My 1st euro trip (diary)

[wheel_nut]

I think you can use your Euroshell card at any IP stations and Euroshell is accepted at a lot of other Motorway services. If not they can offer you a PLUS

[montana_man]

Wheel Nut:
If not they can offer you a PLUS

REALLY !!!

[brit_pete]

a great read and nice pictures as well thanks a lot

[kw]

For future reference,you can buy a Eurovignette at Raststatte Frechen on the A4 just after Köln or at Aachenerland,also on the A4,just before Aachen.

Coming from Nancy,you can get one at the Aire de la Maxe on the A31just as you pass Metz (look out for the Ikea store,the services are just nearby),or you can get one (tho’ not 24hrs) at the last parking just before the Luxembourg border.

It’s virtually impossible to get one at a tank station in Holland or Belgium.
You can get them at post offices in Belgium.

[coffeeholic]

Simon:

Spardo:
I’m quite certain in my own mind ( ) that Coffee and I are right, I distinctly remember crawling up the ski jump as it took such a long time before breathing non-sulpherous clean air again after choking over the steelworks.

You then come back down on the original road round all the mountain bends.

I’m certain too.
I posted a diary with pics about my first trip through the Mont Blanc tunnel, not long after it re-opened.
Up hill on the stilts, down hill on the original road.

There was an American poster who asked about drivers falling off the stilts due to vertigo etc in the thread, Coffee answered him.

I have a video on YouTube of a journey up and over the Blanc from Italy to France and you can see in it that the up road on the French side is the one on stilts.

[tagoat]

Brilliant diary.

Thanks very much.

[carl]

great stuff highlander enjoyed reading that mate

[hanson]

great i enjoyed that brought back a few memorys thanks

[spacemonkeypg]

well done mate on a good diary.

considering you have not been before and it is also a first for the firm its some battle for you as no one in the office can help you out when you need it.

[jj72]

Simon:
Up hill on the stilts, down hill on the original road.

yep 100% right - one of the lads i used to run with ALWAYS pointed out that it was the “only place in mainland Europe where you drove on the left” - whatever

i stopped one saturday morning in the layby just before the bad bends coming home and went to peer down behind the armco on the first left hander - i’m not bothered by heights much but jaysus it was a loooooooooooooooong way down a very narrow gap in the cliffs

[spardo]

jj72:
yep 100% right - one of the lads i used to run with ALWAYS pointed out that it was the “only place in mainland Europe where you drove on the left” - whatever

Not quite, my local gravel quarry changes to the left for the 200 metres between the weighbridge and the first bend.
Very hairy at the crossover point on the bend

it was a loooooooooooooooong way down a very narrow gap in the cliffs :shock

It certainly is, but seemed even further in the days before the ski-jump when we went up and down round the rocks.

[jj72]

aye, in a Sentinel steamer, i’ll bet? queue Hovis music

[simon]

jj72:
aye, in a Sentinel steamer, i’ll bet? queue Hovis music

It wasn’t that long ago, was it ?

[highlander]

Thanks for all your comments,boys. Glad you enjoyed the read.

Just back from my 2nd trip. Had 2 drops again,Milan and Rieti,about 40kms from Rome. No major problems apart from the fuel again. Got to a Shell station only to find that the system was giving trouble. It seems all Shell stations are automatic,and the terminal seemed to be accepting some cards and not others.Course mine was one of those it was rejecting. Paid cash at the next services.

Had a look at the map to see how to get to Rieti.Come off the motorway and head for Terni. From there,choice of a small country road or a trunk road(as the map called it).Took the trunk road,big mistake. I think it was the original sheep-track The other road is what they call a “super stradale”. It was a much better road. Took it to get back to the motorway. Both roads meet just outside Terni and then you drop back down the mountains into there. Fantastic views of the town,but it was so twisty and tight,daren’t let go of the wheel to take photos . It’s easy to see why the Italians used to run R.H.D. trucks in the mountains.

Got back to the motorway and was pulled by the cops at the toll-booths.He had a look at the disc.“Speeding” he says. Was about 3kms over the limit and he wanted 296 euros . He didn’t get 296 euros After a lot of pleading ignorance,he let me go.

Back up to Imola and collect 6 pallets of rubber mats, then onto the Interporto at Bologna to collect 9 pallets of wellies and 18 pallets of medical supplies.

Had a good run back through France,except for a couple of customs checks.
Weekended again at Ashford.Delivered the mats to Redditch,wellies to Leicester and the medical gear to Haslingden on Monday.

Got a back-load from Scunthorpe to Larkhall on Tuesday then a load of salmon from Larkhall back to Alness. 4106 miles for the round trip.

[spardo]

Simon:

jj72:
aye, in a Sentinel steamer, i’ll bet? queue Hovis music

It wasn’t that long ago, was it ?

You’d better believe it, I’ve still got the firebox scars on my hands from all the shovelling.

Young folks today, don’t know they’re born, when I started I had to stoke the fire work the regulator, steer the thing to stop it going over the edge, and still find time to cook me breakfast on the shovell.

Nice one again Highlander, those 'minor roads in Italy are the devil aren’t they? I once wandered off the beaten track in a rainstorm and discovered the only way back to the main drag was via a corner so tight that the trailer would drop down into the ditch - I made it…at speed.
On the other hand, the carabinieri once took £6 off me for a 24 hour spreadover, then gave me the disc back to carry on.

[john_aalborg]

Thanks for the diary, Highlander! As for that foto of the Italian loading dock with the pallet staircase: you sure you didn’t get that camera shot from someone in the USA? (…/highlander/P1010061600X450.jpg) Made me feel right at home!

[kw]

Harry Monk:
Agreed Harry, I always used to stop at the Relais des Sapins by the lake there, but there were many restaurants on that road who must have seen their trade slashed overnight when the viaduct opened.

Called in there this week,as you can see,the fuel pumps have now all gone…

…and though the restaurant is still open,I was the only truck there.

The Nantua viaduct has been a godsend to most of the locals,but there are a number of routiers that have closed due to the lack of heavy traffic,I came off at Bellegarde as there are major works going on in the tunnels between Nantua and Geneve (good time to do it,holiday season and all that) and though there is a weight limit through Chatillon,I chanced it and saved myself 30mins.
But I did notice a couple of old routiers that have been closed for some time,along with other small businesses.

Going under the viaduct on the old road into Nantua.

And going through Nantua to load in Nurieaux.

[jessicas_dad]

whats happened to highlander is he stuck in italy with his dodgy fuel cards

[highlander]

jessicas dad:
whats happened to highlander is he stuck in italy with his dodgy fuel cards

Thanks for the concern JD. Was on a fortnights holiday and am just back this morning from another interesting Italian trip.Interesting for the wrong reasons.

Set off as normal on the Friday before last. Two drops, Tribiano and then on to Cesenatico. Was week-ended on Monday so parked up at Zenzone Ovest services.

Tipped Tribiano 8am Tuesday then off to Cesenatico. TM phoned to see how I was doing so told him I was about an hour away from 2nd drop but had to stop for a 45 before I got there.No problem,he says, phone in when you’re tipped. 15 mins later phone goes again,this time it was the boss.He asks if I have done the 2nd drop. Tell him the same as the TM. He tells me that the customer in Buckie has phoned Tradimar to ask if the truck could not do the delivery as there was a problem.So I had to park up and wait for further instructions.

Had been waiting an hour when TM phoned.Ihad to wait where I was until the Italian police were in position .Then tradimar would call me to to go to the delivery location. Apparently,when I got there,they were going to wait till I started tipping,then make some arrests.Seems as though there was a bit of shady dealing going on at this place.

Waited a bit longer and got a call from Tradimar asking exactly where I was. Told them I was at Bevano Ovest services. Was told to wait there for the police to arrive and they would ■■■■■■ me to the delivery point. By now, my sphincter was starting to work overtime .

So sat and waited some more. Then got another call from Tradimar saying don’t wait for the police,but deliver the load to another address in Riccione,just past Rimini. I was away like a shot

Tipped there then told to park up as there was no return load as yet.Parked at motorway service area.Got up nice and early Wed morning to wait for the phone call. TM finally called at lunchtime.Still no load. Office called early evening to tell me I was picking up 20 pallets of cheese in Parma at 10am Thurs and then on to a village called Pasturo near Lecco to fill out with more cheese,all bound for Yeo Valley at Highbridge.

Rest of the trip was plain sailing. I’ve even got the Euroshell card sussed now.Don’t go to Shell stations.A lot of Esso stations accept it and there seems to be more of them about than Shell.

[jessicas_dad]

bloody hell highlander… mixing with the mafia on their home turf. better you than me.

glad your home ok.