case !

billz · Post by **billz** » Sat 28 May, 2011 06:09

Orange juice is quite cheap but i didnt need any this time apart for drinking

bill

Bill- · Post by **Bill-** » Sat 28 May, 2011 12:02

How much is petrol in france Bill last year it was 1 euro 48 in places I did 3135 miles in a VW Touran Doing the same in 2 months time & i cant wait! we loved it

Bill- · Post by **Bill-** » Sat 28 May, 2011 12:02

why cant i see the whole page

Hard Top · Post by **Hard Top** » Sat 28 May, 2011 12:08

Bill- wrote:why cant i see the whole page

Caused by your link in your OP.

Use the bar at the bottom of your screen to navigate to the right.

Bill- · Post by **Bill-** » Sat 28 May, 2011 12:13

Sorry hardtop this is Bill- not Billz

I'm a newbie z virgin

in fact I'm stillZless
but going to look at a 3 litre tomorrow

billz · Post by **billz** » Sat 28 May, 2011 18:29

Bill Fuel in France was around 162 euro for 98 octane. In Spain it was around 138 Euro
bill

Bill- · Post by **Bill-** » Sat 28 May, 2011 20:18

thats gone up

last year i spent £504.00 on petrol @32 mpg and 3313 miles. Sue my better half Calculated everything as a bit of an excercise in cost..to take the car to Southern spain & back inc 2 weeks there was £895.00 inc ferries hotels & petrol tolls but not including meals, so about the same as a flying, if you include car hire. The whole time we were there I only drove 203 miles. We were both totally knackered at the end of the journey eachway but, what an adventure.

billz · Post by **billz** » Sat 28 May, 2011 20:46

Fuel cost us just over £500 for the 2684 miles we did, but most of that driving was in France which is now a lot more expensive for fuel than over here, we averaged around 31mpg. At the exchange rate 1.12 to the pound works out at around £1.50 a litre. The cheapest fuel we did find was 1.53 euro. Got to admit the last time we went by car fuel in France was a lot cheaper than over here but its not the case now.
bill

Hard Top · Post by **Hard Top** » Sun 29 May, 2011 08:54

Bill- wrote:Sorry hardtop this is Bill- not Billz
I'm a newbie z virgin
in fact I'm stillZless
but going to look at a 3 litre tomorrow

OK, sorry Bill, maybe we can call the other one Ben, and I promise to stay away from the Weed.

Good luck with the viewing.

Titan · Post by **Titan** » Sun 29 May, 2011 09:19

Hard Top wrote:OK, sorry Bill, maybe we can call the other one Ben, and I promise to stay away from the Weed.

Is that why called them the flower "POT" men

billz · Post by **billz** » Sun 29 May, 2011 09:32

Hard Top wrote:OK, sorry Bill, maybe we can call the other one Ben

Nooooo i was here first

bill

Hard Top · Post by **Hard Top** » Sun 29 May, 2011 09:44

Titan wrote:
Hard Top wrote:OK, sorry Bill, maybe we can call the other one Ben, and I promise to stay away from the Weed.
Is that why called them the flower "POT" men

Not over here T.

The Alternative Dutch Dictionary: pot :-

Grammatical description
Strength † strong
Translation a female homosexual, a lesbian
Literal translation
Note: Generally accepted in gay circles. Apparently related to "poot" (male homosexual) but of unknown origin. The normal meaning is "pot" or "jar" but the relation is obscure.

Bill- · Post by **Bill-** » Sun 29 May, 2011 21:08

Sigh ok I'm Ben.. Schlob-a-lob.. pa pa little weed..

Mouldy · Post by **Mouldy** » Mon 30 May, 2011 06:17

Hard Top wrote:
Titan wrote:
Hard Top wrote: . . . . . and I promise to stay away from the Weed.
. . . . . . "POT" men
Not over here T.

The Alternative Dutch Dictionary: pot :-

Anyone just reading the end of this thread, might think they were on the wrong Forum.!