France
Hi. Would love my partner and i to go to france then into spain. A bit worried about driveing abroad. So we were looking for someone to let us follow them on a trip abroad. Any offers will be considerd and we will reply to you all. Looking forward to see if we get any offers. Thanking you. From john and angela.
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It's a common request but I don't think anyone has ever found a partner going at the same dates from the same port to the same destination, driving the same distance every day in convoy, and at the same speed. You wouldn't want to drive my distances at my speed would you?
Honestly your best bet is to go across to one of the quieter ports in Western France and drive to nearby campsites at your own speed just to get the feel of things. A practice run before you set off to Spain.
We all started somewhere! Good wishes.
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It would be far more stressful trying to keep up with someone else and not lose them at a junction where you could not pull out at the same time that they did than doing it in your own time and your own speed. Also not losing them as you drive off the ferry would be a worrry.
Honestly driving in France is so much easier than driving in this country because there is so much less traffic.
My advice would differ from Eurotraveller because I think it is so much easier to leave Calais port straight onto the main road.
But whatever you do it won't be anywhere near as bad as you are thinking.
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Just take it steadily and it's a "morceau de gateaux"
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I agree totally with everything that has already been said but would add a couple of other things.
Most road signs are very similar if not the same as in the UK but perhaps one of the important 'words' signs is "Cedex le Passage" = Give Way. Many road junctions, especially on major roads, have slip roads onto them. These, very commonly, are quite long before you must join the main carriageway which makes acceleration and then joining much easier than in Britain. Another is Stop. It means STOP, not almost stop if the road is clear. It is a favourite revenue collector by the police especially from unwary Brits.
Overtaking a slower moving vehicle will almost certainly happen and so having someone in your front passenger seat, ideally someone who can drive, to tell you when the road is clear is a big advantage.
Probably the worst part of your trip will be when you get back onto the roads in Britain and you realise how manic they are in comparison with most French roads.
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I can understand your apprehension and for various and similar reasons we joined at 'first timers rallies abroad' not with this club. We very quickly discovered that we didn't all meet until we were on site. This meant you had your own choice of time and ferry crossing, was how it was put. If anything by the time we met the rally group we'd done all the 'scary' stuff on our own 😉. I believe it's the same with this club.
Good advise above. Actually boarding and disembarking is well supervised by loading staff, on a ferry we boarded, not with the motorhome, someone was having problems and feeling nervous so guy jumped in and positioned the vehicle 😃. When you leave the ferry you follow the vehicle in front to the exit - simples 😉 and all the traffic on the road will be in their right lanes on the wrong side 😉.
If you live close to the south coast a day/short trip in the car over. Or take a ferry and book a site not far the port. These days you can study the map and write quick reference instructions for yourselves, as well as 'do' the drive on Google.
I hope these posts will assure you and you do venture over I'm sure you won't regret it. In fact as you have to be at the port a good while before boarding you'll meet up with others experienced and inexperienced and you'll be amazed at the comrades spirit. Advice and help is generally offered if requested.
The usual advise with our hobby still stands take it easy and take your time and enjoy.
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We started in 1988 and drove from Roscoff down the far South West of France. In those days there were no autoroutes, no roundabouts and very few lay-bys so stopping was not easy.
Nowadays it is a doddle and we would far prefer to drive in France than the UK.
My one caveat is that I would suggest that you avoid Dover/Calais. Arrival in France at Caen, Cherbourg or St. Malo is very much less stressful as the volume of traffic around Calais is considerable. We crossed once to Dunkirk and decided to stick with the Western routes from then on. The Western ports are quiet.
We have missed the last two years for health reasons but otherwise we go every year and love it.
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I would recommend using the Autoroutes as they are quicker, quieter and there are so many places (Aires) to stop. If you use the Tunnel or ferry to Calais the exit is straight onto the Autoroute and the routes are extremely well signposted. The Autoroutes around Calais are actually much quieter than further South.
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John and Angela
If you are really thinking of France AND Spain and are concerned about your ability to cope with the driving aren't you trying to be too ambitious? Personally I would try a shorter "tester" trip of a couple of weeks. That will give you a lot of confidence to then do longer trips. Alternatively you could just take the bull by the horns and just go!!!
David
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We had been to France on a few occasions staying in cottages etc. before we got our caravan, so we were already familiar with the French road system and driving on the right. Because of where we live, Dover to Calais is the easiest route. On our first trip with the caravan I booked Au Bord de L’Aisne, near Reims, because it was a fairly straightforward run down the autoroute, and not too long a journey in one day. A caravan friendly sat nav was also very useful. The only thing I wish we’d had, which I didn’t know about at the time, was the Sanef tag, which means you don’t need to keep finding change for tolls on relevant autoroutes. You can get details on the club web site.
On our next trip to France we felt more adventurous and, over a fortnight, toured to Les 4 Vents (southeast of Paris), then on to Saumur (on the Loire), and finally to Camping Le Foret (Normandy). On reflection, we could have chosen sites closer together as France is a much bigger country than you think, but no where was difficult to get to.
If you can make a short trip without the van to do a recce, great. If not, don’t panic and go for it. You’ll be driving like a native in no time.
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Agree with whats been said already.
My recommendation would be use Portsmouth-Caen route. Once you have left the Ouistreham port area, its a quiet road towards Caen, then take the free ring road/motorway to Brittany for any of the many sites available. Once on-site, go touring in the car for 'experience' of smaller roads, town centres and junctions. i'm sure it will all fall into place, and you will wonder why you ever worried.
Obviously sailing to St Malo would involve less towing (assuming its a caravan not a motorhome), but as I've never used the port in St Malo (its always more expensive), I can't comment on that route, but having visited the town of St Malo by car, its always been busy with tourists.
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The Caen ring road can be a bit hectic especially at rush hour times. As long as you keep your eyes open for the signs and have a decent sat nav / human navigator you should be OK.
I find it very helpful to have my passenger "spot" the road signs (and she's even been known to use binoculars) as especially when you're surrounded by HGVs it can be hard to take your eyes off the road.
My sat nav (CoPilot on an android phone) displays a graphic of major junctions which is very helpful.
Having said that, it's no harder than driving on some UK motorways and as it's dual carriageway there's no tendency to drive on the left.....
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I can't say I've ever seen much difference in the traffic levels between the roads around Calais and around any of the more western crossings ports although we do usually cross on a Sunday morning when there is less commercial traffic about. However, what is different is the cost of the longer western routes, about double the Dover / Calais cost. You can travel an awful long way through France, even on the Peage, with what you save. For me it's Dover Calais or Dover Dunkirk every time now.
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Not all of us are always looking for cheapest. Calais to Brittany and back again is still 800 miles of driving. Easiest, most comfortable and most convenient count too.
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As has been said, choice of ferry depends where you live to a great extent. Hull is great if you are a 'northener'. Not facing the N-S drag going out and coming back is a boon.
Whatever route you decide upon take your time. I always book a site close to the ferry port on the way, out just a one night stay, but it means that you're not banking on a clear run from home to the ferry. Motorways are a pain and missing your ferry because of a hold up is no fun.
My first run was a few years ago, but we went from Cherbourg to the Loire. An easy day's run, but you are in the heart of Chateaux country straight away!
I use Autoroutes these days for speed and ease, but at first we used ordinary roads, planning the route was part of the fun. Using via Michelin with the 'caravan' option is helpful, but Tom Tom is good too, particularly in the city areas.
You will enjoy the experience, but take your time!!!!!
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I always consider the journey to wherever the destination as being part of the holiday, (excepting the drive to the south coast and back in the UK). I've done Calais to Brittany more than once and found some delightful places to explore on the way. For us it isn't a matter of getting to the ultimate destination (if we have one) as quickly as possible and by the shortest route it's exploring on the way. If somewhere looks interesting we will find a site locally and stay for a night or two and then move on. If we can keep off the autoroutes we do so, not because of the cost but because you don't really 'see' anywhere. Real touring in my opinion.
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