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Thanks for the replies so far. Sorry I couldn't be more specific in my initial post.   I have decided (the wife has) that we are gone to go for the dover-calais crossing, staying overnight at Bien Assise then travelling down to the 4 Vents near disneyland and have 7 nights there. We have a 5 year old child who will love the magic of disney.  Would love to do the ist stage of the journey through the night however I come off on holiday on the Monday but I'm night shift on the Sunday, (no luck). so thought about travelling later on the Monday after some sleep and staying overnight somewhere half way down.   Will be going from  Fife to Dover (just in the process of looking ar route). If I am going to stop over night then my thoughts were to have at least travelled 6 hours down, leaving me a further 3 hour journey to Dover the following day.  This will be our furthest outing yet having only got the caravan in September last year.   I am  not wanting to make a pigs ear of it especially since my wife and son were happy with package holidays to the sun.  Has anyone stayed at the overnight stops at the service stations?? What the facilities like? Any further advice on overnight stops/campsites/service stations greatly appreciated.

Hi,

    we do the trip from Perth to Dover overnight as we find the roads much quieter and the journey less stressfull.

It usually takes around 8 1/2 hours (we allow ourselves 9 - 10 hours just in case)

If you aim to get down as far as possible - why not just go for it then find a site in France for your stopover !

Happy Camping.

Rod

Hi Ray2006,

We drove from Dundee to the South coast of England(destination - New Forest) last year, we left Dundee at 17:00 and after a couple of reasonable stops to let the dogs stretch their legs and the usual things dogs do we eventually approached the North side of Birmingham on the M6 at about midnight, there were signs notifying us that due to an accident not too far ahead the motorway was closed so, when opted for the M6 Toll road which was clear. I pulled in at the 1st service station on this road and noticed lots of car/caravans stopped for the night.

You have to pay £8 for this but if you keep your ticket you will receive a discount on breakfasts in the canteen. It also has excellent facilities to have a wash etc. We left this service station at around 08:00hrs and we were at our destination around mid-day, very simple and starightforward and having the van on the back it was just like having our own Travel Lodge.

Good luck

Jamsie

Hi

We are also travelling from Fife to Dover and did the same last year.  Last year stayed at Welcome Lodge (Charnoch Richard) and this year at Travel Lodge at Preston.  We are camping though and just take our time.  On the way home though we just kept going and took turns.  Your choice of sites are fab - have you booked 4 vents cause it does get busy.  When are you going?

Fiona

We always stay overnight at the CC site at Ferry Meadows, Peterborough, it's not far from the main road and Dover is quite easy from there.

                                     Jim

Hi Ray

Remember to factor in the time you will be sitting in traffic jams on the M25.  We live 5 hours drive from Dover but it took us 7 hours to get there last year dues to several accidents on the M25 and mamoth traffic jams.

Hi Ray

Im from Canterbury 15miles from Dover but now live near Letham Angus, In a car to drive down to visit my family,with no caravan it takes us some 9hrs during the day. Roads are great as far as Birmingham Midlands then its one jam after the other. Then M25 at any time its a pain, do allow more time to get down there, and you will find several sites enroute for a break. See if you can time it so that you drive the last 100miles during the night when its far quieter with trafic.

Have a good  holiday

malcolm

Why not just get the Superfast ferry from Rosyth to Zeebrugge and save the driving ?

You could be slipping out under the Forth Bridges at 5pm one day with a cold beer in hand, and wake up refreshed in Belgium the next morning...

I fail to understand why anybody in Scotland would want to do the 'rat run' to Dover