I thought I’d share my recent experience driving to both Austria and Spain.
To Austria I normally go via Belgium - Lux - Germany but the roadworks & traffic jams are now a nightmare and finding a service area to kip in is is very hit and miss. Fuel in Lux is not as cheap as it used to be and has increased to a level where the diversion wasn’t worth it IMHO. I came back via France and the tolls. Lots of places to stop and kip for free on the peage.
I used the viaMichelin app (downside it doesn’t work with Apple CarPlay) to give me the prices of the journey which also incorporated the French toll roads. However the app also give you the fuel prices of both the service areas on the motorways and off: updated daily. I discovered that the Total station just outside Eurotunnel at Coquelles was a lot cheaper than UK and France in general at €1.68 per litre. Filling up there got me to the French border of Germany where I filled up at a better rate than in Germany just outside Strasbourg. That got me to Austria which is also cheaper than DE. I always fill up in Austria anyway cos they have an anti freeze additive. I was caught out by that once before with a very lumpy BMW and cold diesel.
To the Spanish border I had to stop and tank up but I only put in €50 cos I knew that if I filled up in Spain the Spanish Gov gave me back 20c per litre as part of the cost of living initiative. €1.45 a litre. That ended on the 31st December though but fuel is still cheaper than France at €1.65.
Toll charges to Spain were about €60 cheaper, each way, if you use the Paris route and not the Le Mans - Bordeaux route to Spain. Even better the app gave me an alternative to miss out Paris, go down the N154 (non toll) from Rouen towards Chatres and onto the A10. Added 45 mins to the journey but the Paris stress was gone although on the way back I got caught in a 2 hour nightmare at Orleans in the major roadworks due to a multi collision pile up.
BTW on the way out I averaged 40 mph at 75 & 35 mph at 80 on the way back 33 mph & 31 respectively! Why? On the way out I had Maximus treatment in my tank and the way back I'd ran out on my last €50 fill in France!
I await any sagely advice from fellow T6ers.
To Austria I normally go via Belgium - Lux - Germany but the roadworks & traffic jams are now a nightmare and finding a service area to kip in is is very hit and miss. Fuel in Lux is not as cheap as it used to be and has increased to a level where the diversion wasn’t worth it IMHO. I came back via France and the tolls. Lots of places to stop and kip for free on the peage.
I used the viaMichelin app (downside it doesn’t work with Apple CarPlay) to give me the prices of the journey which also incorporated the French toll roads. However the app also give you the fuel prices of both the service areas on the motorways and off: updated daily. I discovered that the Total station just outside Eurotunnel at Coquelles was a lot cheaper than UK and France in general at €1.68 per litre. Filling up there got me to the French border of Germany where I filled up at a better rate than in Germany just outside Strasbourg. That got me to Austria which is also cheaper than DE. I always fill up in Austria anyway cos they have an anti freeze additive. I was caught out by that once before with a very lumpy BMW and cold diesel.
To the Spanish border I had to stop and tank up but I only put in €50 cos I knew that if I filled up in Spain the Spanish Gov gave me back 20c per litre as part of the cost of living initiative. €1.45 a litre. That ended on the 31st December though but fuel is still cheaper than France at €1.65.
Toll charges to Spain were about €60 cheaper, each way, if you use the Paris route and not the Le Mans - Bordeaux route to Spain. Even better the app gave me an alternative to miss out Paris, go down the N154 (non toll) from Rouen towards Chatres and onto the A10. Added 45 mins to the journey but the Paris stress was gone although on the way back I got caught in a 2 hour nightmare at Orleans in the major roadworks due to a multi collision pile up.
BTW on the way out I averaged 40 mph at 75 & 35 mph at 80 on the way back 33 mph & 31 respectively! Why? On the way out I had Maximus treatment in my tank and the way back I'd ran out on my last €50 fill in France!
I await any sagely advice from fellow T6ers.
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