Driving to France!
- Thread starter Fishinbrine
- Start date
Re splitting up the journey, if you've never visited Normandy & the D Day beaches and towns, you could spend a couple of days there, you won't be disappointed.
Been going for 30+ years and still not "done it", it's a vast country that has everything from semi desert to snowy mountains. It's getting expensive though now compared to the good old days. We're concentrating on Spain for the next couple of trips.I really must do France one day
Need to get the confidence and just do it. Always been scared of the ‘what ifs’ and park the idea
Maybe next year when the vans finished, who knows……..
@T6ChrisO First time we went to France was in 1983 when we rode our Suzuki GS750 down to Cannes, managed to nearly break the clutch lever in half before we left home when the wife hopped on the back and my leg gave way due to panniers, tank bag etc.
Thing is as you get older you just waste hours of your life worrying about shizzle that really isn't life or death, we never thought about our 5 year old bike blowing up or the reality of riding hundreds of miles in a day, now we worry about the toilet paper on a site.
What I'm saying is just get on and do it, in our case I saw a music video on YouTube and thought the background scenery was beautiful, that was Forteresse de Chinon, now I'm just a little gutted I wasn't there when they filmed the set!
We were pan seared in France this year and that did actually stop us venturing out too far on a couple of days, however two weeks of mediocre weather back home makes you appreciate those holiday moments sitting on your backside under your Halfords cheapy awning with your cold French beer.
Thing is as you get older you just waste hours of your life worrying about shizzle that really isn't life or death, we never thought about our 5 year old bike blowing up or the reality of riding hundreds of miles in a day, now we worry about the toilet paper on a site.
What I'm saying is just get on and do it, in our case I saw a music video on YouTube and thought the background scenery was beautiful, that was Forteresse de Chinon, now I'm just a little gutted I wasn't there when they filmed the set!
We were pan seared in France this year and that did actually stop us venturing out too far on a couple of days, however two weeks of mediocre weather back home makes you appreciate those holiday moments sitting on your backside under your Halfords cheapy awning with your cold French beer.
I had a Suzuki 750 about that time before buying a V4 Honda. My only worries where constantly buying tyres and chains both to wearing them out but they where bullet proof otherwise and go for ever very reliable.@T6ChrisO First time we went to France was in 1983 when we rode our Suzuki GS750 down to Cannes, managed to nearly break the clutch lever in half before we left home when the wife hopped on the back and my leg gave way due to panniers, tank bag etc.
Thing is as you get older you just waste hours of your life worrying about shizzle that really isn't life or death, we never thought about our 5 year old bike blowing up or the reality of riding hundreds of miles in a day, now we worry about the toilet paper on a site.
What I'm saying is just get on and do it, in our case I saw a music video on YouTube and thought the background scenery was beautiful, that was Forteresse de Chinon, now I'm just a little gutted I wasn't there when they filmed the set!
We were pan seared in France this year and that did actually stop us venturing out too far on a couple of days, however two weeks of mediocre weather back home makes you appreciate those holiday moments sitting on your backside under your Halfords cheapy awning with your cold French beer.
I know it sounds trite & cliched, but one day I’m going to shuffle off, and I don’t want to be thinking “if only we’d done……” I reckon I’ve got about 15 good years left in me and I’m going to kick the 4rse out of ‘em.Need to get the confidence and just do it. Always been scared of the ‘what ifs’ and park the idea
Maybe next year when the vans finished, who knows……..
I’ve been skipping France since 2019 and go to Spain or Portugal instead. Plenty to do and see if France it’s just the ridiculously high cost, I don’t mind spending money but I’m allergic to being ripped off. That said the UK is rapidly catching up.
France can feel a bit pricey but the UK, to me at least, seems to give less value.
Food and drink is so much better in terms of both quality and choice in France. To think it’s a much bigger country geographically so transport of goods to shops is more costly (and the population is more spread out meaning stocking levels are more critical to prevent waste but maintain freshness) it’s easy for that alone to explain the prices. We don’t have that excuse in the UK and generally I find our foods either over processed trash or uninspiring in terms of fresh goods. Certainly at the supermarkets. French supermarkets are another level above ours.
So I don’t begrudge the prices in France.
If you shop wisely it doesn’t really cost more anyway, although the choice makes it easier to run up a bigger bill (I actually enjoy shopping in France).
France is a paradox I haven’t been able to fathom, despite visiting for 30 odd years. I agree that eating out is generally a better experience in France, and the prices can be very reasonable. However I don’t get the prices in the markets and supermarkets. I’ve just been to my local Aldi here in the UK & bought a weeks worth of groceries for me & Mrs Spuds, meat, veg, fruit, cheese, milk, flour etc and it came to £86. And 3 full bags of shopping. In France I can’t fill a bag for under £40. We visit the local French market with our French friends (they look down on supermarkets) and she will easily spend €300 and buy all her meat/cheese/ groceries etc. there’s something in the French psyche that thinks buying from “local” markets is somehow superior to using supermarkets. Now don’t get me
Wrong, walking round a French market is a delight, but the prices are eye watering. In the UK, markets are the cheap option. So back to my original point, I can’t work out how eating out is often cheaper than buying food in and cooking it yourself, and I’m not talking about fast food sh1te, I’m talking decent restaurant food.
Re. Aldi, I can buy Leffe blonde at my local Aldi, cheaper than I can buy it in France. The same goes for Comte /roquefort /gruyere cheese etc.
Last winter I bought some Scottish salmon in Mercadona, Tarifa, Spain at half the normal UK price. I went back a few times, it wasn’t a one off offer.
There is no logic other than pricing according to the publics willingness to part with their dosh.
As for the UK supermarket giants trying to help the public in the cost of living crisis……
There is no logic other than pricing according to the publics willingness to part with their dosh.
As for the UK supermarket giants trying to help the public in the cost of living crisis……
Cost of living crisis??
I’m 61 and looking back I can never recall a time when we were rolling in money. I can remember my dad threatening to sell his car when petrol broke the £1/Gallon barrier (that’s around 20p/litre in new money) There’s always been a cost of living crisis, it’s permanent and not exclusive to the UK. Ordinary working people have always had to watch the pennies. I’ve lived through the petrol /sugar/butter/flour/coffee/potato shortages at one stage or another. It’s life, the way things are. It will never change.
I'm currently experiencing a suspension upgrade and 20" wheel shortage myself!
Yeah, I may well regret it, but it's an itch I need to scratch.20” wheel shortage!! You’ve dodged a bullet there
Quick question.
In preparation for Saturday's trip, I've just slapped my magnetic UK badge on the tailgate, but have realised it'll almost certainly be obscured by our bikes (which will be tow-bar mounted). A quick Google suggest the gendarmes will not take kindly to this.
There doesn't appear to anywhere on the tailgate where I can attach a magnetic badge and it be visible. Same goes with the back rack itself - the reg plate is plastic and the metalwork of the carrier will be covered by a Fiamma bike cover. The only alternative I can see is to pop it into the clear plastic pouch of the cover, where the hazard sign goes. Would this this be legal/satisfy the gendarmerie and, if not, can anyone offer an alternative solution?
TIA
In preparation for Saturday's trip, I've just slapped my magnetic UK badge on the tailgate, but have realised it'll almost certainly be obscured by our bikes (which will be tow-bar mounted). A quick Google suggest the gendarmes will not take kindly to this.
There doesn't appear to anywhere on the tailgate where I can attach a magnetic badge and it be visible. Same goes with the back rack itself - the reg plate is plastic and the metalwork of the carrier will be covered by a Fiamma bike cover. The only alternative I can see is to pop it into the clear plastic pouch of the cover, where the hazard sign goes. Would this this be legal/satisfy the gendarmerie and, if not, can anyone offer an alternative solution?
TIA
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