driving in france

[lizzie]

I am very keen to attempt a trip to France in my Outlook. Unfortunately I am not terribly confident on motorways and cities in this country and my main concern is driving on the right and coping with new road signs and systems abroad

Life circumstances have meant that I have never been abroad - in fact I obtained mt first passport last year!
I shall be 60 in October and am cutting down my work hours to 3 days a week so I shall have more leisure time but of course less money so it would make sense to travel in my Roma.
I have heard of other women of my age or older gaily driving around the continent without a care in the world so is it possible for me to do the same?

Lizzie

[eugene]

Hi Lizzie,
You need not lack confidence in driving on the Continent, I have found it quite easy on driving around Spain. I can recommend putting a black paper cutout of an arrow pointing to the right on the windscreen.
The only confusion that I found was when left turning onto a busy road.
Roundabouts are simple if you remember to go past the first exit.
I recently spent five weeks driving around Spain, and it was only the second time that I had been abroad with the camper.
I should perhaps mention that I am 84 years old.
Eugene.

[Graham]

Hi Lizzie

We have put some info on driving in France on our main website SEE HERE

It is a little daunting to start with but you soon get used to it, the roads tend to be a lot quieter when you get out of the city areas. Go for it you won't regret it, you would probably be better going out of the main holiday season when it is much quieter.

You will find French campsites are an absolute delight, plenty of room for you to pitch and generally lots of privacy as the pitches are separate by hedges and trees.

Eugene - Well done on your trip to Spain at 84 years young its a real achievement.

Graham

[niloc]

Hi Lizzie
If there is one tip to driving in France I would suggest using satnav, so that finding your way around or getting lost are not going to get in the way of concentrating on the driving. If you are a member of the Caravan Club get hold of their Europe 1 Sites Guide which not only includes French sites but a comprehensive guide to driving and road signs, (most of which are the same as ours).

Graham is right, it is a wonderfull country to drive in, outside of Paris, and very motorhome friendly, and yes most continental motorhomers do wave.

Good travelling

Colin

[eugene]

Jul 26, 2009 10:33:05 GMT eugene said:

Hi Lizzie,
You need not lack confidence in driving on the Continent, I have found it quite easy on driving around Spain. I can recommend putting a black paper cutout of an arrow pointing to the right on the windscreen.
The only confusion that I found was when left turning onto a busy road.
Roundabouts are simple if you remember to go past the first exit.
I recently spent five weeks driving around Spain, and it was only the second time that I had been abroad with the camper.
I should perhaps mention that I am 84 years old.
Eugene.

Lizzie,
I am afraid I gave you the wrong advice on roundabouts in France.
The line should have read.
Roundabouts are simple if you remember NOT to go past the first exit
Please forgive a silly old fool for giving you dangerous information.
Eugene.,

[lizzie]

Thank you all for your encouraging feedback. I am still not entirely clear about the roundabout exits but I hope I could manage it if I had to!

Is there a book which explains in more detail about driving in France maybe a bit like the Drive books for learner drivers in this country? Or maybe a french highway code.

Maybe next year I will take the plunge!
Liz.

[Graham]

When we first went to France we had a caravan and didn't want to tow very far in a different company, so we went this campsite. HERE

Its about 10 minutes drive from Calais and the owners are very nice and speak very good English and there are lots of English folk go camping there as you can imagine with it being close to the port, so lots of help if you need it. Might be worth a try for you first visit until you get used to driving in France.

[viv]

Hi Graham

Am I correct in calculating the charge as 31.50 Euros per night with electric and two people in a van? I looked at the middle dates. Is that the sort of price usual in France or is this because there are such good facilities?

I am hoping to get over to France as Terry cannot fly over (his wings have worn out!) as it is at least a way of getting some better weather maybe! Do they have little places like the CLs here? I will of course read through all the informationn you have kindly added on this website before I even think of planning a trip.

[Graham]

Hi Viv

That sounds a bit expensive, we are away at the moment and when I tried to look at the prices of that site it wouldn't load on my computer but we use touring cheques SEE HERE it costs £11.90 per cheque which gives you a pitch for two people plus electric hook up. You can only use certain camp sites but they are dotted all over France and are all of very good standard, you can only use the cheques out of the main season i.e. before and after July and August on most sites.

There are (like England) a variety of camp sites ranging from massive to very small, some called French Passion don't charge at all, we've not used them so can't comment but have heard they are very good. Also aires, we had to use an aire in a village this year when our son's car broke down, it didn't cost us a penny and was a lovely little site for about 8 vans, ideal for a one night stop over.

Graham

[wendy]

France Passion sites have no facilities at all and are usually in very out of the way places and sometimes difficult to find. They are usually in vineyards or farms and, although there is no obligation to buy it is very hard to resist cider, wine etc. when it has been made with fruit from the orchard that you are staying in. 24 hours is the maximum stay. Membership and the book listing all the places costs about €30.
See here

Municipal sites are a cheaper way to go - they are usually clean with all facilities inc EHU and either in or just outside villages or small towns. They don't usually have pools or bars, but often you can get cheap admission to the local pool by staying there.

Aires vary tremendously - don't stop on the motorway ones overnight. Most towns and villages have an aire - some free, some charge and will have somewhere to empty water and toilet. A charge is usually made for water (100litres) and electricity(1hr) for about €1or 2.

I don't drive when we are in France, but there is so much less traffic that it doesn't seem to be a problem being on the 'wrong' side of the road. Most large towns/cities seem to have a bypass.

[yamaha]

Well done, Viv - go for it. It's been on your mind for quite a while now, hasn't it.

Gonna go the whole hog, and go up into the mountains?!!!!!!

Mike

[viv]

Hi Yamaha

My palms are sweating even thinking about the mountains. I am getting better about the heights though but am glad daughter is in Weston Super Mare as it is flat there. Mind you we are planning to go to Wales next week and that means going over the Severn Bridge. I will have to point the van, position the steering wheel, shut my eyes and go!

Seriously thinking of going to France, I have a sister living in the South, just hoping that a new tunnel through the Alps will be organised and ready soon!!

Hope you are both well.

[peterholden]

Just back from a week in Brittany and we stayed on a campsite that we have used before and is very good but a little pricey at €16 per night. First time that I can remember it not being full. In April we stayedon a "municipal" site at €5.85 per night. There are a couple of campsiteas at Licques near Calais that are a reasonable price. There are other books besides the Caravan club one for example Michelin and the French Camping Federation which is very comprehensive, you can buy it from Vicarious Books in Folkestone who also sell the Aires book.

All I can say is Go For It!!!