Alsager Scouts · Kandersteg International Scout Centre · 15 – 30 August 2026
| Leg | Day | From | To | Distance (Miles) | Drive time (hh:mm) | Start time | Stop time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon | Alsager ST7 2AB Drive |
Oxford Services (M40 J8a) | 104.4 | 2:00 | 08:00 | 10:00 |
| 2 | Mon | Oxford Services (M40 J8a) Drive |
Clacket Lane Services (M25 J5/6) | 85.1 | 1:40 | 10:10 | 11:50 |
| 3 | Mon | Clacket Lane Services (M25 J5/6) Carnet Stop |
Sevington Inland Border Facility, Ashford, Kent TN25 6GE | 32.3 | 0:40 | 12:00 | 12:40 |
| 4 | Mon | Sevington Inland Border Facility, Ashford Drive |
Folkestone Eurotunnel Terminal | 9.9 | 0:15 | 13:25 | 13:40 |
| 5 | Mon | Folkestone Terminal Tunnel Crossing |
Calais Terminal | 31.1 | 1:35 | 15:36 | 17:11 |
| 6 | Mon | Calais Terminal Carnet Stop |
Douane Eurotunnel Coquelles, ZAC2 Boulevard de l'Europe, 62100 Calais | 1.2 | 0:05 | 17:21 | 17:26 |
| 7 | Mon | Douane Eurotunnel Coquelles Drive |
Arras | 67.1 | 1:05 | 17:56 | 19:01 |
| 8 | Mon | Arras Drive |
Reims (ibis budget Parc des Expositions) | 68.4 | 1:10 | 19:11 | 20:21 |
| Leg | Day | From | To | Distance (Miles) | Drive time (hh:mm) | Start time | Stop time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Tue | Reims (ibis budget Parc des Expositions) Drive |
Metz | 115.0 | 1:50 | 07:00 | 08:50 |
| 10 | Tue | Metz Drive |
Vendenheim (A355 bypass, N junction) | 90.0 | 1:25 | 09:00 | 10:25 |
| 11 | Tue | Vendenheim (A355 bypass, N junction) Drive |
Duttlenheim (A355 bypass, S junction) | 14.9 | 0:15 | 10:25 | 10:40 |
| 12 | Tue | Duttlenheim (A355 bypass, S junction) Carnet Stop |
Zoll Nord Basel/St-Louis Autobahn, Neudorfstrasse, 4056 Basel, Switzerland | 86.0 | 1:25 | 10:40 | 12:05 |
| 13 | Tue | Zoll Nord Basel/St-Louis Autobahn Drive |
Bern | 62.1 | 1:00 | 12:35 | 13:35 |
| 14 | Tue | Bern Drive |
Kandersteg (via Spiez, route 223) | 40.4 | 0:50 | 13:45 | 14:35 |
| Leg | Day | From | To | Distance (Miles) | Drive time (hh:mm) | Start time | Stop time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Sun | Kandersteg (via Spiez, route 223) Drive |
Bern | 40.4 | 0:50 | 10:00 | 10:50 |
| 16 | Sun | Bern Carnet Stop |
Zoll Nord Basel/St-Louis Autobahn, Neudorfstrasse, 4056 Basel, Switzerland | 62.1 | 1:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 |
| 17 | Sun | Basel/St-Louis Autobahn border Drive |
Duttlenheim (A355 bypass, S junction) | 86.0 | 1:25 | 12:30 | 13:55 |
| 18 | Sun | Duttlenheim (A355 bypass, S junction) Drive |
Vendenheim (A355 bypass, N junction) | 14.9 | 0:15 | 13:55 | 14:10 |
| 19 | Sun | Vendenheim (A355 bypass, N junction) Drive |
Metz | 90.0 | 1:25 | 14:10 | 15:35 |
| 20 | Sun | Metz Drive |
Reims (ibis budget Parc des Expositions) | 115.0 | 1:50 | 15:50 | 17:40 |
| Leg | Day | From | To | Distance (Miles) | Drive time (hh:mm) | Start time | Stop time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Mon | Reims (ibis budget Parc des Expositions) Drive |
Arras | 68.4 | 1:10 | 08:00 | 09:10 |
| 22 | Mon | Arras Carnet Stop |
Douane Eurotunnel Coquelles, ZAC2 Boulevard de l'Europe, 62100 Calais | 67.1 | 1:05 | 09:20 | 10:25 |
| 23 | Mon | Coquelles Terminal Tunnel Crossing |
Folkestone Terminal | 31.1 | -0:25 | 13:06 | 12:41 |
| 24 | Mon | Folkestone Terminal Carnet Stop |
Sevington Inland Border Facility, Ashford, Kent TN25 6GE | 9.9 | 0:15 | 12:51 | 13:06 |
| 25 | Mon | Sevington Inland Border Facility, Ashford Drive |
Clacket Lane Services (M25 J5/6) | 32.3 | 0:40 | 13:51 | 14:31 |
| 26 | Mon | Clacket Lane Services (M25 J5/6) Drive |
Oxford Services (M40 J8a) | 85.1 | 1:40 | 14:41 | 16:21 |
| 27 | Mon | Oxford Services (M40 J8a) Drive |
Alsager ST7 2AB | 104.4 | 2:00 | 16:31 | 18:31 |
| Risk | Level | Confirmed Mitigation | Possible / Further Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed, non-flexible crossing bookings | HIGH | Legs 1–4 shifted to an 08:00 Alsager departure, giving a 56-minute buffer before the 14:36 Folkestone check-in deadline; the return leg already has a 1h41m buffer into the 12:06 Coquelles deadline. | Treat the 56-minute outbound buffer as a floor, not spare time — avoid adding non-essential stops on 17 Aug. |
| Sevington carnet processing delay | MEDIUM | 45 minutes allocated at Sevington — above the reported 25–35 minute typical processing time. | Pre-book a Sevington slot via GOV.UK if available; have the GMR number and paperwork ready before arrival to speed things up. |
| Carnet stamp reconciliation (6 stamps needed across both legs) | MEDIUM | All 6 required stamping stops are already itemised as separate legs in this itinerary (UK export, EU import, Swiss import outbound; Swiss exit, EU exit, UK re-import return). | Keep a physical checklist ticking off each stamp as it's obtained; confirm the carnet is fully reconciled with the issuing Chamber after the trip. |
| Digital eCarnet unverified at Sevington / Coquelles / Basel-St-Louis | LOW | None yet confirmed — no official source verifies digital acceptance at these three specific posts. | Carry the paper carnet as the primary document; call UKNATACO before travel if you want to confirm digital acceptance at all three posts. |
| EES rollout / general Channel-crossing congestion | MEDIUM | Full biometric EES checks are not expected to be active for car travellers this summer. | Check Eurotunnel's live status page shortly before travel; allow extra margin given the Port of Dover's own "severe congestion" warning. |
| 31 Aug Bank Holiday return-day traffic | HIGH | Caution note added to the itinerary under Monday 31 August flagging the Bank Holiday getaway window. | Check live traffic (Waze/Google) before setting off that morning; consider an earlier Kandersteg departure if the group can manage it. |
| French late-August return traffic (exact date unconfirmed) | MEDIUM | None yet — Bison Futé's day-by-day forecast for 30/31 Aug isn't published this far out. | Recheck the Bison Futé calendar in the final week of August for the confirmed traffic-level classification. |
| Roadworks — UK / France / Switzerland | LOW | None yet — roadworks schedules aren't published this far in advance by any of the three countries' authorities. | Check National Highways, Bison Futé, and Swiss TCS/ASTRA sites in the weeks before travel; use live Waze routing on the day (links in the Waze Routes table above). |
| Passport 10-year / 3-month validity rule | MEDIUM | None yet — this needs checking per traveller. | Every traveller should check their passport's issue date and expiry against the 10-year and 3-month Schengen rules before travel. |
| Driver fatigue on long multi-country driving days | LOW | Two named drivers alternate throughout both driving days (see the Driver pattern across legs). | Build in an extra short break if either driver feels fatigued — only the crossing time itself is a hard constraint; other stops have flex. |
| Weather / mountain road conditions near Kandersteg | LOW | None needed — August is generally settled in the Bernese Oberland. | Check local road advisories for the final Kandertal approach shortly before descending on both travel days. |
| Strasbourg Crit’Air low-emission zone (hire vehicle reg. unknown until day before travel) | RESOLVED | Route changed on both legs (outbound Legs 10–11, return Legs 16–17) to use the A355 bypass via Vendenheim/Duttlenheim, which is explicitly exempt from Strasbourg's ZFE — no Crit’Air sticker needed on this route at all. | Confirm the A355 toll cost and have a card ready at the barrier; re-verify the bypass routing via live Waze/Maps closer to travel. |