August 26th Sheffield - Monte Carlo

[Boggle73]

Hi Peeps,

We are going on holiday on the 26th August for 2 and a half weeks.

We are travelling Sheffield to Strasbourg so i can do a couple of days work, and then heading off on holiday.

The plan is to go from Strasbourg to Davos, then take the Stelvio Pass and end up in Lake Garda for a few nights.
From Garda down to Milan for a couple of nights then from Milan to Monte Carlo.

We are heading for F1 GP in Monza on Sunday 11th Sept.

I would like some advice on which road to take back, there are a few choices. Im not bothered about taking the Goddard Tunnel, that just seems a waste.

Do any of you have any advice or suggestions ? Apart from having a petrol tanker follow me around.

We have all the proper documentation and breakdown cover, should we be thinking about taking anything else ?

Thanks in anticipation of response.

Jay.

[Jules]

Sheffield hey,only 20 odd miles from me

I have no help on the route lol,but i'm sure it will be amazing,defo something i would like to do one day.

Have fun

[Boggle73]

Thanks Jules,

Im sure it will be fantastic, cant wait to hear the V8 in some of those tunnels.
Mine is the Hairdressers version, should be a blast.

Will look for you around, what colour / model are you ?

Jay.

[adsgreen]

it's been mentioned before but I would strongly advise taking as a bare minimum a replacement spare tyre. If anything happens getting breakdown cover is one thing but finding a place that sells the right tyres is a royal pain and if out of hours could scupper your trip by a couple days. Taking a spare tyre isn't too bad as without the wheel rim it can be packed inside with stuff and finding a local wheel place that can fit a new tyre is a hell of lot less hassle.
Some people even carry a full space saver with a jack on long road trips like this.

[Boggle73]

Thanks Adsgreen,

Looking at the amount of stuff my wife is packing, i should have bought the Avant.

Points are taken on board, will be a tight squeeze for a full size spare.
I have a can of expanding filler or whatever its called, will go on ebay and look for a spare tyre.

Cheers for the pointer.

Jay.

[adsgreen]

yeah the prob with the can is that it'll only work on some failures and even then only to get you 50 miles tops.
Seriously though, if you have some small squishy bags they'll fit in the middle of the tyre so it's awkward yes but you don't lose that much space.

As an aside, I'd really be tempted to look at relocating the battery and using the spare wheel well for the sapre.

[Boggle73]

Thanks Ads,

Not sure how i can relocate battery safely, it looks a bit twisty round them there Alps.

Jay.

[Boggle73]

Ok,

Have been having a look at ways back.

Has anyone done Gotthard Pass then onto Grimsel Pass ?

Looks an amazing drive.

Jay.

[Jules]

I live in buxton mate,i have a sprint blue saloon,i'm over sheffield tomorrow night as my dad has just moved near
eccleshall rd or something similar
The posh part with all the nice wine bars etc

[adsgreen]

Thanks Ads,

Not sure how i can relocate battery safely, it looks a bit twisty round them there Alps.

Jay.

Sorry - ment as a long term pet project of mine not for your up n coming trip

[svassileou]

We did London - Reims - Colmar - Bolzano - Verona (and back) a few years ago in our old Caterham 7; will see if I can dig out the route. Photos of the trip are at http://rides.webshots.com/album/456593497jjqWuq?start=0.

You may need stuff like high visibility vests, and from memory you'll need to pay a fee to drive in Switzerland. Make sure you check out the Stelvio webcam just before you drive the pass, if at all possible.

[Reflect Russ]

Hiya Jay, havent forgotten about the pictures mate just been rammed with work, will get them in the post mate...i have a few minutes now....

[crispy]

Well to start, I'd reccomend, Ringinglow Road to Fox House, then to Owler Bar, dropping into Millthorpe on the way to Chesterfield and the M1

As others have said, hi viz is a must, as the French plod are keen on checking british cars are obeying the rules. As for roads, I'm not sure what it is called, but the route near Stelvio across to Ischgl was a blast a few years ago. We stayed in the area, so just explored. Enjoyes the road from Lake Como to St Moritz as well.

Also worth picking up a european road map, and looking at whats around - much easier to visualise routes than trying to use the sat nav.

As for a spare wheel, that depends on how critical it is that you reach your next destination at a specific time. We have always taken the view that you can get a tyre sent to any tyre Shop in Europe within 24 hours if its that desparate.

[Boggle73]

Great feedback thanks.

Looks amazing on your photos svassilou, must have been a great trip.

We have got reflective vests and a Europe road map. Have tried to get some idea of how much room a spare tyre will take up. The problem is that the can has a roof storage compartment that already takes up quite a bit of room.

I may stick a spare tyre in the bonnet gap the dealer left after changing Aux rads. May be possible to get a small sideboard in there too.

Jay.

[Boggle73]

Hi Russ.

No rush for pictures, but I would like them at some point.

Car still looks great thanks.

Jay.