I’m looking to transport between 1,500 - 1,750 vinyl records across to Spain I already have the excellent 87L boxes from The Really Useful Box people each takes between 150 and 170 records so that will be between 10 and 11 boxes which weigh about 45KG each when full.
Option 1 is to self drive on the Portsmouth to Santander ferry it is then an 8 - 10 hour drive from there so full journey time about three days. cost about £2,000.
Second is a shipping company which will cost between £2,500 and £3,000 which can take up to six weeks as they wait until they have a full container and then ship it so they could be sat in a port for a month or more. Of course there are more bespoke services but for me these are just too expensive.
My personal preference is to self drive that way they are with me the whole trip and not sitting in container for a month or more.
We have used the Santander to Portsmouth ferry a number of times. It is a great way to travel between the UK and Spain. Very relaxing ahead of your 8 - 10 hour journey. We find that bringing on picnic food helps pass the time. So far we have not experienced a Bay of Biscay storm but we have only travelled between May and August.
We have also tried shorter ferry routes to Dieppe and also Amsterdam but we then have much longer road trips which we have spun out over a week.
I’d definitely not use a container for the heat risk alone. I suspect you’d need a detailed inventory if self-driving, as you will definitely face importing challenges if stopped. Proof of residency would also be required, I imagine.
@CliveB It can be far hotter in a car, we have colleagues there working in pathology labs that need to travel with sensitive reference materials. Depending on where in Spain we’ve seen 40 to 50 degrees in cars, even in the boot!
I think it depends on the reason, like a one way, one time trip could be viewed as “exporting” or if it’s temporary, back and fourth, i think you need some sort of declaration paperwork. I am sure someone will chip in on this topic
Yes, I was assuming in my own comment that a self-drive solution would take account of the seasons. Either way, though, it’ll be a challenging process.
Hopefully moving back to UK from France later this year. For me hiring a van and transporting the hifi myself seems to be a much safer option that entrusting it to a transport company. Furniture can go in a movers van, probably not the hifi, or vinyl.
Shocking to think that I shipped my entire vinyl collection back to the UK from North America back in the day. I used those plastic LP carry cases inside export packaging then into wood boxes for containerisation. Survived Felixstowe ! Spain should be a sinch..if your collection is valuable then self drive plus insurance would probably be the way to go.
I always get horror flashbacks though of Basil Kirchin losing his entire life recordings and documentation due to a crane and sling mishap in Australia.
Sorry I should have mentioned that I have looked into the customs issue and yes I will need to declare them though proof of collecting and ownership and proof of a permanent move is enough to fend off the customs men.
My LPs & singles have been through the Suez Canal to/ from the Gulf four times in standard packing boxes in a container. Each time in summer. Totally undamaged. As they’re packed in tight to boxes there can’t be much opportunity for warping.
If I self drive I’ll be travelling late September early October so the temperature will be kinder by then and packed properly I’m not worried about warping. Though I have the 84L plastic crates the records will first be packed into purpose built double walled cardboard boxes about 20-25Kg each two to a crate. Estimate 24 cardboard boxes inside 12 crates.
The same principle applies to a shipping company though like lots of you I’d much rather have them with me. I’m estimating self drive cost as follows
Van Hire Medium Panel Van 400 cubic feet. £1,000
Ferry £700
Insurance of records £250
Fuel £200
extras £150
Total £2300
Shipping quotes are around £3000 for 300 cubic meters.
For what it’s worth, 30 years ago I had around 1,000 LPs transported from London to the US, all packed tightly in cubic cardboard boxes. After shipping they were stored, from May through October, in a warehouse in Los Angeles. Not a trace of damage or degradation that I could detect.
