The Netherland Trip

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
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Last weekend, I went to Holland for model toyfair show - one night. see the below, that’s my little diary. :smiley:

Woke up 5,00am - have a breakfast with the cup of tea then off to Windsor for meeting point pickup for catch the coach.
Coach - Double decker, i sat the front of top coach :smiley: :sunglasses:

Coach set off 6,15am heading to Channel Tunnel via Godstone (more pick up the people in bus stop Godstone)
M25, M26, M20 - Raining!!! but Quiet, smooth running to Tunnel without caught the delay.
arriving Tunnel - 9,20am and we off to Tunnel Factilies Mall Centre for have a other the breakfast and have a coffee then catch the train to France


First see the willi betz lorry - Yellow Premium Dutch in A16 - J13

Coach driving throu the E40 Corrider, Quiet running but lots of Czech and Poles lorries fighting over the speed (overtake)

Funny I seen the Polish lorry overtake the other lorries but the france road sign say Overtake ban now so Polish lorry behind the french police Gendarmes so Polish lorry begin faster speed up hurry and cut off overtake dangerous way!!! :open_mouth: :astonished: :open_mouth: First time i have seen Gendarmes keep the quiet in that time without press the siren light! :laughing:

enter the Belgium Flatland

mini roadwork in E40 but thier system controflow is very hazard short and need a big brake and edge is too sharp not like in England’s Roadwork, usually put the cones for two miles!!! before roadwork start :unamused:

Now enter before the Brugge,the E40 motorway start with full light throu to Germany Border corrider. I read somewhere in the web, Fact thing in the belgium motorway system is the only man made structure visible from the moon at night due to the lights along the motorway.

Coach stop at Belgium Service station before Antwerpen. Its not good serivce station :imp: because Restanraunt is too small and short staff just only two staff mean coach people come in make a large queues!!! :smiling_imp: i give up the queues so i grab a sauasage rolls and donuts from the Petrol Station :imp: also have to pay 30 cents for toliet but i have a no change so i give a five note of euros, he dont accept so I walk off, his face is too bitter :laughing:
30 mins later Coach jet off heading to Antwerpen rings so we heading to West via toll tunnel to Holland not throu Kennedy Tunnel.


Enter the Holland Flatland again! quiet running in A4
pass the famous traditional Dutch & Hungary Company Headquater RYNART

Coach went to Massland near Rotterdam and Vlaardingen via A4, A58, A17, A16 and A15


Dutch Roadwork got a big air camp tent for indoor work :smiley:

Interesting Motorway Design!!! modern! :sunglasses:

Impressive big interchanges motorway, feel like america interstates! :smiley:

Arrived the Holland Tekno Truck Model Factory & Display Show


There have sell of second hand or fault model in reduced price :smiley: i got buy some the parts spare of model like tool food box . Tekno got provide to visitor a coffee or tea or beer of Heinkien :sunglasses: but I pick a coffee instead the beer cos too early for me cos already in late afternoon so i prefer drink beer in evening.

Two hours later, we jet off to Meerkerk in South outside of Utrecht for Hotel overnight. We eat the three course meal with pils beers! :sunglasses: then off to bed

Next Day, up 6,00am for breakfast and jet off 7.15am heading to Houten for ToyFair Model, its huge massive toyfair total three hall!!! bigger show in Europe.

Houten Expo Centre.

We leave the Houten at 3,00pm and running back to Belgium via long stretch A27 and A1 to Antwerpen ring. We turn to toll tunnel again not throu Kennedy tunnel :cry: i want throu kennedy tunnel, i never been before, so never mind. next time for myself! :sunglasses:
we stop the outside of Antwerpen Motorway Service Station but still again crap restanraunt area so i grab a tomato soup and a rolls then 30 mins later, we leave the station and join the two convoy turkish lorries heading smooth journey to Calais but very badly raining in along way the E40.
Arrived the Tunnel at 9pm and leave the train and heading to M20 but interesting to watch 9 lorries fighting battle over the overtake Rivals - 3 x french, 2 x poles, 2 x germans and 2 x czech lorries. We r hold up in M20 at Maidstone due accident three lane into one lane take us to 15 mins delays
driving to M26 agains - 9 lorries fighting over the speed so two lanes block by foreign lorries mean lots of brits car were too frustration want get out of way! :laughing:

Finally arriving the home at midnight
Good experience for me and enjoyable journey the across Benelaux
i buy some lorries model from holland

Ben :wink:

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nice pics ben
hope you had a great time :smiley:

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Great pics :wink: My youngest son loves the models at truckfest.

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Good pics and nice read there Ben. Glad you enjoyed it :smiley:

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a good read and pics there ben :laughing:

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good for you ben you certainley get your off’s and good photos too. :wink:

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nice one ben, your certainly getting around a bit these days.
the arched glass panels along the side of the motorway are sound barriers, the europeans seem to like something a little different to the uk wooden fences and brick walls.
interesting comments on the overtaking issues regarding the trucks, i suppose every passenger on the coach felt that they would have gotten home earlier if it hadn’t been for those nuiscance truck drivers.
another interesting point was the nationalities of trucks you mentioned, not much in the way of uk trucks either abroad or in the south of the uk.
it’s quite likely the meerkerk stop is a truckstop too, they normally put those big blue R signs up, there was a place i used to stop at near utrecht many years ago demeern i think it was, very similar to the place in your photo.
i remember one night there and there was some sort of tv crew in asking women to take their tops off for tv, quite a few did - it was a real treat for us brits with our prudishness to see such open voyeurism from the local lasses.
i tried to stop there as much as i could after that and even ventured down to the barges where i found even more adventurist activities on offer for cash money.

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Is the coach you went on operated by Westway coaches?

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Very good pictures Ben and some of Betz too,good read and I see you got Edwards container.
regards derek

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Andyroo:
Is the coach you went on operated by Westway coaches?

Yes, Andy… as an ex coach driver, I recognised it straight away

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TheBear:

Andyroo:
Is the coach you went on operated by Westway coaches?

Yes, Andy… as an ex coach driver, I recognised it straight away

I used to work for Fry and Pollard (Plumbing and Heating Merchant) just opposite their yard in Raynes Park.

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Nice read and pics ben :smiley:

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Nice diary Ben, some quality photo’s, look like you had a good time :laughing:

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:smiley: Lovely read and pics.

Betz:
Double decker, i sat the front of top coach :smiley: :sunglasses:

Watching you rush for that top front position - that i would like to have seen. :laughing: Yeah like hell you strolled over to it.

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Well done Ben…a nice story and some good pictures…and you managed to get a very good seat as well…right at the front…bet you cant wait for the next trip
regards
trucky

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Nice one Ben, great pics.