# Our first trip in m/home to france - advice ideas etc wanted



## pinkgreen (Sep 24, 2010)

Hi, calais tues 7th in our burstner solano with our 2 dogs. Its our first time in the motorhome in france so feeling our way - been 2- 3 times in it to germany and loved it. First stop Rouen, chartes then la rochelle and down to gascony, take in a bit of the auverne and -- who knows where.....

All advice, info re aires welcome


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

Buy yourself the All the Aires France book from Vicarious Books and it's in English.

Or you can go the the "I-campingcars.fr" website. It's in French but pretty easy to understand.

There are several other websites and books as well. Just do a Google search.

Denise


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## Senator (Apr 24, 2008)

*Re: Our first trip in m/home to france - advice ideas etc wa*



pinkgreen said:


> All advice, info welcome


Drive on the right 

Have a great time :!:

Mark


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## geraldandannie (Jun 4, 2006)

Here's a link to a map showing the aires we've visited recently:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=214016036556771733524.0004a7939847ef8cb4930&msa=0

Orange is last autumn; blue is this spring. But as Denise says, the "All the Aires" book from Vicarious is a great start. it's pretty much our bible when we tour France.

Gerald


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## blondy (Aug 23, 2007)

A good book is caravan club Europe 1, much advice plus thousands of sites including many municipals, easy adresses to find them and been
Checked by ordinary members. A good municipal near ruene is
Pontiac De le arche, may be spelt wrong, near town and very good fac,s
Have a good time.


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## georgiemac (Oct 22, 2007)

Watch those underpasses in Rouen - we are not the only ones to get caught out with height restrictions - - and not always an escape!! Scary


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

It's a long way off - but don't forget the dog's Passport visit to the French Vet on the way back home.

Have a great holiday.


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## pinkgreen (Sep 24, 2010)

thanks for advice so far - will follow up

Can Anyone recommend some nice aires 

keith, yes, we've got to find a vet - we got badly done in belgium 170 for 2 dogs!!!!!


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## ramblefrog (Jun 28, 2010)

what underpasses in Rouen -please advise?
thanks


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## adonisito (Nov 6, 2009)

Make sure you have a very long ehu cable or extension. I too am wondering about Rouen underpasses? Where?


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## emjaiuk (Jun 3, 2005)

pinkgreen said:


> thanks for advice so far - will follow up
> 
> Can Anyone recommend some nice aires
> 
> keith, yes, we've got to find a vet - we got badly done in belgium 170 for 2 dogs!!!!!


We liked the aire at the Park & Ride in la Rochelle, a good description here :-

http://www.airetoday.co.uk/aire la rochelle.html

The include bus ticket covers the solar powered water buses in the harbour as well. I don't know for certain if you are allowed dogs on the P+R bus, but i'd be suprised if you weren't

Malcolm


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## kc10 (Jan 28, 2010)

I hope you have a great time and I'm sure you will. 

You should forget all the rubbish you've no doubt heard about the French people, they're brilliant, very friendly and very chatty. In the three years we've toured in France we've only been to two Aires we didn't like so you should be OK. One thing we did find ourselves doing early on was touring by Aires rather than touring by towns or villages and is something I would suggest you avoid doing. French bread is addictive and after several weeks I usually balloon after opting for pain' for breakfast, lunch and finish it off with dinner. I ended up with a bread belly, be careful.

The worst things about France are the radio stations which are all talk and no music. I hate the Petrol stations which are designed to make the simplest of tasks difficult. The standard of driving is particularly poor and accidents statistics are a worry. You need another pair of eyes when driving there so keep your wits about you. You should get yourself a good map or Atlas before you go as they are hard to find over there. 

I'd suggest 
Lonely Planet France. A great book and takes you to many great places. 
AA Easy Read France Atlas.
All the Aires
Michelin - Escapades en Camping Car France. 

and of course the ACSI Book if you don't have it already. 

Keith.


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## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

keith, yes, we've got to find a vet - we got badly done in belgium 170 for 2 dogs!!!!!

Could you let us know which Vet ripped you off and have you downloaded the 'Vets' list (see below)?


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## pinkgreen (Sep 24, 2010)

thanks Keith - the vet was Jan Carpentiere in Ypres - 10 mins walk from the campsite - he told us our dogs needed a rabies injection each, which was not what we were told by our vet in gb - but he told us it was in the regulations and we went along with him and paid up- what can you do when he's put the injections in - you can't "undo" the injection and ask for your money back - we checked again with our vet on our return home and were told they hadn't needed it.


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## tonka (Apr 24, 2006)

Hi..
Looks like we will be right in front of you..
Our plans are to be on a late night crossing 11pm ish Dover calais on the 6th.
Park at Calais ferry port overnight and next day down via Rouen, Chartes and we will overnight at either Chateaudun or Vendome down on the N10.. Vendome would be good for you and the dogs as there is a large park there.
Both these aires are in the campsite database...
Next stop maybe Saint jean d'angely ?

ps.. Rouen... EASY !! Once you get to Rouen and as you cross the river, follow signs for A13 and then Paris. It will be dual carriageway and motorway all the way to N134 and Evereux.
You have a small toll of less than 3 euro to pay but in my opinion well worth it, espesially on a first trip.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...oid=pWt7tm_yX2ihUP3py7pHAQ&cbp=11,219,,0,-1.5


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## loopy86 (Mar 8, 2011)

Hello,

we've just returned from our first trip abroad in the van - a month in France. Few things you may find helpful:

+ Some aire service points will only take credit cards, they reject debit cards so make sure you have a credit card at hand. 
+ Rouen underpass - I also had a near escape, the satnav told me to keep left and this resulted in my going "I wont fit under that!" and then having to reverse along that stretch of road so I could turn into the next lane without the barrier, this all in rush hour traffic .
+ Brown rice or proper brown bread (they call it brown but its usually just 15%) didn't appear to exist in the supermarkets we went to so if you want it take some with you.
+ Aires can be noisy, though its coming to out of season now so you may find it quieter than us. Some are right by train lines and church bells that never stop bonging so if you're a light sleeper I'd say earplugs are a must.
+ Be careful of narrow roads and ditches - I got stuck in one turning round and had to be pulled out by a tractor *blushes*
+ Finally - have a good time and take advantage of the cheap wine.


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## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

Just back from a month in France with 2 dogs, used 99% aires, always nice to find one with good dog walking areas, not sure of your route but in the auverge area, Chambon sur lac (p268 all the aires )was excellent with miles of walks around the lake, bit further south La Couvertoirade, p391. fabulous spot and Teplar village, overnight in the car park. Had a day spare after vets on the way back to tunnel went to Zudycoote just north of Dunkirque, deserted beach and dunes then overnighted at Cite Europe.

Learned to avoid Carrefour for fuel as all appeared to have 3m or 2.8m canopies or barriers, Intermarche better with truck lanes for derv but usually cordoned off overnight, Le Clerc ok but often with tight lanes. cheapest €1.25(supermarket) dearest €1.46 (Total).

Avoid french bread with President butter and Bon Marie strawberry jam as you`ll suffer withdrawal symptoms when you get home.

Have a good one!


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## Pusser (May 9, 2005)

My brief bit of advice based on actual events is to not stop on the motorway\auto route if you are flagged down but drive on to the next service station. Night time of course will be essential.

And if you happen to stop in a motorway service and go to the shops or restaurant, try and park your vehicle so you can keep your eyes on it at all times.

I never stop at service stations where you park the van and then have to walk across a bridge to the other side to get to the shops\ cafe.

However, I err on the side of paranoia with these matters.

But one thing we all know is that you will have a wonderful time in France. It has interesting things on average every yard.


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## brockley (Mar 6, 2009)

We liked the aire at the Park & Ride in la Rochelle as well, we were there last September and there was pleanty of space. The ride into the centre made it well worth the 10 euros. 

Reccomend the Aire in Blois, a beautiful town well worth a visit if you are going that way. Coulon is well worth a stop, loved the boat trip around 'green venice'. Niort was a great place to stop if you like history.


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Wow!
I have toured in France for 40 years and never encountered any of the horror situations described here.
France from a safety point of view, as far as I am concerned, is no different (worse) than the UK. The roads are generally better, with less traffic.
Just use the same common sense you use at home and I can think of only one major difference; this being their Autoroutes. Toll roads are the fastest way to get to places but over a long distance, they can be expensive. You are a lorry in France and pay a heavier toll than cars. Service stations too, like in the UK charge higher prices for fuel and food than on the route nationals. You also miss most of the interesting stuff where you could stop and have a look around.
In spite of one writer on this thread, I really do enjoy using my TomTom sat nav. I never fully depend on it and try to use what little common sense I have when it tells me to go down dubious roads. Putting into it a small height restriction download is another idea you can try.
Two weeks ago I found gasoil at 1.20€ at a Leclerc unmanned filling station (card).
Be happy and have some wonderful safe adventures.
Alan


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