well anything I sould now about guys 
ie: routiers on the way down and the best route to take i’m in the Tonka 7.5 tonner again so its no weekend stops for me!! It looks like a good trip even get three nights in the hotel in Rome to!!
I think you will struggle to find any restos open until after the holiday. I cannot really see anyone in France opening for a day, they will probably reopen at 5am on Monday the 5th
Thanks mate we will have to see what I find then??.. Ian
where are you starting from, what way are you crossing the channel and what rute are you planning to take?
Hi there mate, well looking at the maps on Google the most direct route is Dover Calais, Reims, Dijon, Mont Blanc, Aosta, Alessandria, Piacenza , Bologna, Firenze then over night at Orte, then onto Rome. I am suppose to leave on Friday after loading in Bridgend South Wales… Cheers. Ian 
if you have a good run and no delays on the ferry and customs at Dover are quick enough you will make Reims for Friday night, bit late for any food so just park centre routier junc 26 At Exit 26, keep RIGHT onto Ramp 0.2 km Reims-Cormontreuil / Châlons S/M. / Cormontreuil / Parc des Expositions / Pôle H. Farman
That is about 650km.
If you enter Swiss through the French Border it is about 380km, I am not sure when you can clear to transit Swiss on Saturday, but I would guess before mid day, if you do clear then you should be able to get somewhere near Como, there is a truck park that is manned all weekend with showers just through the border about 730km from Reims,
Via Cristoforo Colombo 22100 Como, its not brilliant, but it is better than parking on the Motorway, it has Showers (grubby) and is only a short walk from the bus stop into town (good night out) Then it’s only 630 km to Rome
sign outside parking
jimti:
They used to do good grub in there and had a good crowd.
As you said Jimti, it was a bit grubby, but it was never filthy.
I haven’t been that way for 5 or 6 years now, so no idea what it’s like now.
I was introduced to the proper Italian breakfast in there.
A Latte Macchiato e marmalata brioche ,
followed by a cafe normale.
Just the job 
Sure someone better informed can confirm, but I think you will find that with a gvw of 7.5t, you are restricted for weekend movements. All our ‘7.5t’ trucks are plated at 7.49t to overcome this problem.
gb1:
Sure someone better informed can confirm, but I think you will find that with a gvw of 7.5t, you are restricted for weekend movements. All our ‘7.5t’ trucks are plated at 7.49t to overcome this problem.
More or less every breed of 7.5tonner is plated at 7.49t.
7.5 tonner is a generic term pretty much like Transit or Sprinter is used when talking about a van.
The look on a French coppers face is good to see just make sure you keep the logbook handy to show them as the weight is on there.
Thanks all you guys for the info. I am loading 11am on Friday and then i’m off to go, thanks again for the info… Ian aka (Boss Hog)
We’ll look forward to seeing the picture diary here later then 