So it cost me a small fortune to get back to the UK for a quick escape last week...
Around 180 EU for the fuel (one way)
Somewhere in the region of 120 EU for the toll roads (that's a bit of a guestimate)
140 EU for two hotel stays - including dinner at one hotel
140 EU for a one way Le Shuttle ticket....
TOTAL = 580 EU.
And that's about as cheap as I could manage it with the car, the ferry option, at this time of year, would have added on around another 100 EU, and that wasn't an option because there's no flexibility in booking with the ferry and I needed that given my relatively last minute decision.
TBH I'm not phased by the fuel costs - I'm actually quite happy with those given the recent increase in in prices and fuelling in a small station in Spain just before I hit France helped, Spain being the cheapest place en route to buy gas.
The toll costs were a bit painful, and annoying early on - booths every 30-40 KM or so for long enough for it to get tedious. Once I got passed Bordeaux it was fine - much longer stretches and larger payments.
I was a bit slack here - I went with my UK card option as I'm on a temporary replacement Portugues card so I was stung with a shitty exchange rate, but there you go.
The hotels - ESSENTIAL - 10 hours on day one to Poitiers, then a short 7 hour stint on day 2 to Coquelles and a hotel just 5Ks from the Terminal, allowing me a short drive to it then to the UK. Pretty reasonable I think.
The Tunnel ticket seems pricey - 140 EU - when I last travelled to Portugal this was 90 EU one way - that's a MASSIVE increase, and an hours extra waiting to boot for some reason - NOT a fan of Le Shuttle now.
And there's a lot of quite stressful driving to get to the check-in and then boarding, wondering whether you're just driving the right way and way too many temporary bollards directing you - 1/10 for French Terminal organisation.
4 EU for a bag of crisps... err no!
On day one I stopped off at a service station thinking I'd pick up some lunch, actually for dinner, but there was fuck all I wanted so I ended up not buying anything - it would have been 10 EU at least for anything half decent - crisps were 4 EU, more than twice the price you'd usually pay.
I managed to save on water - I took a 10 litre vessel with me so that was good, and managed to make the only purchases some coffee on days 1-3.
I did weaken with dinner on day 1 - but it was so nice, with a Leffe and espresso. First time I've eaten 'out' this year, so I can forgive myself....
In retrospect I should have prepared myself dried meals like cereal and home made pot noodle and remembered my camping cook pot and just made my own dinner/ lunch.
But I might get the ferry back....
Once I add on 1100 miles of driving to the car - that's almost 1% of its life span - that's around another 100 EU - and I could have saved about 70% of that had I got the Ferry and time back I'd gain just sitting on my ass during the journey - time I could have spent working and earning, so add on another say 50 EU (wouldn't be at max efficiency!)
And minus the stress of the Sat Nav taking me right through Rouens city centre and desperately trying to send me to the freight terminal it might be worth paying for a Ferry ticket even if the ticket is 700 EU.
Then add on another roughly 50 EU of fuel to get to Portsmouth and then from Spain back home - it'd be worth paying up to 200 EU extra I think for the reduced hassle.
Whatever way you look at it, travel is just DAMNED EXPENSIVE.
Once I've got Hive Fest out of the way, maybe made a winter trip to SE Asia, got myself back to the UK next Spring, I think I'll just stay put in one location for a year or two!