Driving to France!
- Thread starter Fishinbrine
- Start date
That is why they are always going around in circles
Google maps says 7.5 hrs driving time from Dieppe to La Rochelle if avoiding tolls/routes. Does that sound realistic?
I am not an expert, we are mid way through our first euro trip.... The roads are indeed pretty easy to navigate once you're used to it, the surfaces are good, tend to be fairly quiet, no one really drives like a knob, so it's all pretty good. Main confusion comes from speed limits, they're all over the bloody place, up, down, up, down, Google maps says 80, that last sign said 70, that guy's doing over a ton, who knows!!
But re' the time.... Google maps is good, we've used it exclusively, but factor in a few stops (even a quick wee stop) and you're already looking at closer to 9 easily, plus an unexpected traffic jam or something and bongo, you're over 10!
We've done a couple of 5hr legs and they ended up way over that. You might want to break it up tbh.
I am not an expert, we are mid way through our first euro trip.... The roads are indeed pretty easy to navigate once you're used to it, the surfaces are good, tend to be fairly quiet, no one really drives like a knob, so it's all pretty good. Main confusion comes from speed limits, they're all over the bloody place, up, down, up, down, Google maps says 80, that last sign said 70, that guy's doing over a ton, who knows!!
But re' the time.... Google maps is good, we've used it exclusively, but factor in a few stops (even a quick wee stop) and you're already looking at closer to 9 easily, plus an unexpected traffic jam or something and bongo, you're over 10!
We've done a couple of 5hr legs and they ended up way over that. You might want to break it up tbh.
Been to Re, Oleron, Noirmoutier. Oleron is our favourite, been 3 times, last time was this June. All three islands are made for bikes, very flat and loads of cycle paths. Don’t worry about booking anywhere, the campsites will empty at the end of August, most will be shut by the end of September. Get an ACSI card. We love the island feel, it can feel a tad desolate if you’re used to bustling metropolises, but it’s our perfect place. The nature is incredible. Saw loads of otters this year.
This is the campsite we use on Oleron. It’s basic, but on the beach, very friendly and €17/night if you stay 6 nights.
Ideally located with direct access to the beach (± 300m), in the heart of a forest of maritime pines of more than ...
park4night - (17190) Camping LES SAUMONARDS
Re Dieppe stopover. We stay here if we have a late/early crossing
Located on the outskirts of a tiny, idyllic village where a bread machine available. Water, electricity, waste dis...
park4night - (76890) Aire de camping-car Saint-Pierre-Bénouville
Did you get your over 60’s discount on the Newhaven crossing?
The islands don’t make good bases for exploring the mainland, you’re better off either at Arcachon as already mentioned or Royan. The municipal site in Arcachon is good and a 10min bike ride from the sea.
I think 7.5 hrs from Dieppe is pushing it TBH, probably closer to 9hrs with a stop. The autoroute from Caen to Rennes is free, so that can cut the time down.
If I think of anything else I’ll let you know
This is the campsite we use on Oleron. It’s basic, but on the beach, very friendly and €17/night if you stay 6 nights.
Ideally located with direct access to the beach (± 300m), in the heart of a forest of maritime pines of more than ...
park4night - (17190) Camping LES SAUMONARDS
Re Dieppe stopover. We stay here if we have a late/early crossing
Located on the outskirts of a tiny, idyllic village where a bread machine available. Water, electricity, waste dis...
park4night - (76890) Aire de camping-car Saint-Pierre-Bénouville
Did you get your over 60’s discount on the Newhaven crossing?
The islands don’t make good bases for exploring the mainland, you’re better off either at Arcachon as already mentioned or Royan. The municipal site in Arcachon is good and a 10min bike ride from the sea.
I think 7.5 hrs from Dieppe is pushing it TBH, probably closer to 9hrs with a stop. The autoroute from Caen to Rennes is free, so that can cut the time down.
If I think of anything else I’ll let you know
They sure do and to me, as an outsider, there seems to be no consistency as to when it’s used.
Drive along a D road and you’ll have two side roads that you’re supposed to give way to traffic from the right whereas the next two you don’t give way.
The side roads are sometimes a Stop but sometimes a give way and where there is no indication then I assume they are the priorite a droit.
It is mostly signed but sometimes the sign rolls on for the next few junctions.
I did pass through one town that had a sign saying they use priorite a droit throughout - at least it was clear for once.
Daft thing is even the locals don’t seem to always stick to it. Sometimes they stop even when they have priority and other times they don’t stop when you have priority.
One thing is certain though… if you are in a car park and your aisle has arrows indicating it’s one way… all the traffic will be going the wrong way. They seem to hate those direction arrows with a passion.
@Salty Spuds, need look into ASCI cards and, no, not booked ferry yet (but will be using the number you previously provided 
). Good point about islands not being the best base for exploring the mainland - may have to rethink that one. And, yes, will be adding time for breaks on the drive down from Dieppe and will set sat nav to avoid tolls rather than tolls and motorways. Cheers for your input.
@Lubrown, haha that sounds as bonkers as I remember it to be. In so many ways we could learn from the French, but not this madness.
). Good point about islands not being the best base for exploring the mainland - may have to rethink that one. And, yes, will be adding time for breaks on the drive down from Dieppe and will set sat nav to avoid tolls rather than tolls and motorways. Cheers for your input.@Lubrown, haha that sounds as bonkers as I remember it to be. In so many ways we could learn from the French, but not this madness.
Waze will show you the toll charge if you enter your destination. Depending on where you are entering France the A13/14 has no toll booths so you will need a tag or pay online. https://www.autoroutes.sanef.com/en/free-flow/travel-paris-normandie-a13
Sonewhere on the forum there's a whole thread dedicated to this topic. I believe LED switching is a T6 thing and that 6.1s either don't need it or it's automated. Certainly there's no setting on my van to switch.
@Salty Spuds is right about Ile d'Oleron - we much prefer it to Ile de Ré or Noirmoutier (with Ré at the bottom off the list!) but, as he said, it's not a particularly good base for day trips out unless you're nearish to the bridge. He's also correct about Camping Les Saumonards which is a great campsite that we've been to several times over the last few years - very close to the beach, in a lovely forest location with loads of walking / cycle tracks, lots of wildlife to be seen and only about a 20 minute walk into a small town (Boyardville) with a few small shops for grub and plenty of eating establishments. The downside is that if you're there, you're already 30 - 40 minutes away from the mainland.
As to turning up on spec, we never book anywhere but our rule is the we always try to turn up at a site before 1600 hrs and have usually found that by the time we're set up with a cuppa in hand, others are flooding in and at some of the more popular sites getting turned away. That said, I doubt if anywhere would be too difficult to get in at the time you're planning on going indeed, you're main problem if you're there for October will be sites closing down for the season. On that note, IMHO you will also need to get very lucky with the weather if you're ambitions run to dry and early 20s, at least consistently
Also, don't worry about the driving in europe thing. You soon get used to it, the roads are better and IMHO driving standards better as well. We always use Waze of Google Maps for navigation and their ETAs / timings usually prove fairly accurate. I personally wouldn't fancy doing Dieppe to the La Rochelle area in a day (but neither of us particularly like long drives unless we can avoid it) - we usually stop about midway in consultation with the ACSI guide.
On the subject of ACSI, we wouldn't be without it and you can sometimes get your investment back in a couple of night's pitch fees. I'm quite a techy person but I'm also maybe a bit weird in that I still find physical reference books quite nice to use. That said, I also have the ACSI apps on my phone and iPad.
Out of interest, why the ferry from Newhaven? Each to their own but we prefer the tunnel - there's a couple of campsites very close to the UK terminal which allow an early start and you can then make decent progress on day 1 in France, Either that or we get a mid-afternoon train and then stay at a site close to the other side allowing an early start on day 2. Again, it's a personal thing but when on a road trip, there are few things worse that having to find somewhere to kip when it's late, dark and you're possibly knackered from a day on the road.
As to turning up on spec, we never book anywhere but our rule is the we always try to turn up at a site before 1600 hrs and have usually found that by the time we're set up with a cuppa in hand, others are flooding in and at some of the more popular sites getting turned away. That said, I doubt if anywhere would be too difficult to get in at the time you're planning on going indeed, you're main problem if you're there for October will be sites closing down for the season. On that note, IMHO you will also need to get very lucky with the weather if you're ambitions run to dry and early 20s, at least consistently
Also, don't worry about the driving in europe thing. You soon get used to it, the roads are better and IMHO driving standards better as well. We always use Waze of Google Maps for navigation and their ETAs / timings usually prove fairly accurate. I personally wouldn't fancy doing Dieppe to the La Rochelle area in a day (but neither of us particularly like long drives unless we can avoid it) - we usually stop about midway in consultation with the ACSI guide.
On the subject of ACSI, we wouldn't be without it and you can sometimes get your investment back in a couple of night's pitch fees. I'm quite a techy person but I'm also maybe a bit weird in that I still find physical reference books quite nice to use. That said, I also have the ACSI apps on my phone and iPad.
Out of interest, why the ferry from Newhaven? Each to their own but we prefer the tunnel - there's a couple of campsites very close to the UK terminal which allow an early start and you can then make decent progress on day 1 in France, Either that or we get a mid-afternoon train and then stay at a site close to the other side allowing an early start on day 2. Again, it's a personal thing but when on a road trip, there are few things worse that having to find somewhere to kip when it's late, dark and you're possibly knackered from a day on the road.
Re the tunnel. We’ve done it once & never again. When travelling down from God’s own, it’s a bit bish bash bosh. A 5 hour drive down, straight on the tunnel, 1/2hr later, spit out of the other side and back on the road and no break. Newhaven is a similar drive at this end and then you get a 4hr rest on the ferry, have a half decent meal at reasonable price, grab a shower if you ask nicely, AND (this is the important bit) you’re 100miles closer to the west of France/spain/Portugal when you get off. It’s also very competitive price wise. If you look at a map, it’s also 100 miles closer to the Alps which feels wrong, but it’s true.
You can also camp at the terminal at both ends if you have an early morning crossing, we do this regularly. Book a 0500 return, drive to the terminal in Dieppe the night before, walk into town (nice harbour town) have a meal, kip in the van in the terminal and first on in the morning, full English and back to Blighty for lunch.
Vote two for ferries and we went from Poole to Cherbourg, 8:00 am sailing and losing that hour on the way out means you can have a slap up early dinner onboard and delay the point where you get robbed for any further decent meals.
Would you get this level of excitement in the tunnel?
Would you get this level of excitement in the tunnel?
Very sensible I never get sea sick my self no matter the weather but Mrs Kind of Blue actually turns green before up chucking. On a hovercraft over the channel years ago, a child turned around and asked its mother, why was that lady green! Even at the boat show in the bowls of a static display yacht she had to go topside in a hurry. She is quite competent at sailing however. 
Thanks all for your feedback. Your input is shaping our thinking and, undoubtedly, will have a positive impact on our experience.
We're now thinking...
We'll stick with the Newhaven/Dieppe ferry - we're happy with the 'enforced' break from driving, the shorter onward journey compared with a Dover/Calais or Chunnel crossing, and the price (~£225 return with >60s discount). Can anyone confirm that ferry prices don't usually bounce up if booked last minute? If so, we'll hold-off booking the return tickets until we're ready to head home - added flexibility = less for me to stress over.
It makes sense to split the journeys to/from Dieppe across 2 days, especially as we'll be avoiding tolls - we'll either extend our holiday or reduce # nights at destination (or both). Anyone got any suggestions for campsites/areas that would be suitable for mid-way stopovers?
We're now rethinking where to base ourselves when we get down to Aquitaine - a site directly on/very near to the beach on the mainland seems the best idea. Being within striking distance of Bordeaux would also be desirable. Again, any campsite suggestions welcomed.
EDIT: More excited than nervous now
We're now thinking...
We'll stick with the Newhaven/Dieppe ferry - we're happy with the 'enforced' break from driving, the shorter onward journey compared with a Dover/Calais or Chunnel crossing, and the price (~£225 return with >60s discount). Can anyone confirm that ferry prices don't usually bounce up if booked last minute? If so, we'll hold-off booking the return tickets until we're ready to head home - added flexibility = less for me to stress over.
It makes sense to split the journeys to/from Dieppe across 2 days, especially as we'll be avoiding tolls - we'll either extend our holiday or reduce # nights at destination (or both). Anyone got any suggestions for campsites/areas that would be suitable for mid-way stopovers?
We're now rethinking where to base ourselves when we get down to Aquitaine - a site directly on/very near to the beach on the mainland seems the best idea. Being within striking distance of Bordeaux would also be desirable. Again, any campsite suggestions welcomed.
EDIT: More excited than nervous now
Prices do bounce up the closer to the travel date. We never book a round trip. We book our return when we know when & where we’re returning from. If you’re not fixed to a specific return/time you can pick the cheapest crossing when you’re ready to come home. We’ve actually booked the ferry home when we’ve been sat in the terminal on one occasion. You might pay around £50 more over booking it ahead, but we like the flexibility. As long as you avoid busy periods, you’ll be fine. We’ve only failed once on the dieppe ferry & had to drive up to Calais.Thanks all for your feedback. Your input is shaping our thinking and, undoubtedly, will have a positive impact on our experience.
We're now thinking...
We'll stick with the Newhaven/Dieppe ferry - we're happy with the 'enforced' break from driving, the shorter onward journey compared with a Dover/Calais or Chunnel crossing, and the price (~£225 return with >60s discount). Can anyone confirm that ferry prices don't usually bounce up if booked last minute? If so, we'll hold-off booking the return tickets until we're ready to head home - added flexibility = less for me to stress over.
It makes sense to split the journeys to/from Dieppe across 2 days, especially as we'll be avoiding tolls - we'll either extend our holiday or reduce # nights at destination (or both). Anyone got any suggestions for campsites/areas that would be suitable for mid-way stopovers?
We're now rethinking where to base ourselves when we get down to Aquitaine - a site directly on/very near to the beach on the mainland seems the best idea. Being within striking distance of Bordeaux would also be desirable. Again, any campsite suggestions welcomed.
EDIT: More excited than nervous now
Nearer to Bordeaux than exactly midway but we stopped at the Orangerie as it was ideally located for a shed loads of quality Chateaus, the town of Blois and the Forteresse de Chinon which was on my bucketish list.
L'Orangerie de Beauregard · Villedômer
That's the place, pool on the left.
Blois below...
Chinon...
At Arcachon we stayed at Huttopia so a bit dear for what it was especially as the place was more geared towards chalets so the camper vans were herded into a small canyon close to the showers, pool, bar etc. so actually cramped but ideal.
About 1 km walk to the seafront through some woods for a 200 metres, past a junior school, large park where they play petanque then you're in the town centre.
L'Orangerie de Beauregard · Villedômer
That's the place, pool on the left.
Blois below...
Chinon...
At Arcachon we stayed at Huttopia so a bit dear for what it was especially as the place was more geared towards chalets so the camper vans were herded into a small canyon close to the showers, pool, bar etc. so actually cramped but ideal.
About 1 km walk to the seafront through some woods for a 200 metres, past a junior school, large park where they play petanque then you're in the town centre.
we stayed here in Royan, nice site would return park4night - (17420) Camping Puits De L'AutureIt makes sense to split the journeys to/from Dieppe across 2 days, especially as we'll be avoiding tolls - we'll either extend our holiday or reduce # nights at destination (or both). Anyone got any suggestions for campsites/areas that would be suitable for mid-way stopovers?
We're now rethinking where to base ourselves when we get down to Aquitaine - a site directly on/very near to the beach on the mainland seems the best idea. Being within striking distance of Bordeaux would also be desirable. Again, any campsite suggestions welcomed.
EDIT: More excited than nervous now
This is a nice stopover en-route. Very clean loos, no neds doing donuts in the carpark. Nice village to walk into, bar, boulangerie, shop etc. park4night - (35530) Servon-sur-Vilaine - 2B Chemin des Monts Bussons
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