For Beachball - First time trip to France

[ValA.]

Hi Beachball. If you want someone to arrange everything for you, then you can book through the Caravan Club - but honestly, it's so easy to do it yourself, and you have a much wider choice of sites. The Caravan Club do offer a good range of sites, but there are 11,000 sites in France - and the Caravan Club only offer a few of these. I know the Caravan Club offer 'hosted tours' where there is someone on site to make sure that everything goes well, and you may want the security of this for a first time. It depends how adventurous you are, but I'd have no hesitation about arranging everything myself. Our first trip was a tour - and we hadn't booked anything in advance apart fom the ferry. Most sites have good facilities for people with a disability.
Generally I'd recommend that you think about going either at the end of May/beginning of July, or at the end of August and into September, Both are much quieter periods and you should have no trouble getting a pitch.
Ferries can be booked through the Caravan Club, or directly with the ferry operator. Keep a look out around the time of the Caravan Show as that's when the offers start to appear for cheaper crossings. You can do a short crossing, or one of the longer crossings from Portsmouth, Poole, or Plymouth - but they are more expensive. They may be more convenient, though, if you want to go to Western France.
Where are you thinking of heading? Have you a particular area, or campsite that you want to visit? Post again and I might be able to offer more comprehensive advice.

 

[Beachball]

Hi Val A We would be looking at July 2013 and we might be thinking of going to Brittany and getting a cabin for overnight travelling then it would be less stressful for my husband and is there any Adults Park with service pitch (Hardstanding ) and we also have camping cheques to use. ( Do you have to do something with the car headlights )
I have driven on the right in spain but that was in a hire car on holiday and i found it very straight forward but not with my caravan .....
Thanks for any advice .....

 

[ValA.]

Hi Beachball, we haven't done Brittany, except one time some years ago, but that looks like a good plan. I'll have a trawl through my information and come back to you with suggestions for sites.
I would say, don't worry, you'll love it. I know it appears daunting the first time, but camping/caravanning in France is really much easier than it is here!
You need to use 'beam benders' or find out where to stick black tape (which many of us do) over your headlamps. Let me know what car you have and I'll try to find a template suggesting where to block out the light.
There are lots of other tips for France - you need a high viz vest for the driver (and useful for the passenger), you need two warning triangles, spare bulbs, etc, I'll post a link to somewhere which tells you what you need to do.

 

[Beachball]

Hi val A
Thanks for the information you have been a great help ...................

 

[SteveW77]

Quick point about beam benders. You need to fit them even if you don't intend to drive at night, it's a legal requirement to use headlights in the rain and when in tunnels.
So you could get caught by the Gendarmes if you don't fit them and unless you speak perfect French, it can take along time to sort it out.

Steve W

 

[ValA.]

Sorry, perhaps a long reply below, but useful. It doesn't include the breathalyser requirement, but I'm sure we'll all be given plenty of warning when IF this does become law - there are plenty of posts about it!

• Documentation. If stopped by the police, you are required to have a valid driving licence, car insurance certificate and vehicle registration papers (in France, the latter is known as a carte grise). If your driving licence does not include a photo, you will need a piece of identification (such as a passport) which does in order to verify your identity.
• Equipment. Your car must carry a red breakdown triangle and a reflective safety jacket (the latter must be present in the car itself, not in the boot or trunk of the car). If you do not have these, they are easy to obtain (try your nearest car dealer, motorway station or a DIY shop with a car equipment section). If your car is halted on the road (e.g. due to an accident) your are required to place the warning triangle at least 30 meters behind the car and it must be visible for at least 100 meters. If you have a caravan you should carry two triangles, in case the caravan has to be left by the roadside after an incident - you still need one in the car. If you are present at an accident, either because you were involved or because you are helping out, you are required to wear your reflective jacket. All lights and signals must be in correct working order at all times, so it is advisable to carry a spare set of bulbs and fuses so that you can do a replacement if neccessary.
• Alcohol. The drink driving limit is much lower in France than in the UK. Whereas the UK allows 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, France allows only 50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.
• Seat belts. The driver and all passengers are required to wear seat belts.
• Children. Children under the age of 10 cannot be seated in the front seat, unless they have a special rear-facing seat. Small children are required to have child car seats; the requirements in this regard are subject to change so if you are unsure you should check the current requirements.
• Fines. If you commit a minor or moderate driving violation (e.g. speeding, going through a stop light), you are required to pay the fine on the spot. Don't assume that you will be able to pay by credit card or cheque, it is best if you have cash. You will receive a copy of the report and a receipt. The police are not looking for a bribe, it is just standard procedure to require payment on the spot rather than sending a fine through the mail.
• Headlights. If you are visiting in France from the UK, your headlights will not be correctly adjusted because the direction in which they point is set based on driving on the other side of the road. Consequently, when using your headlights, you can 'blind' drivers coming in the other direction. To avoid this, you either need to have your headlights adjusted for France, or place special stickers on the headlights to avoid affecting on-coming drivers (the latter approach is far cheaper and faster). Failure to do this is not only dangerous, but also illegal.
• License Plates. If your car license plates are not from France (e.g. if visiting with a UK car), you must add a country sticker to the rear of your car (e.g. GB for Great Britan). The exception to this is if your have European license plates.
• Mobile Phones. It is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving, even if you have hands-free.
• Speed Limits. You are legally required to obey the maximum speed limits. If the speed limit is not posted, the maximum speed limits are:
  • Motorway: The maximum speed on motorways is 130 km/hour. If the road is wet, the maximum drops to 110 km/hour.
  • Main Roads. The main roads have a speed limit of 90 km/hour. When you enter a village/town/city this drops to 50 km/hour. Note that a village or town city limit is normally indicated by a white rectangular sign with the name of the village or town, when you leave the village/town you will see the same sign with a diagonal line through the village name, indicating that you are now leaving the village. Keep in mind that in rural areas the village can be very small (perhaps only several houses), and that the actual limitis may be some distance outside the built-up area. Consequently, to avoid inadvertently exceeding the speed limit, one needs to look not only for villages, but more importantly for the village limit signs, in order than one can reduce your speed to 50 km/hour.
  • Towing. If you are towing a caravan or heavy trailer, the speed limit may be lower. The actual limit will depend on the weight of your car in comparison to your payload. Speed limits on downhill sections, in rain, or on roads subject to cross-winds may be reduced for cars towing caravans.

 

[NickinFrance]

Not sure where that list came from but to clarify:
Documentation. Must be carried at all times in the vehicle, also if you are not the registered keeper, you need a letter of authorisation from them
Equipment. It is now recommended that triangles are not used on motorways & that all the occupants leave the vehicle & get behind the crash barrier
Children. There is also a height limit (I think 1.30 m) as well as the age one.
Fines. If caught doing 50 kph over any limit, the police will take your license off you at the road side & as you can't drive without being in possession of a license, you are stuck unless you have another driver.
License Plates. The 'European' one is the one with the EU circle or stars & GB, ones with ENG, ESC, CYM etc are not legal.
Mobile phones. Hands free units are legal.
Speed Limits. The limit on non-motorway Dual Carriageways is 110 kph with no lower wet weather limit

 

[Willi-Wonti]

I don't know why people worry about beam benders
Coaches & lorries from the UK don't use them abroad & vehicles from abroad over here don't use them
My 4x4 has the bulls eye type headlight that centers in front of the car. They can nether dip to the left or right but can be adjusted up or down from inside the car, so I just have them set on the lowest setting as recommended by my garage