Driving through France
I am new to travelling abroad in a Motorhome. I have picked some campsites in France and was wondering about driving times between campsites. I thought about 5 hours or less driving would be okay.
What does anyone else think.
Thanks
Martyn
Comments
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Hi Martyn
Welcome to the discussion area of Club Together. As yours this is quite a specific question I have moved it to the Overseas Sites and Touring Section.
David
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Hi Martin, I think it depends if your doing "a" roads where in an hour you could cover 60 miles or so, or you want to see the french rural bits where with these new speed humps they have put in more like 35 miles, just depends how far your chosen sites are
apart from each other, make sure youve got the michelin atlas with you, and maybe google "viamichelin" then click "routplanner" before you go ,wealth of information...0 -
Only you can answer that.
However.......
For how long do you drive in U.K?
Do you enjoy driving?
Are you physically comfortable at 5 hours?
Do you HAVE to drive for longish periods?
I rarely find it necessary to drive 5 hours at a time as I don't blast down to the South but tend to wander down Southwards on non autoroutes, enjoying seeing the towns and villages and stopping wherever takes my fancy but I'm never under any time pressure.
Plenty of sites with space outside of the 'silly season'. Some days I may only drive 50 or 60 miles and pass through very varied scenery.Generally the roads in France are less busy than here except for the 'silly season' end July and August when you can expect some quite long delays aproaching large towns and on the Atlantic coast and the popular sites ought to be booked in advance. For example
the Ile de Re can be closed completely with long approach tailbacks.0 -
Hello Martyn, Having ranged between 19 miles in a day and 478 - neither of which were intended when we set off on those two mornings, I am not the best person to advise you. I would just say not to plan too hard - unless you are very short of time. Good luck.
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But if the places we want to visit are 34 miles apart - like Metz and Nancy - then we do 34 miles that day, and cheerfully arrive at the next campsite before 11am. - which would cause many pages of outrage in the UK section of this forum. I hope the zealots
there aren't reading this.
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Don't book or plan, go with the flow. It is nice to have a rough idea but look at alternative areas do you are not committed.
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Thank you for your replies.
I was planning on travelling from Cherbourg down to La Rochelle, stopping at Saint Pol de Leon in Brittany on the way and back to Cherbourg Within 2 weeks. Now I'm not sure. I like driving and I can't just go on spec as I need to book.
Martyn
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Ee, Lad, gerra grip o'thissen!
Tha's in a Motorhome norra Car and Caravan.
World's t'oyster in France!
Tha can go wherever tha pleases wi'out 'urrying about as if tha's demented.
Meander without a plan and tha'll see much more of what France has to offer than just tarmac whizzing under t'wheels.
It took us over two weeks to get to Bordeaux three years ago and nearly as long to get to Brittany the year after.
Unless its raining Moggies and Whippets where you are in France just wander where tha feels like going and you'll enjoy it much more than you'll imagine.
Take your time and you'll find it's a much more relaxed and laid back look on life in a Motorhome than you'll ever find in the UK.
In six years visiting France in a MH we've never once booked ahead and always found places to stay overnight, or longer, throughout France.
See my KeithChesterfield Youtube site for places we've stopped.
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Thank you for your replies.
I was planning on travelling from Cherbourg down to La Rochelle, stopping at Saint Pol de Leon in Brittany on the way and back to Cherbourg Within 2 weeks. Now I'm not sure. I like driving and I can't just go on spec as I need to book.
Martyn
As you only have two weeks and you want to visit La Rochelle, then just drive there and enjoy that area. By adding a visit to Leon you are nearly doubling the distance.(unless you have to) Or you can meander from site to site on the way, park outside the toilet block for the night and move on the next day.
In answer to your first post: If you start at 0900hrs and arrive at 1500hrs (most receptions are open by then) with a stop for lunch you should get to where you want without to much bother.
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I can't just go on spec as I need to book.
Martyn
That's the bit which puzzles me, Martyn.
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Hello again,
The reason I need to feel I ought to book is because I am on Oxygen and need electric for my concentrator. I cannot just stop off somewhere.
I can see where you are all coming from thought with the going on spec. I also dont have much time to organise as I work full time and I am tired when I get home.
Thank you for all your comments
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