Any ideas on how to get home from Athens?

[gordon taylor]

Hi
My flight(s) from  New Zealand have been changed. I've chosen to go to Athens tomorrow instead of home to Birmingham on 4th May. !!!

But what to do from Athens onwards?

I have a bike, but it looks a long way.

Ideas please? I have little up to date info here (Sydney) about flight options and airspace closure.

I'll check in from Banglock several hours from now.

B ye!!!


Thanks.

[hatler]

Head north west, then ferry to Brindisi, then trains ?

[DrMekon]

From Athens? That'd be a hell of a bikejournal entry.

Google Maps

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Have a few days in Greece then fly back once the ash cloud has gone.

[hellymedic]

Head north west, then ferry to Brindisi, then trains ?

I'd also suggest cruising across the Med, then taking a L-O-N-G train journey.

Equip yourself with Wet Ones and loadsa tissues before departure...

Schools expect 15% of staff to have problems returning to work; you aren't alone.

[ian]

Have a few days in Greece then fly back once the ash cloud has gone.

+1.

Too many people running around like it's the doomopocalypse and every alternative route across the Channel is booked up till Monday at the earliest.

My wife did make it back last night - rental car from the Hague to Calais and across to Dover (ferry all booked up for foot passengers), taxi from Dover to London. Personally, I would have found a decent restaurant and bar and waited for the end. For the cost of her trip, I could have eaten and drunk enough to burst with the force of a small nuclear explosion.

[rogerzilla]

[closetleftie]

Are you in a rush? Why not just take a holiday in Greece in the springtime? Seriously - the trains,  boats, motorways, everything is going to be veeery full.

If in a hurry - rent car & drive at night(!). The trains will be booked up.

[gordon taylor]

thanks for the replies. I'm tired and grumpy in Dubai.

This is going to cost me a fortune. Bah.

I'm in a rush because I should be at work tomorrow and feel guilty that my colleagues will be swamped.

I don't see any easy routes. I'll check out Athens railwat station tomorrow morning.

Bye!

[Zoidburg]

You could always fake your own death in a canoeing accident and have Mrs Gordy come and join you once the life insurance pays out.

[Mrs Pingu]

There may be other of your colleagues also in a similar boat if they have been away for the holidays...still, you've got a bike so you'll be ok for getting on to the ferries once you make it into Europe

[Wombat]

No trains in France, don't forget...

I delivered a friend to the hell-hole that is Portsmouth Ferry port last night, and the 11pm ferry still hadn't left at 01-05...  He is trying to get home to Grenoble, having been rescued form Bristol airport by us yesterday morning.   He has a reservation for a hire car to drive home, let hope they honour it!

I was disconcerted to find I could have booked him a train via eurostar, for £544 (how bleeding much, I only want to borrow the seat, not buy it!)  but they completely failed to mention the fact that French train drivers are on strike (again). 

[αdαmsκι]

Maybe too late, but seat61.com may help.

[Jurek]

No trains in France, don't forget...

....  He is trying to get home to Grenoble, having been rescued form Bristol airport by us yesterday morning.   He has a reservation for a hire car to drive home, let hope they honour it!

We failed to complete our journey to Grenoble and beyond one week ago .

SNCF appear to operate a policy of info-lite at Gare du Lyon - unable to tell what is happening with anything other than their TGV (lack of) service.

[Greenbank]

Head north west, then ferry to Brindisi, then trains ?

Audax - Permanent - Calais to Brindisi

[jogler]

You are putting ideas into his head Greenbank.
I predict that Gordon will be posting on here about the ride,if not this summer then next year.


Akchurleee,Mrs.Jogler wants a holiday in Italy.I will not fly.Herein is the seed of a good idea.
Can I wangle a holiday to get to a holiday 

[gordon taylor]

Morning all. Gordon is pissed off in Athens....

The internet cafes here are heaving with people searching for any means to get home. The poor Canadian woman at the next terminal had her handbag stolen yesterday too. I'm lucky - I have no kids in tow and work will probably cope without me - I don't have anyone chasing me for stuff at the moment.

Anyway, the ferries to Italy are too slow, so I'm flying to Barcelona early tomorrow for 120 GBP. Oh, the bike might cost 55 euros too. Shit.  I thought trains north would be easy but they are full. Many of the websites (raileurope, brittanyferries etc) are overloaded and crashing.

My present "plan" is to get a train from Barcelona to Irun on the Atlantic coast and then some French trains up the coast. It looks a mess. I'm in danger of spending as much (in time and money) on this palaver as I did to get to NZ and back.

But I've been up the Acropolis this morning, taken some photos and bought a classy fridge magnet. 

Be good, everyone!

[Greenbank]

My present "plan" is to get a train from Barcelona to Irun on the Atlantic coast and then some French trains up the coast. It looks a mess. I'm in danger of spending as much (in time and money) on this palaver as I did to get to NZ and back.

IIRC there's a little oddity at the Spanish/French border at Irun/Hendaye due to the different gauges (Standard and Iberian). Both stations have some of their platforms on Iberian gauge and the other half on Standard gauge.

Renfe trains tend to run from Irun but to Hendaye. French trains run from Hendaye but run to Irun. You might not find TGV tickets from Irun, only from Hendaye.

We changed (between TGV and Renfe) at Irun on the way down to Lisbon and Hendaye on the way back.

[Wombat]

Do make sure you ascertain if there ARE any french trains yet.  My friend has just texted form his hire car just South of Paris, on his way home to Grenoble...  At least he's making progress.

[Panoramix]

Morning all. Gordon is pissed off in Athens....

The internet cafes here are heaving with people searching for any means to get home. The poor Canadian woman at the next terminal had her handbag stolen yesterday too. I'm lucky - I have no kids in tow and work will probably cope without me - I don't have anyone chasing me for stuff at the moment.

Anyway, the ferries to Italy are too slow, so I'm flying to Barcelona early tomorrow for 120 GBP. Oh, the bike might cost 55 euros too. Shit.  I thought trains north would be easy but they are full. Many of the websites (raileurope, brittanyferries etc) are overloaded and crashing.

My present "plan" is to get a train from Barcelona to Irun on the Atlantic coast and then some French trains up the coast. It looks a mess. I'm in danger of spending as much (in time and money) on this palaver as I did to get to NZ and back.

But I've been up the Acropolis this morning, taken some photos and bought a classy fridge magnet. 

Be good, everyone!

If I were you from Barcelona I would go to Perpignan then Toulouse - Bordeaux - Nantes and Saint Malo or Caen. The "Quimper - Nice" is direct from Perpignan to Nantes if I remember well.


EDIT: you need to go to Montpellier not Perpignan. The french website will try to make you go through Paris as everybody know that Paris is the centre of the world so you may have to split the journey in Bordeaux so that it behaves properly!

[Regulator]

Barcelona to Madrid (about two hours by train now on the high speed line).  Madrid to Bilbao or Santander for the ferry.

[jogler]

or continue with your enforced holiday extension

[vorsprung]

My sister and bro in law and 6 children routinely drive from Istanbul to england via the Greek ferry

Buy a cheap car in Greece and drive it back to the UK via swizerland

[Panoramix]

Barcelona to Madrid (about two hours by train now on the high speed line).  Madrid to Bilbao or Santander for the ferry.

That is a bit of a V shape journey. Santander is not that far from Barcelona...

[Regulator]

Barcelona to Madrid (about two hours by train now on the high speed line).  Madrid to Bilbao or Santander for the ferry.

That is a bit of a V shape journey. Santander is not that far from Barcelona...

It's about 500 miles by road.

IIRC there is no high speed line between Barcelona and Santander.  There is, however, a high speed line between Barcelona and Madrid and between Madrid and Bilbao.