Hi Earl,

We do it from York a couple of times a year.

The Channel Tunnel is our preferred route for booze runs - quick and efficient.

Inform your credit card company you are going, or you may find either this end or their end playing silly devils and deciding to refuse transactions. Can assure you it's damned inconvenient if it happens.

If you indulge, Belgium is cheapest for fags and baccy. Adinkirke is the place to go.

In many places you get a better exchange rate if you buy with sterling cash.

Calais is really geared up for the beat the Chancellor game. A very good source of info is at -

http://www.day-tripper.net/

For meals, Carrefour in Calais has a reasonable food court, but we think it's expensive for wine.

Peter

Peter makes very sensible points. Might I just remind you that all your purchases are for your own personal use and are not even presents for others!!!

And while you're on the booze cruise, don't forget that the French sales end on 22 February! So stock up on still in date Christmas goodies like chocolates, galette des rois, and coffee and tinned foie gras!!

Thank you.......and yes they are for my own use

We go twice a year from Doncaster. My hubby found us return travel midweek at £19 .
The address is :- http://www.driveline.co.uk/France/
scroll down the page and fill in the form!
Don't tell anyone as it is a big secret!!!!
cheers
Janet

Thanks Janet

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 6:00 pm Post subject: Channel Tunnel

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We go twice a year from Doncaster. My hubby found us return travel midweek at £19 .
The address is :- http://www.driveline.co.uk/France/
scroll down the page and fill in the form!
Don't tell anyone as it is a big secret!!!!
cheers
Janet

Sometimes the P&O website has offers on the best ones are usually half day afternoon crossings and it's best to NOT log on for some reason they are more expensive if you do

The one I mention is on Eurotunnel and its a full day return, turn up and go + return whenever u want,(on same day that is) 35 mins from on to off, cant beat it

Janet

Hi

Peter of York

Have you been recently? if so are the recent price increases worth the journey?

We always found Adinkirke to be the cheapest, although with the recent ciggie price increases in Belgium / French, maybe Adinkirke is not the cheapest anymore.

I had read somewhere that, for really cheap ciggies, it's best to head down to the French / Spanish border.

Does anyone know where this location is? And what would the driving time be from Calais?

Thanks in advance

Driver02

Hi Driver,

Haven't been for a while, but a look at http://www.day-tripper.net/ might suggest that Adinkirke prices are between £27.50 to £28 a sleeve.

Distance-wise a run down to the Spanish border is one hell of a long way, with motorway tolls cutting into the savings. It's far too far to contemplate, but I've heard of people taking a quick return flight only to Spain, stopping only to buy cigs.

Next week we are doing a mini cruise from Hull to Zeebrugge with P & O. It makes a nice break, with the bonus of stocking up a little on wine.

No cigs for us, have been off them a year this past St Valentine's Day, on account of a traumatic near death experience with pneumonia and pleurisy in Tunisia. Not particularly smoking related, but was good aversion therapy!

Good luck,

Peter

Hi peter of york,we do the same trip a few times a year on P&O from hull.Sometimes they have special offers for the Auchan hypermarket in Dunkerque which can save you a good few quid.
To get there....after leaving the ferry and heading towards the beginning of Zeebrugge you come to the mini roundabout,go straight over and get on the road that heads UNDER the flyover towards Brugge(N371)
Pull in for some petrol after half a mile Back on the N371 towards Brussels,stay on this road,past Brugge and turn off on to the motorway E40(signposted Ostend,Veurne)
After about 5 miles the motorway splits into 2,you want to be in the left hand lane,continueing on the E40 towards Veurne,Dunkerque,straight past Adinkerke,over the border and you want to be turning off at junction 25a(I think they should have a leaflet on board or online)
Stay on this road for about a mile and turn left at the roundabout,keep in the right hand lane and this takes you into the massive car park.
You will need a 1 euro coin for the trolleys and they have a vast amount of beer and wines at very low prices
Once stocked up exit the car park the way you came in,turn right past the petrol garage and you will come to another roundabout.Left hand lane and about 3/4 of the way round turn back on to the E40 motorway (signposted brugge,Brussels)
First exit over the border is Adinkerke if you are stopping for a drink etc
Pull off the motorway and turn left at the top of the slipway,left at the roundabout and you will see the coaches and lorries parked at the side of the road/canal.there is a footbridge over the canal on the right and a garage on your left.Turn left just before reaching the garage down a little side street and park up near the chip shop on you right.Lovely chips and mayo for dinner.Go for a walk back towards the garage and head towards you came in and there is a little pub on your right hand side opposite the canal bridge,run by a SCOUSER of all people
Once done back on to the E40 towards Brugge and stop on the motorway and just follow the ferry signs back to Zeebrugge.

Enjoy your trip

If you want to speed things up whilst your there, you can always pre order from Tescos and Sainsburys, then your wines are ready to collect. If its for a wedding then Tesco do 10% off if you have proof its for a wedding. Both stores websites have a list of prices. With regard to the trolleys, if you go to the information desk at the hypermarkets they will give you a trolley token if you do not have a euro.

With regard to the trolleys, if you go to the information desk at the hypermarkets they will give you a trolley token if you do not have a euro.

I've still got one,they work a treat at netto

Hi Gooligan,

Thanks very much for that great advice. We remember seeing the ads for Auchan, but we were foot passengers last time. This time we have the car.

And the plastic trolley token we got in France a few years ago!!

Peter

Hello Peter of York, and fellow HT Members

Thanks for all your tips and advice, it has certainly given us something to work on.

I will be in touch soon, for further advice.

Regards

Driver02

anyone tell me how much ciggies and tobacco are in hyper market at calais

thanks xx

They are not sold in the hypermarkets in France, only in tabacs. Have a look at http://www.day-tripper.net, and you will find that the best place to go from Calais is Adinkerke in Belgium, where current prices are between £27.75 & £28.00 a sleeve.

Peter

Just returned from a long weekend to Calais.
We usually go 2 - 3 times a year to stock up with wine and get cigs for my wife.

We have a run up to Adinkirke and the current price for 200 cigs is £27.
Its a lot more than when we made our first journey there but is still a big reduction on UK prices (so I am told).
I like the drive along the motorway and always return by the 'back way' along the canal and through small villages. Its a family tradition now.

I did read that Luxembourg have even cheaper prices for cigarettes but I think its a fair bit further to drive.

The choice of wine shops in Calais is quite staggering with a good choice.
If you want well known names its good to visit Tesco whose prices are good. If you want real cheap stuff then Eastenders is probably leading the pack.
Eastenders used to be a bit of a dirty place but seems to be having a transformation at the moment and you can actually find your way about. Only thing I would mention is that they total the bill up with a calculator here and I always keep a check of the total before I get to the cash desk.
Everywhere else gives you a printed receipt.

We usually stay over in Calais at the Ibis near to Cite Europe - its reasonably priced, gives good service and is ideally located.

there is a wine warehouse called Franglais which you can see on teh right when you come out of the tunnel its got a red white and blue roof , there is 2 advantages to this place which i would reccommend to anyone 1 you can actually try teh wine before buying , so saves getting a bottle of sarsons and 2 its open sunday which most of the others if not all arent , and its quiet

also if you do go to Tesco or sainsburys remember to take your clubcard as you acn add the points on , also if you want to buy cheeses or pate etc its best to go to calais or even bolougne market as a hell of a lot cheaper and a lot better , just remember teh coolbox if you live up north like me as the car tends to get withy by teh time you get home

Hey all, just bumping this thread up.

I'm planning to go to that place in Belgium (Adinkerke) to get some cheap cigarettes, just on my own doing a day return, i'll stay within the 3200 limit but ive heard you can still get stopped and may have to prove its for personal use. Does anyone have any tips or idea's of what you need to do there to prove it and what sort of questions they ask/stuff they do?

Thanks all.

Im guessing its not as easy as saying look smell my breath you can tell I smoke now ive proved it