Differences between "here" and 'there'
Comments
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Steve
the only journey I dread is using the M6 to get to and from Portsmouth.
The worst bit about Continental holidays is coming back and having to face the rat race of the M20 and M25.
peedee
Ah ,the M20 ,yes i use it 5 days a week , always wish i could be in one of those caravans/motorhomes heading for the port
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Steve
the only journey I dread is using the M6 to get to and from Portsmouth.
The worst bit about Continental holidays is coming back and having to face the rat race of the M20 and M25.
peedee
Ah ,the M20 ,yes i use it 5 days a week , always wish i could be in one of those caravans/motorhomes heading for the port
I actually find it quite nerve racking after the tranquility of Continental roads.
peedee
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I think the 'stress of driving' be it here or there is subjective. I've never been stressed by booking uk hols or breaks, if there's no room I choose another site, I choose times of less traffic to travel, give plenty of time to get to & from. I don't stress
it's a break, why would anyone stress?. I think it may be down to the attitude of the individual as to whether it's better/worse/faster/slower/stressful or not. Pictures of empty roads anywhere on Earth is not indicative of the norm, merely a snapshot of that
particular time. I've traveled along the M62 for 45mins & saw 2vehicles. The facts-3:40am in June-it means nothing.0 -
AD, the point I was making was-it is a snapshot, it's not indicative of all roads in a particular country(Spain) most Countries suffer gridlock or quiet times.
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Two more crowded roads
Pitched cheek by jowl
Same scenery as over here
Competing for space on the Mediterranean beach!
And in the swimming pool.
...I have a picture of an M25 like that at 1030 on a Sunday and there are numerous areas in the UK that can compete with all the other cherry picked views the site looks like Southlands when we visit
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Steve
Can I ask how many times have you towed abroad, I ask because I didn't always find it easy but now never give it a thought, the only journey I dread is using the M6 to get to and from Portsmouth.
after 16 weeks of pootling around france last spring/summer enjoying mainly quiet open roads, some devoid of traffic, we then reyrned by a peaceful ferry ride to Portsmouth.....disembarked and hit the M27 at around 7pm...absolute
bedlam...everyone doing over 70, swapping lanes every 100m, tailgating, flashing lights.....and that was just the caravanners who left the ferry....seriously, other than around 7-10 large cities that house the greater part of the french population, pretty much elsewhere is a dream to drive through....
as steve says, he hets nervouse towing, but i would rather drive RHD in france (in my own vehicle) than LHD in the uk...
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I have only ever met one traffic jam in France and Spain in 27 years of driving there. The one time I met one was before they built the A75 and the Millau bridge. The old route was severely congested during "le weekend" in peak season. Belgium, Germany and
Holland are different, traffic can be much heavier especially around major cities. Driving in any country generally does not bother me. I have held 6 foreign licences in addition to a British one and have driven on all kinds of roads. The problem is you sort
of get lulled into tranquil mode driving through France and Spain out of peak season and it comes as a bit of a shock on ones return to British motorways. When is the M25 ever quiet?peedee
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Thec thread has gone the way of most threads, there are those who like and those who know it can be not so like ,and trying to compare Road conditions is just smoke and mirrors as we have been in horrendouse jams "over,there"on one trip,to Austria we moved
less than a mile in two hours it was a good job the coach had a toilet,as the "locals " were all using the hard shoulder and bushes,as stated we less than half the size ,with as many if not more vehicles using the space0 -
It seems that people fit into several groups.
1) Those that spend all their time touring abroad and only use UK roads to get to and from the nearest port to Europe.
2) Those that camp here in the UK and in Europe
3) Those that, so far, have only camped in the UK but are open to having ago at going Continental
4) THose that only camp in the UK but take overseas holidays that are not camping based.
5) Those that only holiday in the UK.
Personally don't see anything wrong in any of those positions. What is wrong is not to respect those individual choices and cuts both ways.
David
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I would certainly agree the roads in France are generally a lot quieter than in this country. It stands to reason, If you look at a map there are many more of them, in a bigger country with similar population. The motorways are also often quieter, as of course you have to pay on many of them. Although if you happen to travel on the weekend when the French break up for the summer, it is horrendous. The sat nav was at one stage predicting 8.5 hours to do 100 miles on the autoroute. However, that is rare, where as delays on the M5 to Cornwall are every weekend in the summer. Italy on the other hand I would say is very similar to here, at least as far south Sorrento. Off topic, but one thing I now notice is how bad the road surfaces are in this country compared to France, 15 / 20 years ago it was the other way round.
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It seems that people fit into several groups.
1) Those that spend all their time touring abroad and only use UK roads to get to and from the nearest port to Europe.
2) Those that camp here in the UK and in Europe
3) Those that, so far, have only camped in the UK but are open to having ago at going Continental
4) THose that only camp in the UK but take overseas holidays that are not camping based.
5) Those that only holiday in the UK.
Personally don't see anything wrong in any of those positions. What is wrong is not to respect those individual choices and cuts both ways.
David
I agree, good post DK
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It seems that people fit into several groups.
1) Those that spend all their time touring abroad and only use UK roads to get to and from the nearest port to Europe.
2) Those that camp here in the UK and in Europe
3) Those that, so far, have only camped in the UK but are open to having ago at going Continental
4) THose that only camp in the UK but take overseas holidays that are not camping based.
5) Those that only holiday in the UK.
Personally don't see anything wrong in any of those positions. What is wrong is not to respect those individual choices and cuts both ways.
David
...Great post says it all really
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It seems that people fit into several groups.
1) Those that spend all their time touring abroad and only use UK roads to get to and from the nearest port to Europe.
2) Those that camp here in the UK and in Europe
3) Those that, so far, have only camped in the UK but are open to having ago at going Continental
4) THose that only camp in the UK but take overseas holidays that are not camping based.
5) Those that only holiday in the UK.
Personally don't see anything wrong in any of those positions. What is wrong is not to respect those individual choices and cuts both ways.
David
I would be in group 3 , but let's forget how quiet the roads are and concentrate on the views and sites and places to see.......
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It's a shame that your post has been hijacked, Husky. In order to offer advice about places to see we really need to know what would interest you and Mrs. HD. Is it pretty fishing villages or historical sites or châteaux or beaches or museums or ????. Give
us a few clues so we can point you in the right direction.0 -
Well, 40 years ago I went on a school trip to the Louire valley and stayed at a place call chenonceux ( something like that) and saw lots of chateauxs ,so at some time would like to go back
Mrs HD needs to use a mobility scooter ,so places have to be acceptable to a scooter
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I agree Huskydog! Those of us who fit into 'many of the above' categories, and have all camped and caravanned in this country. I certainly find it frustrating that our comments are doubted, picked over, and dissected, particularly when the comments come from people who don't want to camp or caravan in Europe.
However, leaving that aside what we ought to concentrate on is getting our points of view over, truthfully, so that people who genuinely have an open mind can understand why so many of us think 'it's wonderful over there'.
That's one of the reasons I posted my pictures - because a 'picture paints a thousand words. I didn't 'cherry pick' - just picked a selection which fitted the topic. They were all taken in May/June or August/September, in areas of great natural beauty - and I have many, many more similar ones. There are just so many places to see and visit in Europe that in thirty-five years we've never run out of wonderful places to visit and I'm sure, given a chance, most of us could pick out some fantastic mobility-scooter friendly sites (and campsites) for you to visit.
In this country we camped and caravanned from the late sixties onwards, as teenagers, young marrieds, a family, then a reconstituted family with double the number of children, and now as a retired couple. From my experiences, and my enjoyment of European camping and caravanning holidays during all those stages of my life, I genuinely would like to share my love of that way of holidaying, with those open-minded enough to want to ask the question.
For those who would rather not consider it, I respect their views - but equally please can they respect the views of those who choose to camp/caravan or motorhome in Europe.
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I really want to visit France and Italy, when we get the chance. Would love to see some of the marvellous castles and old towns in France, especially those off the beaten track. France is a huge country though, lots to explore so will need a few different
trips! Will need help planning if we take MHAnd Italy for all the ruins and history. I quite fancy going to Italy by rail if I am being honest, more of an adventure.
Been to Greece, seen lots of the marvellous historical sites there, and thoroughly enjoyed walking around Athens. Standing on the bridge over the Corinth Canal was spectacular, there had been a minor earth tremor a few days before. The Acropolis and Agamemnon's
Palace were superb as well. We were very lucky, had some Greek friends who looked after us. We did a few Greek Islands as well. My sister worked on Crete for a while, she got to know the place like the locals.0 -
Here's a really out of the way 'castle' - the Tours de Merle in the upper part of the Dordogne valley. My OH has just one a photography competition with another photograph (much better than this one). This is typical of the sort of out of the way place that you come across, which is not owned by the National Trust, and which is free to park and walk around.
It wouldn't be great for Mrs Huskydog, but there are hundreds of castles which are!0 -
Well, Husky, many of the châteaux like Chenonceau have beautiful gardens and you could certainly make a lovely trip travelling from one to another along the Loire and the other nearby rivers like the Cher. The only problem I would have about recommending
sites is I really don't know how scooter friendly they are. The châteaux themselves and associated towns like Saumur or Amboise are lovely but again I'm stuck with the scooter question. These towns and places are of course ancient and many still have cobbled
streets so I will leave it to those who have personal experience of accessibility to advise which will be acceptable to you.0 -
I will google that thanks Valda. We have a special Tour de France DVD, which is all about the areas and wonderful places the race passes through, and it will make a great reference starter for our first trip. We watch all the big tours, Giro, Vuelta, always
enjoy the scenery and towns and villages. Lots of MHs up and down the routes as well! Quite fancy following the race to a few venues if we get the chance. I think we would do much as we do in this country and just wing it without too much booked ahead, just
make sure we comply with any do's and dont's required!0 -
There's free entry to the Chateau du Versailles and the gardens, and many other historical sites have similar offers. Details of the Versailles offer in English here:
http://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/accessibility/individual-visits
Some places I've seen even have free mobility scooters available - next time we're in France I shall make a point of noticing these things!
And here's Chenoceau (which HD may remember from his school trip all those years ago):
http://chenonceau.com/index.php/en/access-for-the-handicapped
(NB Handicapped is the term used in France for people with a mobility problem or disability and it is not meant in any derogatory way).
Moderator edit: links activated.
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Has anyone been to Fontevrault? That is on my " must see" list?
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