France - 1st time - help please !

[SIMON_374377661]

Hello,

I'm about to book a crossing to Calais and have booked a caravan site in Jard sur Mer which I believe is just south of les Sables d'Olonne. Please could anybody give me information on the best route to take and the likely cost of tolls etc ?

It's the first time I've taken the caravan abroad and any tips / advice would be very much appreciated

Thanks

Simon

 

[ValA.]

You can play around with the website viamichelin.com, or mappy.com, and input your Start and your Destination - and find out the possible routes. Both allow you to select options, ie shortest, quickest, recommended, toll-free, etc. Don't forget to select 'with caravan' as an option as this makes a difference to the toll you'll have to pay (Class 2 instead of Class 1).

There's a really good post on the website UKCS campsite forum, Caravanning and Camping Abroad - headed Advice for Continental First Timers, and gives all the advice you could possibly need.

The one thing I would say is try to make sure you fill up with fuel off the autoroutes, where possible - you could save upwards of 20 cents a litre! Supermarket fuel is much cheaper and it makes sense to fill up if you have an overnight stop at a nearby supermarket if you possibly can.

I can't help with the route itself, as we haven't been to that area, but I can say that driving, and towing in France is much more pleasant than it is in this country - and most who caravan in France end up going back year after year! I think French campsites are generally of a higher standard than most British sites, too.

 

[Gafferbill]

....adding to Val A's advice.

I would use the motorway network, as it is your first time towing in France.

It is more expensive in tolls but you will use less fuel and save time.

Some of your route is toll free and about 420 miles.

By far the worst bit will be Rouen. Here your route passes through the urban area and it is a matter of concentrating on the overhead signs to make sure you are in the right lane.

If you have Satnav with European maps it will be a godsend.

The rest of the route you will find straightforward.

This website is good for finding sites if you need an overnight stop.

http://www.campingdefrance.com/index.php?lang=ENG

 

[LesleyRussell]

I would always use motorways mainly for the speed of getting to a site if you want to spend less time on the roads. I would suggest setting off on the A16 towards Abbeville - branch off on the A road towards Dieppe / Le Harvre then head for Caen ring road / Rennes / Nantes / Bordeaux - taking the exit for Les Sables. You might want to pick an overnight stop on the way.

 

[Dr.Longlegs]

I fully agree with leslie's route, I did this route last summer and it cost me about 15 euros going down to Les Sables but I returned via Angers and les Mans and it cost me a small fortune, 70+ euros

 

[Dr.Longlegs]

ooops , sorry Leslie.....lesley

 

[Woody3]

If you understand a little French try www.autoroutes.fr which will also calculate a route for you and will take note of your choice whether or not to use autoroutes, and that you are towing. The autoroutes also have their own web sites (Google is your friend) which will tell you what it costs for any given section.

Note that you get a ticket as you go on to the autoroute and pay against the distance when you leave. Cards are always accepted and you don't usually have to enter a pin. However watch your speed (and the limit reduces during and after heavy rain) as they will also calculate your average speed and you could get a ticket which has to be paid on the spot.

This site - http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr - will show you fuel prices in any given town or city. The supermarkets (Hypermarche or just Marche on signposts) which usually have fuel are the big ones - Auchan, Carrefour, Geant although the latter is not so common in the north, and E. LeClerc. The latter is often the cheapest if there is local competition. Many other smaller markets - Ed, GB, ATAC, Champion are owned by either Auchan or Carrefour - and have competitive fuel. I tend to avoid Intermarche which are good supermarkets but their fuel is not always the cheapest locally. This site - http://eurapart.com/hyperlist.html - tells more.

When you go into the fuel station follow signs that say 'Caisse' - which means you pay at the booth. Most automated pumps do not accept UK cards - in fact you may have difficulty inserting your card as ours seem to be a tad wider than theirs!

A final tip: if you don't have one get a Nationwide credit card as they do not charge for use overseas - which all others do. Get money from cash dispensers (they give you the option of communicating in English) but as your bank will charge for the service get large amounts - say _300 at a time - to reduce that cost. (If you get _300 it will be dispensed mainly in _20 notes plus a couple of tens and fives.) France lives on credit cards and you get by far the best exchange rate using them for general payment. Most UK cards will be swipe and sign - chip and pin is still relatively rare compared with the UK. If you are given the option to pay in

 

[NickinFrance]

Woody,

Sorry there are so many mistakes in your posting, I must correct them:

"Note that you get a ticket as you go on to the autoroute and pay against the distance when you leave"

Not all of them by any means, many are just a fixed price for a section.

"However watch your speed ..... as they will also calculate your average speed and you could get a ticket which has to be paid on the spot"

No they don't, as a French freind said "do you think that the French would use AutoRoutes if they did that ?". However I have often seen Police with a radar gun by the booth doing people who don't slow down in accordance with the slow down speed limits.

" Most automated pumps do not accept UK cards - in fact you may have difficulty inserting your card as ours seem to be a tad wider than theirs!"

More & more pumps are accepting UK cards & all cards (worldwide)are exactly the same size.

"France lives on credit cards "

Almost no-one in France has a credit Card, we live on Cheques & Debit Cards.

"(they give you the option of communicating in English) "

So some do, some don't.

"chip and pin is still relatively rare compared with the UK"

Chip & Pin is far more advanced here than the UK, in 4 years & thousands of card transactions I've never had to sign a card slip.

"Visa is Carte Bleu (or just CB) in France - Mastercard is just a tad less commonly accepted."

CB is the generic term for credit/debit cards, my CMB issued card is a MasterCard.

 

[Woody3]

I was only speaking from personal experience, so lets take it step by step shall we?

######

"Note that you get a ticket as you go on to the autoroute and pay against the distance when you leave"

Not all of them by any means, many are just a fixed price for a section.

So what is a fixed price per section for several sections added together other than paying by the distance you travel?

######

"However watch your speed ..... as they will also calculate your average speed and you could get a ticket which has to be paid on the spot"

No they don't, as a French freind said "do you think that the French would use AutoRoutes if they did that ?". However I have often seen Police with a radar gun by the booth doing people who don't slow down in accordance with the slow down speed limits.

######

" Most automated pumps do not accept UK cards - in fact you may have difficulty inserting your card as ours seem to be a tad wider than theirs!"

More & more pumps are accepting UK cards & all cards (worldwide)are exactly the same size

Again I only speak from experience. I have three of four times had difficulty getting my card into the slot - and getting it out again when it was rejected. Agreed many supermarkets accept UK cards - especially those near the channel, but I have yet to find one of the small unmanned stations that accept a UK debit card although a few do accept Visa.

######

"France lives on credit cards "

Almost no-one in France has a credit Card, we live on Cheques & Debit Cards.

I would agree that debit cards are now much more common, but until only a few years ago credit cards were the normal from my experience.

######

"(they give you the option of communicating in English) "

So some do, some don't.

If you use a Maestro or Cirrus card it has to offer to speak to you in the local language, and English, French, and German as appropriate. I would agree that Eurocheque cards as still often used in Europe do not necessarily do so but we got rid of Eurocheques I think before the Millenium.

######

"chip and pin is still relatively rare compared with the UK"

Chip & Pin is far more advanced here than the UK, in 4 years & thousands of card transactions I've never had to sign a card slip

C&P may be widely accepted for French issued cards but it is only with perhaps the last 4-5 years that they have been accepted on UK cards. I still signed as late as two years ago!

Shall we call that quits?

 

[NickinFrance]

Just a couple of things:

"So what is a fixed price per section for several sections added together other than paying by the distance you travel?"

On many sections you just pay at the end of the Pay section, there is no ticket to collect when you enter the section.

I have seen confused drivers looking for the ticket

"but I have yet to find one of the small unmanned stations that accept a UK debit card"

Our little local supermarket accepts Switch cards at the pump & that's about as remote as you can get.

 

[ValA.]

We've not had a problem in the last couple of years at any automated pumps, but we have a newish debit card. Before that we have experienced our card not being accepted. Perhaps the problem is with those cards which are now about due for replacement as I know the technology has changed in recent years.

A warning too about tolls - some sections now have automated barriers, with no option but to use a card. There's no problem - just insert your card (you don't even need the PIN) and you're charged the correct amount.

Toll booths usually have symbols over them, indicating what type of payment is accepted. The best way is to go to the one which indicates that the booth is 'manned' (a man's head with a hat and a hand). Drive slowly up to the booths so you can check out which ones you can use, as lane discipline is non-existent at the busier toll barriers!

As Nick says there are some sections where you are charged, but don't take a ticket - make sure you always have some small change handy to pay these tolls, which are only usually a couple of euros.

Some supermarket fuel stations have very narrow exits, often with high kerbs, so try not to go through them with the caravan on the back. We make a habit of filling up on our overnight stops where possible, once we've pitched on site we go out and find a supermarket to stock up on wine, and fuel!

As far as the gendarmes are concerned, make sure you always stop at STOP signs at crossroads - these are often watched by police and you'll get an instant fine if you only slow down rather than actually stop. French drivers often flash their lights to warn you of a speed trap or of gendarmes watching at a crossroads, so take heed. There are sometimes notices posted outside the Mairie in towns, too, telling you that the police will have radar cameras on certain sections of road on a certain date - so be warned!

 

[Gafferbill]

Simon...There are some finer points of French driving law here.

www.languedoc-france.info/06020303_drivinglaw.htm

There are some clickable links towards the bottom of the page

Road signs

Driving conventions

Holiday routes. Bison fute

Rules of the road ..etc

 

[NickinFrance]

Gafferbill,

Some of the information is a little out of date:

"You need a minimum Tyre tread depth of 1.6mm over the central three-quarters of the tread and around the whole circumference"

That is the UK law, the French law is 1.6 mm across the whole tyre.

It's good to see however that he says that a First Aid kit, Fire extinguisher & bulbs aren't compulsory, unlike the shops at the ferry ports.

It is now also compulsory to carry at least one reflective jacket IN the car, where it can be reached before getting out of the car.

It's also worth noting that a warning triangle bought more than 5 years ago is unlikely to meet the current specifications & therefore doesn't count.

 

[Gafferbill]

Thanks for that Nick....you are right on all points!

 

[Keith_374540525]

I use TOM TOM and it sends me on a QUICK route through Rouen(Can get away with it in the car but wouldn't like it with caravan..Study map and use the main road through Rouen..Fill up at Auchan Supermarket at Calais was always cheapest..