Going to france and tip of spain

[zoaman]

We are this year going to try our hands at taking the caravan abroad.we are going to start in cardiff and looking to go thru the euro tunnel.we have our dates for 29th july to mid aug.we have a programme and would like any hints and tips avail.
We intend to leave early hours of the 19th and reach folkstone for a 7am crossing.we will look to refuel in folkstone area to give us a good run into france,giving us a feel for the roads ect before we have to worry about fuel.My car does approx 400 miles (normal diesel)on a full tank towing.so would be looking at the 250 300 miles mark, looking to do non toll route,but poss not all the way .so this works out approx the orleans area to refuel.Our first stop then is 5 nights at camping le mas just south of Claremont ferrand. there i will be able to refuel with out the caravan.from there we are looking at Perpignan(havent booked any where yet)so should not need to refuel on that leg. 7 days there and then on to roses spain. for 5 nights.from there to bordeaux .this is approx 359 miles so will be borderline on refueling so looking to stop in toulouse area for a refuel.bordeux for 3nights and then onto le mans for just 2 nights.then back to the uk.
so just some questions are
we dont use credit cards only debit cards.when you say you can use a card at the tolls and refueling and camp sites ,will they accept the debit card.if not then i will have to use cash or ????
we have breakdown for both the car and caravan and both insured for 180 days for car and 40 days for the caravan euro use.
eurotunnel not yet booked as will do this a bit nearer the time.(give me time to save my tesco points)alternative routes have been thought but our personal choice is the tunnel.
we have the usuall duties of a overseas holiday checks like our passports are in order ect ect.just about the scaryness with the caravan on the back.small things like towing onto the train.is there ample angle for large outfits to turn the s chicane to get on there.looks tight to me.or an i panicking.lol
Any thought are welcomed

 

[otherclive]

Just as in U.K. you do sometimes get major hold ups even abroad! I tend not to let fuel go below 25%. Borderline isn’t a good idea.

 

[Grahamh]

I always used to use a 'fairfx card. Top it up before you go and then use it anywhere in Europe as a normal debit card. There are no transaction fees unlike some bank cards. I also got a Halifax card just for Europe as there were also no transaction fees. You can draw Euros from a Fairfx card at any ATM but pay 1.5 euro fee for each withdrawal regardless of how much you withdraw. Beware using it as a deposit - say on car or ski's etc as they tend to reserve a block for the duration of the hire and can be slow to free it up again when you return whatever you have hired.
hth's

 

[zoaman]

Yes thanx for the info.was really being conservative with the full tank mialage of 400.im working on 20 mpg towing .but normally actuall figures show 24.but i have been known to take the wrong turning and added maybe 10/15 miles to our journey.Im not a fan of pulling into petrol stations with the van on the back.have done it but in the uk but dont normally need to. just with traffic coming from the other direction ,this adds to the stay more than alert situation,i am confident with towing and althought we have a motormover fitted its rarely used.except for really tight pitches.
going onto another subject was the gas.We do like to travel with the min of gas sized bottle and was more looking for sites with a 10amp or higher pitches.this will help eliminate the use of the fridge on gas and only for cooking needs.
We are now looking at the libre t card for the toll if we encountr them.
also haing read we need a spare wheel.we for the caravan but not the car,this has the air pump with gunge in.what happens there

 

[Jaydug]

Why fill your tank in the UK when French prices are cheaper? There's an Auchan filling station within 10 minutes of leaving the tunnel exit. Or when you're on the A16 towards Boulogne there are a couple of service stations which will probably be cheaper than UK. To travel between Boulogne and Abbeville you'll either have to travel on the old road or pay for the motorway. Personally I think its worth paying the toll - saves dragging through several villages on slow roads. From Abbeville to Rouen is toll-free. Then from Rouen to Orlean is N-road but a good one.
If you have a Bank Debit Card with either the MasterCard or Visa logo on it, it will be accepted everywhere - toll machines; 24hr filling pumps and ATMs.

 

[zoaman]

Hi thanx for the info.i have done a seaarch for fuel prices and they are approx the same at 135euro per litre.also will these station be ok for a large outfit? maybe im looking into it too much?

 

[woodsieboy]

Most of the French filling stations that we have used have a pay at the booth system where you fill at the pump and then drive past the booth to pay, relatively easy with the van on the back, beware of filling stations between 12 and 2 as some close the booth and you will have to use card in the pump.Once you get used to the French roads you should find the journey relatively easy, watch out for 'aires' some are just a stopping place and others are more like our motorway services some are in between with toilets and picnic areas, useful to stop for a break. Overall main thing is to enjoy your trip.

 

[otherclive]

On autoroutes you have no problems with an outfit in picking up fuel. Also the distances between service areas is given so as you approach one you can see how far the next one is. They also publish fuel prices for the next one or two services. In between the major services (aires) there are smaller ones no fuel or shops but parking and toilet with picnic areas.
On the major N roads picking up fuel isn’t too much of a problem as the fuel is concentrated very much at the supermarkets or fuel stations. Smaller roads can be more difficult and you are forever up and down with speed limits.

 

[Jaydug]

Hi thanx for the info.i have done a seaarch for fuel prices and they are approx the same at 135euro per litre.?

Yes - I see now. I'm out of touch. I've been in Spain since end of October last year and whilst fuel prices have risen here , they haven't risen as sharply as France and UK. In fact in early November at a supermarket in Zaragoza I paid .975 of a Euro per litre for diesel. Now it's more like 1.13 pltr.on the CdelS.

 

[Craigyoung]

Hi ,
like Clive says I would not let your tank go below 25% as we learnt the hard way a few year back when on our first trip to France , we were filling up every time I got just below half a tank then this one particular time when entering a toll road I thought there may be plenty of time to get to the next station, I saw the sign for petrol station 20 mile away but just before that we turned off onto side roads starting to approach the site we were heading to , the one petrol station we did come across I could not get the car and caravan in because it was too small but at one stage when my petrol light came on and we were getting quite worried to where we actually pulled over and tapped into the sat nav for petrol station!! so don't let yourself go too low !
Enjoy
Craig

 

[LeicesterLad]

Hi Zoaman,

Just a couple of questions regarding route and times.
In the " early " hours towing from Cardiff to Folkstone ( is enough for one tow )
Do you intend driving from Cardiff to Clermont Ferrand none stop ( apart from tunnel ).
Why not take the Portsmouth ferry.
This is your first trip to France, take an overnight with cabin, shower and breakfast on board and a steady drive down to Clermont.
Happy caravanning.

 

[Craigyoung]

I agree with Lester lad , even from Calais it's showing 8ish hours plus and that's without the breaks , it's a long drive, that is similar to what we done our first time and I was shattered !! With a few breaks your looking at 10 to 12 hours driving with breaks. Why not drive down from Cardiff or wherever you are and stop on a site just before the port and then get an earlyish 5 a.m. train over which is what we do so you're fresh.

 

[Craigyoung]

.... and even longer if you dont plan on using toll roads .

Craig .

 

[zoaman]

I agree with Lester lad , even from Calais it's showing 8ish hours plus and that's without the breaks , it's a long drive, that is similar to what we done our first time and I was shattered !! With a few breaks your looking at 10 to 12 hours driving with breaks. Why not drive down from Cardiff or wherever you are and stop on a site just before the port and then get an earlyish 5 a.m. train over which is what we do so you're fresh.

Hi we are going the tunnel route as the wife doesn't like the ferry (no sea legs).as driving was most of my working life I am used to driving for 8/10hours per day.we rarely exceed 2hrs before stopping when we tow the van.that was the reaon for going the non toll route.as we like to take in the scenery too.we have considered stopping near the tunnel.nd prob will.there is a thought into it tho.we wanted to get to France as early as we can so we have allday to travel in the light.if we have to catch the 7 am train it would mean leaving a site closeby at 5am.wouldnt be friendly to the site occupants really
ALSO having lived in aus for 10 years in the bush we had regular drives to Perth lasting 24hours.not say it's the best to do it now mind.

 

[zoaman]

Just add we did a early morning route last year over here.if forgot 1 thing.our legs are selfleveling with hydrolics.when deployed they make alarm beeping noise to warn about the legs in operation.bit like a reversing alarm.to my delight (not)I had woke up nearly the whole site at 5 am.oopsss

 

[Craigyoung]

Zoaman ,
We stopped on Black Horse form Club site which is less than 10 minutes drive from site to the eurotrain, you get put onto a ferry pitch as they call them and everyone in the surrounding area roughly about 2o or 3o pitches are for early coming and goings so don't beat yourself up about waking people up , everyone will be up at the same time roughly! we left at 4 a.m. for a 5 a.m train , got there early and an earlier train ! Get there pitch up , hook up thats it . we just fill the kettle from site tap and a few bottles off water .

 

[otherclive]

Zoaman ,
We stopped on Black Horse form Club site which is less than 10 minutes drive from site to the eurotrain, you get put onto a ferry pitch as they call them and everyone in the surrounding area roughly about 2o or 3o pitches are for early coming and goings so don't beat yourself up about waking people up , everyone will be up at the same time roughly! we left at 4 a.m. for a 5 a.m train , got there early and an earlier train ! Get there pitch up , hook up thats it . we just fill the kettle from site tap and a few bottles off water .

We too use Black Horse Farm and the comings and goings on the ferry tunnel pitches don’t cause any real disturbance.

 

[zoaman]

Well after haveing a look at your tips.we have decided to take you up on ideas.We have the options of either the camc site or we have had a look at 4 wents near paris.So with this in mind will help with refueling too.
Also i havent had any replies yet about the spare wheel on my car.Basiccally i dont have 1 only the gungee pump tyre inflator.i have looked into a space saver but they wont fit.so didnt want to carry a spare in the boot really??

 

[Craigyoung]

Well after haveing a look at your tips.we have decided to take you up on ideas.We have the options of either the camc site or we have had a look at 4 wents near paris.So with this in mind will help with refueling too.

Hi ,
Do you mean 4 vents the site ? if you are we stopped on there before last year when we stop there for two or three nights when we done Disneyland Paris lovely site massive pitches .

 

[Buckman]

Why fill your tank in the UK when French prices are cheaper? There's an Auchan filling station within 10 minutes of leaving the tunnel exit. Or when you're on the A16 towards Boulogne there are a couple of service stations which will probably be cheaper than UK. To travel between Boulogne and Abbeville you'll either have to travel on the old road or pay for the motorway. Personally I think its worth paying the toll - saves dragging through several villages on slow roads. From Abbeville to Rouen is toll-free. Then from Rouen to Orlean is N-road but a good one.
If you have a Bank Debit Card with either the MasterCard or Visa logo on it, it will be accepted everywhere - toll machines; 24hr filling pumps and ATMs.

We have always filled up in the UK first before crossing so that we can get away from the port areas however we normally take the St Malo crossing. If going to Santander again fill up in the UK to get away from the town area. Plenty of fuel stops on the toll roads along the way to Valencia etc.

 

[woodsieboy]

One thing to bear in mind regarding tyres, should you suffer a puncture in France and need a new tyre, you will have to buy 2, our friends had a puncture last year and were able to fit their spare, but had to order the replacements due to the size not being held in stock, which took 2 days to arrive. The alternative would have been to risk driving and towing without a spare. might be worth checking with your European breakdown insurer what the procedure would be should you get a puncture and need to use your gunk and compressor.From memory I think there are a couple of companies across France that have stores similar to Halfords that offer tyre fitting i will try to find the names and post again.

 

[RayS]

A few suggestions.
Fuel on French autoroutes is expensive 1.46/l recently while just into Spain found some at 1.01 and commonly around 1.15 euro.
If you fuel at a supermarket go for the 24/24 pumps which take cards otherwise the way to the pay kiosk from the pumps can be a big problem, sharp urves and big concrete edges, designed for small French cars not 12m outfits.
I wouldn't dream of touring without at least a skinny spare wheel in the car. Gunnge and pump no good if you get a gash in either tread or sidewall.
Liberte Tag very worth having if you are going to use autoroutes. You can the use the much wider HGV lanes at the right hand side of the toll gates. Some will have an illuminated 30 sign above them. If you approach at 30 kph or less you won't even have to stop.
Many French and Spanish campsites only have 6 amp electric hookups and still may be 2 pin connectors so carry adaptors.
Your itinery looks quite ambitious so be aware of speed limits when towing. Spotfines can run into more than 100 euros and cards are not accepted.
A wireless rearview camera fitted to the caravan with monitor on car driving mirror is a real boon particularly in poor visibility. Joining autoroutes near big cities can be tricky as the run ins can be very short and angled such that you may have limited visability doen your left hand side.
Most of these points are debated in more detail in individual threads in this topic, especially in the last year or so. Worth a search. 'Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted'

 

[woodsieboy]

Companies we used whilst in Auray were FEU VERT and PROFIL I think they are both widely available, certainly in Brittany, both have websites so may be worth checking before you leave

 

[zoaman]

things are now gathering up quite nicely and taking some edge of a niggly worry.
I will look more into the skinny wheel(spacesaver).to see if volvo have a different idea
Also the power adaptor. im guessing type c or e are used.do they still do the reverse polarity?
! thing was, do we take the awning 3.3m or would just the sun canopy be suffice.just less to carry weigh wise.as we dont keep anything expensive in the awning,so not really a worry there.mostly just 2 seats and a table
thanx for all your replies too.

 

[Buckman]

One thing to bear in mind regarding tyres, should you suffer a puncture in France and need a new tyre, you will have to buy 2, our friends had a puncture last year and were able to fit their spare, but had to order the replacements due to the size not being held in stock, which took 2 days to arrive. The alternative would have been to risk driving and towing without a spare. might be worth checking with your European breakdown insurer what the procedure would be should you get a puncture and need to use your gunk and compressor.From memory I think there are a couple of companies across France that have stores similar to Halfords that offer tyre fitting i will try to find the names and post again.

I have heard the above quoted quite often but no one has been able to point to the actual legislation. I am fairly sure that the legislation refers to similar tread and not exact same tyre i.e. brand etc. The CMC cannot give a definite answer either. Maybe the technical staff at PC can give us a definite answer and put this ot bed once and for all?
Last year on our twin axle we had a blow out in France and luckily we were already on site when it happened. They came out and changed the wheel putting the spare on. As I was reluctant to travel without a spare we took the faulty tyre to the fitter in La Rochelle and had a new tyre fitted. Unfortunately they only had Michelin tyres which cost us an arm and a leg. We left the spare on until we returned to the UK otherwise we would have had to pay to exchange the tyre again.