Good diary, enjoyed reading that. About as far removed from the kind of work I do as can be and its nice to see something different.
I still think all these diaries should have their own section, regardless of their content (i.e. Euro/local/USA etc.). I rarely venture onto the Euro forum but I’m still interested in diaries like this. Something trucknet should look at IMO.
Seen as my mate wrote one 
,i thought i would share this one which i wrote some time ago…
Day 1
The day started in the yard where I spent a weekly rest,got up around 9am had a wash and brushed my teeth and noticed a few guys still loading the trailer I was taking,so I hung around for an hour or so waiting and finally left around the 10:30 mark.
It was through Cheltenham and onto the M5 for about a mile then it was up over birlip,heading towards the M4 and head towards London,destination Dover.
Seeing as it was a bank holiday,it wasn’t long before I hit this;
Bloody holidaymakers!!! The reason for the queue was that one of those idiots caravanners decided to put his on its side.They all should be shot!!
Once past this it was onto the M25,M26,then onto the M20 and finally into Dover around the 3pm mark with 4hrs 20 showing on my timer
Me coming down the hill into the Port
Once booked onto the Seafrance ferry it was time to wait in the queue here,
After about 45 mins it was time to board,once done it was off to the drivers restaurant as I was starving,now I know I’ve been told not to eat on this ferry but as needs must and all that!!
Then I grabbed a shower to pass some time then after about 1hr 30mins its time to disembark.
Seen as I’ve only got 4hr 30 left its time to crack on through France,but before that its time to fuel up in the total garage in Calais and pop next door to a wharehouse called “pidou”
After a spot of shopping it was time to hit the road,heading for Reims
Heres some piccys but I must say its pretty boring driving down this stretch
As you can see theres a litte less traffic on this road than the M4!!!
Then I spotted this and thought I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that bill!!
Once the timer started beeping around the 4hr mark it was time to find somewhere to park for the night,which was around the Troyes area.
Day 2
After 11hrs off it was time to hit the road again,I was going to do a 10hr drive today and according to my taff nav it was around the 9 and a half hour mark to my destination so all was good.
So it was time to hit the road after sorting out the cab and doing my checks and stuff and off I trot south towards Dijon then follow the signs for Lyon.
After about 4hr 20 its time to stop for a break so I pull into the services and pick up a few of my favourite baguettes of tuna,tomato,ham and eggs,very nice they are too especially when I fill it with my own ham and salad cream,so I bought 4!!
Then whilst enjoying my food I happened to notice this fine specimen of a bloke walking past the truck!! Check out the speedos on this oaf!! Lolol shocking!!!
Dreadful,almost put me off my food!!
After an hour it was time to hit the road again,it was very hot and the air con was playing up,and I was sweating buckets.The way I was going was through the Fregas tunnel and into Italy so here are some shots of the way down
Nearly there!!!
Now I thought that stopping before the tunnels for a break,then getting through Italy and to my delivery point in one hit was a good idea,so that’s what I did here
This guy got out his fishing rod and went to catch his dinner,fair play to him
Then after an hour it was time to get my ■■■ into Italy
More pics
Going through a tunnel before the fregas
Climbing up towards the tunnels
That’s one hell of a drop down there!!!
Once to the toll(via the x-ray machine) to get through the tunnels,you hand over your card and away you go with a 70k speed limit
Then after about 10-15 mins your through the border into Italy,which is here
Now I’ve only did this before in the dark and I had no idea of the sheer drop that you go down which,if you aint a lover of heights is pretty scary!!!
Once through into Italy I punched it too my delivery point in Alessandria where I parked for the night outside for the night,thinking that the last 2 times I’ve been here they won’t touch it till around 1pm.
Day 3
Hell no!! 9am they bang my door,so around I go and stick it on the bay
I have a laugh and joke with the guys there, we smoke my “English” ■■■■ and drink their Italian coffee even though I can’t understand a word they are saying!!! All good fun
Then once tipped its off to my pick up point which was just west of Milan got half way there and gets a phone call,to drop the temp of the fridge,which I do, then sit there in a garage which the owner is giving me the dagger eyes and his missus too!! She comes out spouting all this crap which I have no idea what she is on about so I think sod this and pull out and stick it in some dirt track just down the road,sit there for ages and the air con is playing up blowing hot air,im sweating like a ****** waiting for my new instructions,which when they come through are to go to parma and load pizzas,so off I trot via taff nav.
I stop on the A1 to check the temp on the fridge as it’s a frozen load coming back and I get my first encounter with a women/man ■■■■■■ plying its trade in the parking area just outside Milan
Sorry no pics of this I will next time!!!
Got to the place around 5pm,once loaded I got out of there around 7pm and it was time to head for home,this time it wasn’t through the fregas but through the Mt Blanc so off I trot.
So I traced my steps back towards Milan then took the signs for Turin then picked up the signs for the Mt Blanc,did a fullish stint behind the wheel and parked in a parking area a few k’s short of the tunnel.
Day 4
Woke up to this
Not bad a site to wake up too hey??
Done all the usual ■■■■ then it was time to hit the road,
I get upto the border/tunnel where I get my ticket to go through but as I’m pulling a fridge I have to park up and wait for an ■■■■■■ which is a bit of a ■■■■■■ ,30 mins later I get to move
Here’s me waiting to leave
Then it was back into France,didn’t take many pics coming down as I’m not a big lover of heights so going around some of the corners the drop down below was a bit scary so I daren’t look!!!
But once I was back on level ground I took some more before the batteries ran out
Then my batteries ran out and it started raining so I stopped for a break around the Dijon area had a shower and replenished my stocks of baguettes then finished my day in Reims in the services
Day 5
Gets up around 7ish sorts out the cab and after about 20 mins I’m off to catch the boat in Calais stops in the total garage in Calais to fill up with fuel also the trailer was low on fuel so I put 80 litres in that too then I pulled into the port around 9 30am,booked on the 10:15 sea France ferry and arrived back in the uk around midday.
Phones my boss and he is surprised I’m back as it ain’t booked into lutterworth until Friday,so I trundle upto Jnt 9 on the M1 for some food,then trundle upto rugby truckstop where I park for the night intending to watch the European cup final,a few sherbert dips later its back to hotel Volvo for the night.
Day 6
Wakes up around 8 gets a txt so I meet this guy for some breakfast around 9:30
Then I sat there all bloody day as they wouldn’t let me tip til 4pm!!!
Once the load was taken off it was over to Hams hall where I dropped my trailer and picked up another,then it was back to the yard,clean out the truck and home.
Enjoyed that.Ta for posting 
Great diary and photos!
Does Ralph Davies running to Europe as daily?
You mean the Frejus tunnel,not the Fregas.Its a heat detecting machine at the tunnel,not an X ray machine,but good pictures mate.
Betz:
Great diary and photos!Does Ralph Davies running to Europe as daily?
Yes fella
Interesting read and nice pics, one question though.
Did you really do Reims/Calais, (including a fuel stop) in 2hrs 10 mins ?
TBH I can’t remember I wrote this about 2 years ago
show off just cos you took pictures 
good read but nearly spewed my tea when i saw that oaf in the speedos
I seem to have read this diary somewhere before on another forum, now where could that be i wonder 
Good stuff Stuey lad, how come no pics of the he/she did you rip the hole out of him/her
Thetaff:
TBH I can’t remember I wrote this about 2 years ago
Its a diary 
welshboyinspain:
good read but nearly spewed my tea when i saw that oaf in the speedos
Eh, less of the “oaf”, I think I looked quite ‘fetching’ in them!!
Ross. 
Wish i could do troyes in 4hrs…as it is 400km
mb14:
Wish i could do troyes in 4hrs…as it is 400km
I said “around the troyes area” didn’t mean the centre bit FFS and it was 4 and a half,i wish i never posted this now,after all this BS about spelling mistakes and getting from to and fro,will stick to the proper site from now on 
SPOT ON MATE, GOOD /PICS TOP DIARY
Oh how I miss the Euro work, some good pics there & a decent story. 
Get off the Peage a bit more & make it a little more interesting next time maybe!
I did that exact trip 2 weeks ago. Thank you for posting the pics…I only took 4, and they were ■■■■!
Will do more next time. I love the empty roads…And people say to me." Why do I like foreign trips"? Look at the pics, and then tell me you wouldn’t do it!
nice one makes me want to do a diary myself there are not enough of them on here and i will do my best to post one as soon as i get my technical head on and work out what to do. as i tell my children i cant be good at every thing
Thats exactly what i used to do,get off the boring toll road,the scenery in the Jura area of France is out of this world,it is the 39 area region,got snowed in there at Besancon in the snow,the town was deserted,and i was weekended.The Gendarmes came up to my wagon to say i could not drive after 22.00 due to the snow and ice,it is a very hilly area,they said it was ok to move after 06.00 am on Monday morning and would fine me if i moved before,it was a “snow” order.
The route for Italy was via Vesoul,then ignore the 19 ton weight limit imposed by the mayor,saw Gendarmes that didnt bat an eye lid,head to Oyanax,then the national toll free road via Nantua to Chambery,national to the tunnel then,one village has a 7.5 ton weight limit,but you see the local wagons going through,worst case scenario,write up a dodgy CMR for a unloading point,and hope they dont phone the factory to see if they are expecting you.Italy is slow going on the national roads,with farm traffic and much lower speed limits of 70 kmh.Jump on the toll to Milan then.
toby1234abc:
Thats exactly what i used to do,get off the boring toll road,the scenery in the Jura area of France is out of this world,it is the 39 area region,got snowed in there at Besancon in the snow,the town was deserted,and i was weekended.The Gendarmes came up to my wagon to say i could not drive after 22.00 due to the snow and ice,it is a very hilly area,they said it was ok to move after 06.00 am on Monday morning and would fine me if i moved before,it was a “snow” order.
The route for Italy was via Vesoul,then ignore the 19 ton weight limit imposed by the mayor,saw Gendarmes that didnt bat an eye lid,head to Oyanax,then the national toll free road via Nantua to Chambery,national to the tunnel then,one village has a 7.5 ton weight limit,but you see the local wagons going through,worst case scenario,write up a dodgy CMR for a unloading point,and hope they dont phone the factory to see if they are expecting you.Italy is slow going on the national roads,with farm traffic and much lower speed limits of 70 kmh.Jump on the toll to Milan then.
Yep, Peage to Reims but no further. Take the last exit before the (south) Toll booths where the routiers/arcohotel is on Chalons road (N44 I think) much better route