Hitchhiking from Folkestone
Hitchhiking to Folkestone
Recent reviews mentioning Folkestone
51.12552, 1.3197
moved here after waiting closer to the Ferry Port roundabout for a bit. Got a lift after an hour or so with someone. They'd bought the wrong ticket and had no leftover money so we paid for some of the new car ticket. c'est la vie.While on the ferry we asked for lifts to Paris, but nobody was going (nor did it seem like anyone else but our lift would have picked us up from the street - maybe lucky!), so we went to Lille to stay the night. Successfully asked someone on the street to stay at their place.
―Alifeee
51.26705, 0.6146
got an offer to go on LeShuttle but they wanted us to pay. After a short while, got an offer to Dover from a Polish truck driver who spoke very little English. Lots of European cars stopping here.―Alifeee
51.12674, 1.32767
There’s a garden on the car entrance side near the roundabout. An adequate spot for cars to stop. A couple cars almost stopped or stopped to tell us they wouldn’t/couldn’t take us?? Border patrol gave us hitching advice, but police arrived later and moved us on. Would likely have been successful if we waited long enough but the last foot ferry was to leave soon, it was getting dark and morale was low. Foot ticket to Calais―Breno
51.26594, 0.61564
A long wait. There’s lots of EU number plates and truckers. A couple offers to Folkestone, a couple apologetic “we would if we had space”. Eventually we found a lift to Belgium. Unfortunately our lift would not add us to her ticket and offered to continue the lift after we had made our own way to Calais. Foot passenger ferries only come three times a day and our arrivals would not align. We got dropped at Dover―Breno
51.12552, 1.3197
Most traffic passing through is crossing the channel. The bus stop allows plenty of space for stopping and you are visible from far away.Be aware that the leftmost lane (where cars will be able to access you) is normally a truck lane.
Locals I spoke to use this spot semi-regularly.
When crossing, make sure to check with your driver that he/she can add an additional passenger to their ticket. If they booked directly with the ferry company then it shouldn't be an issue. If through an agency, that will be challenging.
Also, the UK government is currently rolling out Advance Passenger Information (API) where you'd need to submit personal info. When I went, the API was done when passing through passport controls, but some boat companies are talking about turning it into a pre-submitted form. Make sure you check with the ferry company for the latest info.
―SebUltimate
51.14499, 1.33021
Didn't work. After maybe one hour the guy from the gas station told me to leave because I would be to dangerous.―L1nus
51.14499, 1.33021
After 15 min I found a ride to a gas station close to London.―daganzebuaatramper
51.12552, 1.3197
Great gateway-spot. I waited 15 min and a woman took me to the gas station up the hill in her Jaguar. From there I quickly found a ride to London (could've gone to Luton if I wanted)―daganzebuaatramper
51.09402, 1.10153
―Anonymous
51.12368, 1.31395
―Anonymous
51.12641, 1.32688
Only solution to France is to hitch in the roundabout, trying to catch a lorry by standing on the Fence, they can stop a bit further, although the traffic is dense and the waiting can be long. Feasable but possibly long―Anonymous
51.12564, 1.31993
To France, there is a bus stop where you can try to stop the too dense traffic―Anonymous
51.12674, 1.32767
Hitching in the Port property is prohibited, the police will politely warn you, nearly no traffic stops anymore at the Travel Centre either so it is nearly impossible to talk to anybody―Anonymous
51.12493, 1.31752
going to clais, france. if you haven't managed to get a lift before, this is most probably the place to be... next to petrol station and just before the traffic light where many people have to stop. i stood here twice (~30min/~5min) with an a4 sign stating 'Ferry?'. after having eye contact with somebody waiting at the traffic light you have to be quick to jump in or the driver of a car might also turn left into the small road... on the ferry you can ask people in order to change your lift. i never managed to do this, so i am very happy to get some tips about that...―Anonymous
51.12151, 1.311
Very good when heading to London. Cars can pull over at the bus stop.All the traffic from the ferries passes.
―Anonymous
51.09402, 1.10153
You can access the Channel Tunnel entrance from Ashford road (A20) slip-road, and hitch from there before the viaduc trying to catch the traffic from the highway as cars can safely pull over around or after the viaduc, the toll booths are still 800 yards away and there is no cctv to be used as deterrents.―Anonymous
51.12718, 1.32878
The best stop to hitch rides get yourself a free ride across the Channel! Just strike up a conversation to the drivers parked by the travel center, make sure you have a good talk before you start mentioning you want to hitch a ride with them.Some drivers might be suspicious of you and think you may want to cross the Channel with fake documents...
You might have to convince your drivers to change his ticket since once you will convince him to take you in his printed ticket will have a certain number of passengers already registered. I found a ride in ten minutes and then convinced my friendly drivers to change their ticket from 2 to 4 passengers. The boat was full and the next one was scheduled 30 minutes later. My drivers agreed on changing their ticket and taking the next boat.
Have fun!
―Anonymous
51.12368, 1.31395
After the staff of the petrol station told me it was a private property and I had to go because I was annoying their clients, I stood for one hour near the bus stop, hoping a truck would stop, but it didn't work.―Anonymous
51.12755, 1.33025
10 minutes to find a lift by directly asking to people making the queue to buy the ticket to cross by car. As it is a travel centre, you'll be unnoticed with your backpack. Your driver won't have to change the number of passengers in the car, as you ask them for a lift before they buy it. It looks like you can even ask the office worker to confirm it is the same price for the car, no matter how many people are in it.―Anonymous
51.09476, 1.10059
Looks like a good place to hitch the Channel, but I was caught by the Eurotunnel security after 20 minutes of waiting (about 10 cars passed). They were quite friendly, but told me the Eurotunnel compagny has an anti-hitchhiker policy, and also that they are patrolling by car all the time, and I would be sent away even if I found a car from somewhere else. I didn't try to prove they were wrong and found a car in the ferry three hours later.―Anonymous