Travel / Driving to Poland from England - any tips? [264]

Hi there!

I'm kind of new on here but I have driven from the UK to Poland a couple of times. I have taken both the ferry from Hull-Rotterdam and Newcastle-Amsterdam. I think it takes about an hour longer to get to Poland from Rotterdam but it depends on where you are in the UK really. I suffer from seasickness in small boats and the Hull ferry is bigger so it wasn't so much of a problem but maybe thats not a factor for you and it all depends on the weather.

You should be able to cross Germany fairly quickly but watch out for the maniacs coming up behind you on the Autobahn. They don't break until the last minute and for me that took a bit of getting used to! Make sure you have all the compulsory equipment like first aid kits etc in case you get stopped. Make sure you check what is required in every country you are passing though. Also it makes things simpler if the car's documents are all in your name. My boss told me a few weeks ago that there is a new law in Poland where if you are driving someone elses car you need some kind of offical letter from the registered owner co-signed by some official. Don't hold me on that one but I would check up on it if I were you!

I have a 1.4 Citreon C3 and my last journey (august 07) from Perthshire in Scotland to Swiebodzin (60km from the border) cost about £70-£80 in petrol. Admittedly I don't know loads about cars so I am not sure how your escort would compare! The ferry was expensive. I think about £200 but I booked it last minute. You can get it a lot cheaper if you book well in advance. I think there is a set price of £60 for your car on those ferries and the cost of your cabin will vary.

I also have a sat nav. It's really useful but I wouldnt say essential. I don't know the area around Kielce but to be honest as far as Swiebodzin the roads are pretty straighforward at least. You shouldnt have any troubles with a decent map and a route plan. I bought mine 18 months ago and the maps on it for Poland are incomplete. It's fairly good in the big cites but doesn't have many streets in smaller towns on it. Also I have on several occassions unexpectedly come across roundabouts which aren't mentioned on the sat nav at all so beware that it might be a bit unreliable here. I am sure they have released new maps since I bought mine though so hopefully you will end up with a more up to date one. I have a tomtom 910 by the way.

I'm probably not the most knowledgable person on this subject but if I can help you any more let me know!

Travel / Driving to Poland from England - any tips? [264]


yeah I have but driving time wise it doesn't make much difference to go Amsterdam to Newcastle and its less time on the ferry. Also I may be wrong but I think the rosyth one only goes a couple of time a week and they days didn't suit or something. I can't remember now! I'll need to look into it before my trip home in the summer.

News / Giant Jesus Rising in Świebodzin ( Tallest in world ) [323]

Well I have the great pleasure of actually living in Świebodzin. When I first came here five years ago and heard about this scheme I thought it was absolutly bonkers, tacky and all the rest of it but it really has been a community project and I really feel that it has brought the town together. I am not religious at all but I really do think the statue has had a positive effect on the town already. Świebodzin is a little town with not all that much going for it, it's not very well off and most of the young people see it as a bit of a dead end place. I think the people here are really hoping that this statue will put Świebodzin on the map and honestly I think even the ones that objected in the beginning have become quite proud of the project. Maybe it's not to everyone's taste but it will bring people to the town, even if they just come to see how tacky it is. It's something worth seeing. Hopefully in time the local businesses will get some benefit from it and will make the town more prosperous and that will have a knock on effect.

I only wish they had found a nicer location for it...it's across the road from the local branch of Tesco.