Tips for solo toll road user
Never driven on French Toll roads, always avoided them in favour of slower roads and saving money.
Looks as though I will be using them to do a bit of bird watching. My wife does not want to spend time sitting in the van whilst I wander around and suggested that I go on my own. This will consist of 2 days there, 2 days back and around 2/3 days watching nature. The shortage of time dictates the quickest way there and back.
My question is...what is the best way of going through the tolls....do I scramble across the cab and fumble with a credit card...cash or do I get out and walk round to the machine or person?
Will I have irate drivers behind hooting?
I am sure it will turn out to be easy, just never done it.
Comments
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without doubt get a Sanef tag .... drive up to the barrier, it scans your car, the tag says 'hello it's greylag let me through' the barrier opens & off you go. No faffing with cards, cash or previous booths' receipt. And you have the option of using the wider HGV lane on their near side
OK, it costs a couple of quid but it's worth it.
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Not a problem GL, I’ve travelled extensively by myself and just roll up, lean across and get my ticket or pay by CC. Never bothered with a tag.
Enjoy your trip
PS be aware, particularly when returning the the police are often at toll booths with speed cameras checking speeds of approaching vehicles, lots of Brits caught the last time I returned
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Greylag, where are you going from and heading to for this trip please ? Is it necessary to drive for four days for just a two or three day stay? Can it be done more easily and perhaps more cheaply and more comfortably with a short flight and a hire car? But without knowing any more I can't be specific. Take care.
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Hi greylag, we have a tag so that’s an option but may not be for you. Prior to having the tag, and the reason for getting one, it was not so easy.
My wife is unable to reach the ticket so I would stop short of the machine, get out and pay, then get back in and drive off.
Never had cars queuing behind but would not have been an issue for me.
Two other points. The ticket may come out at the higher of the two dispensers, as the van height may make it think you are a truck, so leaning across us not an option, and secondly trying to get close enough to reach the ticket risks damaging the van on the unforgiving kerbs designed to protect the ticket machines.
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I would think a SANEF tag is the easiest solution but it sounds a lot of travel, ferry costs etc just for a few days. ET's suggestion seems to make more sense in the absence of a longer trip.
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My wife has traipsed behind me for 40 years watching wildlife.
A few years back we went on a guided bird watching holiday around the South of France....brilliant!
One stop was on a cliff edge looking down on Vultures, flying low and close....the guide allowed me 20 minutes and it was then on to the next treat. 20 minutes is just not enough.
I have always wanted to go back and spend 2/3 days just sitting and watching....not yet done it.
As to if it's worth it...to me yes.
My wife said that she cannot sit in the van for 2 days......she bores easily. She reckons the Vultures we saw in Spain were a better sight?????
Could use the car, but then have the accommodation issue, getting some close to the bird site, I have looked and not really suitable.
Flying is becoming unattractive for many reasons.
Many thanks for the interest and info.
Attached the only 2 pic's that I have of the visit, early days with a camera and a lens that was not up to it!
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Where are you heading Greylag? There are fantastic vulture watching opportunities in the Gorges du Jonte in the south of the Lozere in southern France. We have seen them there since 1981 on our second trip camping in France when we had our first trip out from Val de Cantobre. We went back many times, and now take our caravan to that area every so often. There are more now vultures than in those days and you can get a fantastic view from the little campsite at St Rome de Dolan on top of the very cliffs where the vultures nest.
Where we have our house in the Aude there is a vulture watching spot at Bugarach, half an hour or so away from us. We often go mid afternoon to see them leaving the cliffs and flying off across the valley - absolutely fantastic. Also at Puivert in the Aude you can 'glide' with the vultures, taking a trip in a glider from the local small airport on days when the vultures are active and get up to eye level. We also have some fantastic opportunities to see them fly over our roof terrace - particular in late August when they are introducing their young to longer flights. We have seen flights of up to twenty fly over our valley and circle overhead - the local hunts in this area dispose of the residual bits of the Sangliers by feeding them to the vultures.
If you need acommodation in the Aude I know a few people who may be able to help.
Edited: there are also fantastic bird-watching opportunities around the Etangs at Leucate/Bages/ etc where you see flamingos, but also osprey, migrating birds of prey, storks, cranes, ibis, and even pelicans who have naturalised after escaping from the Reserve African at Sigean. The cliffs at La Franqui are an equally good spot - last year we were at eye level with a flock of cranes - soaring above the sea, along the cliffs.0 -
I agree with others - get a tag, although I prefer the ATMB version to the Sanef as it's slightly cheaper. It saves all the hassle and the extra cost over cash / credit cards is minimal.
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We too watched the vultures (flying variety) in the Gorge de la Jonte with a specially dedicated Maison des Vautours to get up close and personal! - but the area does need a week or two to explore fully!
By the way - we also got a Sanef tag (now called something else!) and wouldn't be without it. My other half used to have to undo seatbelt, kneel up on the seat (as she's quite short and you have to have the van away from the concrete), hang out and put my credit card in the machine - we now fly through especially the ones that allow passage at 30kph.
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Greylag, if you want to see some fantastic photography, including the vultures of the Jonte, see if you can watch Natural World. It was on BB4 yesterday at 10.00 pm but we watched it on Catch Up. The whole programme shows the wildest and most beautiful parts of France with some extraordinary photography. The vultures are about 37 minutes into the programme, but it's worth watching all the way through if you're a nature lover.
Another bird featured is the wall creeper which we have seen in the rocks of the higher mountains around us, but also saw on a wall within the campsite of Chateau des Ormes, one of the most unlikely places you could imagine to spot this beautiful bird. Fortunately there were four of us who saw it, otherwise I might have thought I'd imagined it!0 -
If you do decide on a tag then, as suggested earlier, check out ATMB. With ours you only pay the standing charge for the month(s) in which you use it. The charges get billed automatically to your credit card so use one with no transaction fees like Halifax Clarity.
One of the best features are the automatic gates at larger Pèages. Drive straight through at 30 kph without stopping. Love it!
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I totally agree with you GL. So often on here there are folk who think you should consider their way. I go where and how I want for as long as I want and never regret it. In May I’m doing 2 trips wildlife watching 2 nights in West Suffolk then later in the month back to Wales for 3 nights. Only I know the value of my decisions. Hope you enjoy your trip.
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Val...Thanks for that....I reckon you meant BBC4, I will have a look later.
OP...My brother thinks I am mad...today I stood for 2 hours watching 5/6 Marsh Harriers displaying over my local patch...he can't stand still for 10 minutes.
I always appreciate other people's suggestions, you never know when their idea might be better than my own.
Watching Adders the other day, I never moved for 2 hours...my own form of meditation.
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I did enjoy getting out of my car, closing the door gently, walking round the front of it to slowly pay the toll booth operator when I went Portugal via Spain. Sadly no irate locals thinking 'bloo-- he--,' there's another foreigner!
Yes a Tag is convenient but so is paying with cash if your frame of mind is OK.
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Well I got a tag, courtesy of CMHC offer.
Bit of a worry when it stated that it must be registered at once or it may be invalidated???? Anyway I have registered it and now look for a suitable window for the trip. Might have to be mid July, every week before then has something going on.
Not using it before then shouldn't be a problem? There doesn't seem to be any restrictions as to when it should be used.
Not wanting to wish my summer away, I will still make the most of my time here with a trip around Dorset and then around Staffordshire/Derbyshire.
Thanks for the help.
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Greylag
There is a difference between activating the tag and actually using it. Providing you have activated the tag you will be fine, similar to activating a new credit card!
David
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