Fair enough.
The boats can get crowded and that is when I don't like them but I aim to travel outside of school holidays and the like, so they work OK for me - certainly a decent break from driving.

The ferry companies (I have used all of the current crop in the past couple of years) have loaded me onto any one of their boats that is sailing, even if I turn up early and the best timing I have had was when I got to the check-in gate and 20 mins later we sailed - it was very quiet on that day!!

Anyway, there's some more things for daf.vinci to consider.

__________________
Dave

I think the flexibility on ferry tickets at DoverCalais is now only about 4 hours from your booked sailing or you pay. Not as flexy as it was

You might try this as anyone else might.

When I first traveled away I would place a clear arrow pointing to the right in my line of sight. Like in the window above steering wheel height. It wont take long to get used to being "on the other side" of the road though.

Enjoy
Socks

The driving on the wrong side of the road bit isn't too tricky, it's junctions you have to watch out for, particularly when turning left.

Also take care when leaving a roadside cafe, hotel, petrol station etc, when you're turning onto a single-carriageway road that is also quiet.
There's often nothing in view to remind you which side of the road you should aim for.

And you need to remember to look both ways if you're turning left - I've seen a Brit biker look only to the right when leaving a petrol station - it was a close shave!

Have a great trip!

__________________
TTR250 - London to Cape Town

Thanks guys. I think the first trip will be by ferry for the kids to enjoy it a bit and for a rest for us all. Then the tunnel on the way home.

__________________
To be able to say I have been to at least 10 European countries by April 2014 will be a great start to my dream of travelling the world.

did 6 in 24 hours once, wouldn't recommend it though, didn't see much of them!

yeh, thats the scenario I was thinking of. It really suprised me when I nearly got caught out like that. I do look both ways, but my instinct is to look right first, then left, and I hadn't realised that when I look left I have already started to exit the junction slightly and am really just checking for overtakers coming the other way
now I am much more deliberate about junctions!

You will have a great time in France.
Avoid Paris as said. As an ex-Parisian I can confirm they are usually rude and traffic is horrendous. Best going by Eurostar to visit Paris.

For accommodation in France, campsites are usually very good and clean. There is a star system like for hotels, so worth staying in 3, 4 or 5 stars campsites.

It is also very pleasant to stay in a "Gite rural" which is the equivalent of B&Bs, usually in small villages and farms.

Look also for signs of "Chambres d'hotes" Similar stuff. You can stay in really nice farms / stunning old houses for decent price. Includes Breakfast.

North of France is not really nice. Follow the A16 along the coast.
Le Touquet is a nice and pretty place to stay for the night. It used to be the playground of the rich once upon a time, and it still shows.

Following the A16 you will get to Normandie.
From the A16 it falls then into the A28 and A29 toward Le Havre (no interest there- industrial).

You can then explore all the little coastal towns of Honfleur, Deauville, Cabourg. Avoid weekends to avoid the Parisian crowds.

From there, cross and follow the A84 beyond Avranches. Then you are fairly close to Mont St Michel. Awesome. Must visit.

Then you should visit some of northern Bretagne. La "Cote de granite rose" is stunning.

Pick up the N175 / 176 to St Malo. worth a visit. Dinan too (nice medieval town). Continue then west on the N175 / N 12 toward Guingamp. Although best going via coastal little roads. Perros Guirrec is a lovely town and the area is stunning. Plenty to visit, boat trips to islands etc...

If you prefer to avoid La Bretagne, you can continue south toward Nantes. Visit Angers on the way and the castle.

Then you would be in the Loire Valley, so visit wine producers and zillions of castles to see.

And how could you avoid Poitiers? Birth place (and burial place) of Alienor D'Aquitaine, medieval queen of France then Queen of England. Mother of Richard Lion heart. Lots of history in Poitiers. Again!

And for the Science (and SciFi) geeks, the "Futuroscope de Poitiers" is supposed to be awesome (even for kids!).
The problem, starting to look at map of France, is that there is so much to see and visit.

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

PS one thing that drives my (british) husband crazy about the french: lunch and dinner time. Outside big towns, if you want lunch or dinner it will have to be during strict lunch or dinner hours, don't expect to find a restaurant open/serving food after 2pm for example! However a brasserie is usually a good bet (if the chef is around... which can be tricky outside said lunch / dinner time!)

Cheers.

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

It does mount up though (I am aiming to cross the channel every month this year up to and including September with the exception of August when all the schools turn out for their annual hols + oh yes! The French clog up their own highways with the rush to the coast in August).
For a few quid more it is possible to find an overnight ferry route with a cabin, which equates to one night with a bed rather than staying in a hotel; on balance though, I still prefer the short sea routes for many reasons.
In the case of travelling with a family, my experience (well in the past regarding the children bit) is to get the crossing over and done with asap.

Maria41 makes a point that is often quoted = "boring northern France"; but, for the Brits this can be a perception based on the rush to get to a southern destination and the quick drive down the auto routes.
In fact, northern France has lots of connections with England going back to the Norman conquest (what else) + there are masses of WW1 commonwealth war graves for anyone interested in such history. And, we haven't touched on WW2 and the beaches of Normandy.

__________________
Dave

yep, the little cemetries around the WW1 battlefields are somethiing every British person should see at least once in their life, very sobering, as is the Thiepval memorial, it's part of our heritage and our history after all, it's what shaped the country we live in today and 100 years on the scars are still there.

The Somme also happens to be very beautiful!

I am actually french although I've been in the UK for 16 years now!

But the perception of french people is also that most of the north is not very interesting. Most of the north "Departements" were industrial, flat land, coal mining etc... There are pleasant places, I'm sure! I was told Lille can be nice.

Le Touquet is also pleasant in its own ways, as is Cayeux Sur Mer or Amiens... But, it pale in comparison with regions further south, in my opinion... Anything south , east of west of Paris you will struggle not to like... Each region has its own cuisine and history is everywhere. Plenty of medieval towns. Burgondy is awesome. And the wine is to die for!

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Certainly it is so: I lived in Mons for a while, just over the border, and I spent a lot of time visiting the prominent WW1 locations, including Verdun, + a few of those from WW2.
I've never got around to visiting Crecy or Agincourt, but they are in my bucket list.


Yes again! I think Le Touquet still runs the sand/beaches races.

Amiens is part of the WW1 locations; I will be going by that way tomorrow and will be in Burgundy the next day, en route to the Jura and the Haute-Savoie/Chamonix

__________________
Dave

Yep, that's another point: the French roads are virtually empty compared with the UK, including the autoroutes (motorways).
But, yes again, that is probably when we all get it wrong at times, especially (for me) doing 3 point turns on single carriageways in the dark; not recommended actually.
I believe the "empty road" syndrome is what lures foreign drivers into problems in the UK - momentarily they go back into driving on their own side of the road, and then, around the blind bend, comes a UK person as a reality check.

Just for the record, I have now driven across France for a day and a half, and I have seen next to no police apart from those who took a cusory glance at my passport in Dover, and a few Gendarme who were doing some kind of marching exercise; they appeared out of the woods and next to the highway as I passed - they were complete with their reflective jackets which served to remind me that I forgot mine and it is back in the UK. Doh!

__________________
Dave

So, to ride two up through France, would we need one, two, or no hi-vis vests?
Will we need spare bulbs and a breathalyser kit.
What if you had a breathalyser but after a heavy night used it to check you were ok to drive/ride............ can you say to the peelers "sorry officer, I'm as rough as a badgers arse and had to use it to ensure I was fit to drive. Here look, I've still got it under my seat, I didn't want to litter your gorgeous countryside."