Motorhome 1st journey to France,,,

patchdog

Guest
Ok, so always fancied it never done it taking the plunge in september after the summer holidays and my wife and I are going to travel in a motorhome around france, ending in the south.

We live in Leeds and figure the best way is to drive to hull and catch a ferry to Zeebrugge, then possibly drive to Reims to sample some champagne, then drive south.

I suppose I really want some advice, we dont want to be on the motorways and would like to see beautiful france thats never seen by normal air travellers! ( which has been us most of our lives ), eventually we want to buy a small property to escape to in the winter.

If anyone has advice about the route we should take? then please come back to me.

Many Thanks
Patchdog ( Leeds )
 
France

Hi Patchdog-Welcome to the site.
We also live in the North East, when we travel to France we use Dover-Calais you will find the fares much cheaper.
Take a look at Norfolk Line to Dunkirk (excuse the spelling)
We booked it last trip for £25-£30 each way.
We are actually waiting for the Hull to Rotterdam ferry tonight, we are parked up at the Lorry park at Hull priory park , Park and Ride.
We book the P&O ferry with the Caravan Club using their ITX Fares that are available if you buy Camping Cheques to use on sites in Europe or UK. the fare is about £235 return and then you would have your trip into France.
We only use the A Roads in France which are very easy.
Afraid we always get lost at Reims so that is where we use the Sat Nav to guide us,but we are always on our way to the Alps for our winter Ski holiday.
Hope this has been some help
Have a good trip the Aires in France are Fantastic some even have free Electric

Sue
 
cant really give routes . just get a good map possibly buy a map of any local area,s you fancy. play the game we do. no toll roads no motorways and try to avoid dual carraigeways .there is always a small rd to take you just about anywhere in france.dont be in a hurry ask at tourist information offices they very often let you have local maps free.
as for winter ,best you spend one in the area you feel you might like .i find france too cold in winter.
stay with the camper you can keep moving . its a big country. find an area you like then visit it at all times of the year. see if its what you really like.
then the rest of europe calls after a while . then you realise the choice is so great that uk seems nice as well and you just keep visiting more places every where. have a good trip enjoy every minute . cheers alan.
 
Hi Patchdog.
If you are looking for some ideas on touring rural France then have a look at the AA book Secret France There are some great tours with maps, pictures and lots of info. Including one of 115 klms taking you round the Champagne country south west of Reims.:) We've found ours very useful where ever we've been in France. No need to worry on parking up for the night, in these rural places we've always found a delightful place to stop, and if not sure you can always check with the Mairie, they can be very helpful.:)
As ***** suggested take a look at the link he posted for French Aires , It will certainly whet your appetite and also give you the other links to websites useful when searching for places to stop over.
Bonne Route.:)
Nolly
 
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eventually we want to buy a small property to escape to in the winter.

Hi again Patchdog.
If you are thinking of living here in France, then for info on buying or renting property, bank accounts, vehicle registration, or generally living in France ect; then these websites could be worth a visit.
Real Estate Lost in France - Active search and sales of properties of exception and charm throughout France and in Paris & AngloINFO France. Everything for expats living in or moving to France. Between them they seem to answer most of the questions asked.:)

ps Sorry, I made an error in the first post with the name of the book "Secret France", but have corrected it. Put it down to a senior moment,:confused: they to be coming more & more frequent.:eek:

Regards, um? oh I remember, Nolly.
 
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having lived in southern france for 20 years I can tell you that it is no place to escape to in the winter ; the weather is just not good enough

even in the place with the best winter climate in france [ menton] it is too cold and miserable

which is why spain/ maroc are full of french motorhomes in the winter
 
The Whole France experience is not to be missed and me and Mrs J did prefer the East rather than the West, purely for the lack of commercialisation. We then had a bit of beach, once we reached Sete. The East gave us the chance to mingle with the locals and sample some great wines, spend a few days around the Dijon region and 20 miles south of Lyon.
The best tip................. don't have a massive plan, just go with the flow to the point of allowing time to get back to your crossing as the French way of camping is so easy. Enjoy ;-)
 
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