......Going back to my home country for a holiday: France!
It's the first time I am "going abroad" since I passed my driving test a little over 2 years ago. Passed when I was 22.
Anyhow, I am a little worried! Will i get used to driving on the other side of the road very quickly? How does driving over there compare to driving over here? Any tips? My dad just keeps telling me that the roads are a lot quieter over there, motorways are nearly deserted. Sounds good as we're going for a long trip and I could make use of the cruise control for a long time instead of the switching on and off you constantly seem to be doing over here!
The only other thing I wanted to ask is wether my trip seems do-able and realistic to you all, here we go:
1) Leeds-Folkstone (12th June) (5 hour drive)
Eurotunnel
2)Calais- Strasbourg (13th June) (05H30 mn drive) (This is the city where i spent most of my life so would like to show SWMBO
3) Strasbourg- Lausanne (15th June) (03hr 25 mn drive)
4) Lausanne- Toulon (17th June) (05h55mn drive)
5) Toulon -Millau Bridge (22nd June)(03h35 mn drive)
6) Millau- Paris (23 June) (05 h55 mn drive)
7) Paris- Calais (25 June) (02h 45 mn drive)
Eurotunnel
8) Folkstone- Leeds (26 June) (5 hours drive)
As you can tell I've done my homework, but does this seem realistic or will i really be too tired! I've never done such a long trip so I wondered if any fellow backroomer had done anything similar and could give me any advice really!
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I would allow extra time on your first leg. Depending on when you hit the m25 and m20 you can find it takes a loooooonnnnnnggg time to get round. If you're early it doesnt mattter. if you're late however....
Are you used to long drives ? You have a lot of 5 hour drives - is that including stops - you will need them. And you have several days of long drive after long drive with ferry crossings - which will not give you much recovery.
driving on the left is no big deal - be especially careful joining roads and at complex junctions / dual carriageway intersections. set your mirrors up properly
be aware of road furniture - esp traffic lights which are positioned differently.
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>>driving on the left is no big deal >>
Actually it's a case of driving on the right..:-)
The first words that come to mind are Concentration, Concentration, Concentration and at all times.
I'm been driving abroad many times and, like others who were experienced in this respect, had the occasional, fortunately not problematic, lapse of concentration.
Usually it's first thing in the morning or after a break from driving - you forget, for instance, you need to drive on the right but head for the left hand lane......
It's probably a good idea to ask a passenger to provide a quick warning if you are about to make such a mistake.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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worse bit M25/m20 & the even worse bit is coming home again. Enjoy the trip, you may find it tiring due to concentration but driving over there is a pleasure. Watch the traffic lights & hidden speed traps. driving on the continent always better than the uk, bit agressive around Paris but no worse than london. When you come back you will be shocked at the contrast of what a scuffy country we are with too many cars. have a great hol
Allow plenty of time around M25 if its a friday or after 3pm
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I'm sure you'll be fine. Make use of your navigator, and look over the route/maps so you know what you are aiming for. Don't forget to have cash for the tolls.
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Its a doddle, it all becomes second nature very quickly. To remind yourself to drive on the left, just say to yourself "I need to be in the gutter" (as driver, you are! passenger is in the middle of the road!)
Watch out for driving back home! I suddenly drove on the wrong side of the road three days after I got home once!
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Remember when driving on 'normal' roads i.e. not autoroutes any traffic approaching the main road from the right has right of way unless sign-posted otherwise.
Watch out for Police under bridges with mobile Gatso scameras and avoid using SatNav systems which show fixed and mobile scamera points as Plod won't like you if you do.
Paris can be a nightmare, people and driving, but the rest of the country is fine...
Remember the variable autoroute limit, 130kph normally unless signed otherwise, 110kph when raining.
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"Remember when driving on 'normal' roads i.e. not autoroutes any traffic approaching the main road from the right has right of way unless sign-posted otherwise"
That is no longer the case in most of France, though in rural areas you have to expect that other road users assume it to be so.
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I drove from Luxembourg to Strasbourg a couple of weeks ago using N routes. I wish someone had told the 'locals' of this change !! :)
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Remember when driving on 'normal' roads i.e. not autoroutes any traffic approaching the main road from the right has right of way unless sign-posted otherwise.
Yellow box standing on its corner means you have right of way (protected passage), line through yellow box means your protection has ended - give way to the right.
In reality this usually works out that all main roads (in fact most numbered roads) have protected passage, but this ends in towns and roundabouts.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Yellow box standing on its corner means you have right of way (protected passage) line through yellow box means your protection has ended - give way to the right. In reality this usually works out that all main roads (in fact most numbered roads) have protected passage but this ends in towns and roundabouts. ------------------------------ TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
Thanks for that, couldn't remember what the French sign for it was.
In Germany it's a white diamond with a yellow diamond inside which shows protected passage but again when you get into the countryside anything goes...
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Its the same
www1.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/signaux/famille.asp?...0
To the orginal poster - here is a good information site
www.drivingabroad.co.uk/content.aspx?page=driving-...3
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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avoid using SatNav systems which show fixed and mobile scamera points as Plod won't like you if you do.
Bought a Tom tom one europe 1 month ago!! It does show speed camera locations too. Tell me I didn't buy the thing for nothing!!!!!! What exactly is allowed and not??
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Some useful links:
www.alltravelfrance.com/France/Car_Rental/Driving_...m
www.abelard.org/france/first-arrival.asp
english.controleradar.org/speed-camera-detector.php
According to the last link, you can use a device which uses GPS and a database to show speed camera locations.
However, detectors are banned and you may have to convice the gendarme the device you use is GPS based and not a detector.
Hope this helps...
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Sat Nav - just completed an 1100 mile round trip to Luxembourg using TT GO with camera locations. Not a problem with the Police.
French and Belgian citizens (and others) use them every day - why would it be any different for others?
Laser detectors etc. are different - simple - don't use them as they are illegal ;)
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TomTom unit is fine as it doesn't detect. It's passive. Further, as probably the most popular personal satnav out there it's pretty inconceivable any gendarme wouldn't be familiar with it.
Active devices that detect are the ones that lead to the Gauls quartering you into three halves.
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Driving on the right is a doddle as long as there are other cars about to remind you - it's virtually automatic.
BEWARE when starting first thing in the morning or when pulling out of lay-by, car park or similar after a break. It seems the short break resets your mind to driving on the left. Stick one of those post-it notes near your speedo and in my case tell SWMBO that "you are allowed to tell me off and criticise my driving - I won't bite your head off like I usually do".
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Big GB sticker.
Plenty of signals.
Slow (but not too slow), deliberate manouevres, allowing plenty of time for the locals to cut you up and anticipating they will.
Bison futé.
--
Stevie
Lakland 44-02 Sunburst
Yamaha YTS-23
Mexican Telecaster
Alesis Micron
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And don't forget to enjoy it! I love driving abroad.
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Stick a label to the steering wheel, at the top. When you're getting in the car after a sleep or a break, you'll notice it. the break in your auotpilot caused by the interruption will remind you to start off on the right hand side of the road.
V
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French motorways are often known by 3 numbers . Be prepared to see them referenced by any one/two/three numbers at motorway intersections.
Be aware of ALL towns and cities along your chosen route. What appears on the signs can be places 2k or 200k away and no road number may be shown. Not handy if the place you want is 50k away.
At cross roads in towns- beware- what looks like a direction to go left is actually telling you to go straight ahead. The sign may be at 45° to the corner with luck , and there may be one at the other side of the road as well. In the UK we would have an arrow pointing straight up for straight on.
--
I wasna fu but just had plenty.
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1) Leeds-Folkstone (12th June) (5 hour drive)
Eurotunnel
Having just done the Hull - Zeebrugge overnight trip, I would question why anyone north of Nottingham would want to battle their way to Folkestone on their way to northern France.
Enjoy the holiday anyway.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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Having just done the Hull - Zeebrugge overnight trip I would question why anyone north of Nottingham would want to battle their way to Folkestone on their way to northern France. Enjoy the holiday anyway. Hawkeye ----------------------------- Stranger in a strange land
My reason is because if I book two to three months in advance and time it right, I can get a return with Eurotunnel for £41 for the car and family.
The crossing you mention with P&O usually costs between £380 and £440 for the car and family.
I don't use in the region of £350 - £400 in diesel getting to and from Folkestone.
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A bigg(ish) arrow at the top of the windscreen made from red insulating tape and pointing right can be a help.
All the warnings above re priority from the right are seconded.
Roundabout priority usually changes within towns to give precedence to traffic entering rather than that already on the roundabout - so you have to stop to let vehicles enter even though you are on it already, the opposite of the UK system. AND it's more complicated because out-of-town the rule is almost always the opposite, ie 'cedez le passage' when entering. Sorry it sounds complicated but it often confuses the natives as well.
Your journey time from Lausanne to Toulon sounds a bit ambitious...
Bon voyage!
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Whats this roundabout system!!!?? It makes no sense!!!!!!!!
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"Roundabout priority usually changes within towns to give precedence to traffic entering rather than that already on the roundabout - so you have to stop to let vehicles enter even though you are on it already, the opposite of the UK system. "
Glad you told me - I recognise the system from about 20 years ago - but have not noticed it recently! (ie this week in northern France and the previous 20 or 30 times in France - including Paris, Rouen, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Lille, Strasbourg etc! - maybe it is localised?- but where?)
Same with "priorité á droite" - very, very rare now except very occasionally in towns.
--
Phil
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I am not sure anything justifies driving anywhere near Hull.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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You'll love it and have a wonderful time. Don't rely too literally on your time estimates.
You may not be all that keen to come back and find yourself dragging your feet.
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If older car take 1l of oil in a squash bottle stuffed into rear wing or spare tyre area - you may need it by the time you get to Millau!
Make tyres at least what recommended pressures are - I put +2psi for long 130+kph runs.
Take a roll of black plastic tape to make a small artistic triangle on the headlamp lenses if older car - just to show bolshy flics you've tried!
Long hot days at high speed can finish off old HT leads - might be worth taking spares if older car [wish i had once!]
Carry water - you can be stuck for ages around Paris on peak Saturdays.
Get a really good map of the Paris Peripherique - for rapid and exciting progress follow French taxi driver in outside lane until nearing your exit.
Don't be fooled by < Amiens or Amiens> signs at roundabouts and junctions - they can both mean straight on as the French have only just realised that Amiens^ using the arrow pointing to the sky is what we understand by straight on.
Fill up at big supermarkets - they are far cheaper than roadside petrol stations
Bon voyage!
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New car thankfully ( or not)! Lets hope it doesn't get vandalised. Too pricey to hire a car by the looks of things.
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Before I went for the first time I decided to go for a practice round York. dangerous decided no to go :-)
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Also going to germany for 1 day or so when we get to Strasbourg. According to www.day-tripper.net/drive-infrance.html (bottom of the page) germany has no speed limit on motorways??? I thought there were only a few sections of the autobahn with no speed limit??????????????
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Believe me, priority from the right is still very common in rural areas and even in towns, where there will usually be a warning sign on the outskirts. In places like Rochefort in Charente Maritime (well worth a visit) it seems to be an effective traffic calming measure - the streets are laid out in grid squares and everyone creeps from junction to junction.
Sorry Sony, but you'll just have to be very careful and watch the signs as you approach roundabouts, especially in towns. The rule about stopping to allow traffic to enter is certainly still the case in Limoges and many other places I visit regularly.
You're right about the autobahns frequently having speed limits. Also, try to get some advance information on the way German road signs work - I found them very confusing at first, not just because they all seem to be the same colour (yellow). And, of course, the words on them are often so long you are past the sign before you have worked your way through all the syllables!
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While it's true you can drive as fast as you like on some German autobahns, there is an official figure of 130kph.
If you have an accident and are proven to be travelling faster than this figure you will automatically be apportioned some of the blame.
The amount of blame depends on how much faster you were travelling.
Most people stick to around 200kph.
Empty, flat road, no problem go with what you/the car feels comfortable with. When the road starts undulating watch for slower cars overtaking trucks. Some people don't check their mirrors.
Once you're travelling over 200kph switch on your dipped headlights. That gives the vehicles in front some notice that you are travelling pretty quickly. Also keep an eye on your rear view mirror for this.
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Oh dear! I was about to suggest hiring a left hand drive car, which I found made driving on the right quite natural.
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Oh dear! I was about to suggest hiring a left hand drive car which I found made driving on the right quite natural.
Have to say driving my own car on the other side of the road is far easier to get used to than having to get the hang of having the wide bit of the car on my other side. First time I went to the US I found myself straddling lanes a couple of times before I got the hang of it.
To the OP, I am envious of you visiting Strasbourg - that city, and Alsace generally are some of the nicer bits of God's green earth imo.
Re the "wrong side" issue, my advice would be to take it very easy for the first few miles - you'll be surprised how quickly you take to it. Enjoy!
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What works for me is to place a yellow sticker on my door, meaning "this side near the gutter". Works wonders when you come out of a hotel car park first thing in the morning.
Take a good map (and don't accidentally leave it in your hotel room -been there) because if you do get lost you won't have in your brain any feeling for the local geography.
GB sticker may not be necessary if you have GB on your numberplate but a decent sized GB sticker does give you a little protection when you are dithering at a junction.
As TVM said the return to the UK is just as important. I, too, had to be told by my passenger that I was on the wrong side of the road - I was on a quiet narrow country road and it just felt natural to be on the right.
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Going through various guides, it seems to say that having a foreign plate in France makes you more of a target for petty thefts. Have most of you felt safe leaving your car in most "touristy" places?
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Funny enough, every time I have been to Amsterdam I have had an attempted or completed car break in.
But in France, its always felt safe, except in the big towns or paris suburbs.
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Very dodgy in Lille these days.
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">.Going back to my home country for a holiday: France!<"
Enjoy! Avoid Paris and take some time to adjust to the UK roads upon your return. Whilst it pains me to type it, that first fill-up with froggy desiel is/was a pleasurable experience. Not that I would drive a compression-ignition vehicle, at all. No.
600 miles on frog roads is a good day, but not a long day. It's the additional 100 miles on UK roads that beggar things up.
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It'll be easier in your own car than a left-hand-drive hire car. When I first drove abroad within a few years of passing my test, it was the reversed controls (well, gearshift and handbrake) that confused me the most. I kept banging my hand on the door when instinctively trying to change gear.
Just be careful if you need to overtake though.
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In 8 trips over in the last 6 years I have yet to experience a "priorite a droite" incident.
Most of the places I have been generally have the same rules as the UK BUT . . . There are still lots of places that are signed as p-a-d and you need to be aware of it all the time.
In my experience on urban dual carriageways the French do not move over to let you exit a slip road - you have to get up to speed and merge.
Roundabouts are easy, the tricky ones are the large traffic Light controlled junctions when there is no other traffic to follow (i.e. early morning when you have just left the hotel). make sure you turn onto the right side of the dual cariageway.
There are lots of advertising boards around so for cheap fuel follow signs for Carrefour/Auchan/Leclerc/Cora (There is a database available for TomTom which puts them on the map as POI) - most have manned petrol stations, the smaller ones (Champion etc. are generally unmanned stations (Carte Bancaire only). Also the big supermarkets are normally on a "Centre Commercial" and they are normally signed. We tend to plan stops at these when we are off the autoroutes and their web-sites have store locators - use the .fr not the .com sites) From memory on your routes there is a Carrefour just off the autoroute at Reims (Tinquex), a Cora on the run into Strasboug (Mulheim?) and a Carrefour just off the autoroute about 5-10 miles south of Limoge (when we came through there the Aires were stacked back onto the autoroute but the Carrefour was quiet!
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Elf forecourts generally sell petrol at or only just above supermarket prices.
They are often about 10c per litre below Total forecourt prices. Weird - they are the same firm...
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PS: They are often open on Sundays and national holidays, too.
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Don't expect to be able to refuel outside normal working hours at a supermarket. Your British credit/debit card will not work - even with chip and pin.
Supermarkets are (virtually) all closed on Sundays.
Motorway service stations serve remarkably good food. Best of all, you can buy alcohol to go with your luncheon. Remember the French limit is 50mg, not 80mg - so nothing at all really.
Like many have said, beware first thing in the morning. Particularly if there are no other cars around. (Thanks here to the Frenchman who flashed six times at me first thing on a snowy morning in the Pas de Calais as I merrily drove down the Empire side of the road.) If parking on the road, always park on the RIGHT, not the left.
Think hard about how you will approach a roundabout before you leave. Practice going the wrong way round in your head.
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.....Very dodgy in Lille these days. ....
They pinched my shiny new road bike there last month. Grrr.
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Is there an electronic device I could buy which would display my speed in kilometres?? I thought my tom tom one would do this but sadly I don't think it does......
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Another time to be wary is when you leave a petrol station, if the road is quiet it is easy to turn onto the wrong side.
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Doesn't your speedo have km/h marking on it? Most do.
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Sony, I´m pretty sure that on the tomtom one you can set the preferences to show distances/speeds in KMs/KMH. Well worth a look through the preference menu and/or a perusal of the manual.
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Local yokel it does, but only very basic km reading. Barchettaman many thanks will check the different functions thoroughly.
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I have been away for a few days and have come to this thread late in the day! Sorry if I am repeating anything that others have said. Brief your adult passenger(s) that they should remind you re which side to drive on at ANY time that they think you are going to go wrong - a bit of nagging is way better than a crash! A lot of what can go wrong occurs when you take a break for a meal or fuel or whatever and then drive off again - your brain can go to UK mode at the crucial moment when you pull out. I usually hire a car to drive abroad and the set up with the steering wheel on the 'correct' side of the car helps. If you are taking a UK car abroad just concentrate a lot, as somebody else has posted above.
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Sony I´m pretty sure that on the tomtom one you can set the preferences to show distances/speeds in KMs/KMH. Well worth a look through the preference menu and/or a perusal of the manual.
Kept checking and checking, the only function is distance into miles or kms not actual speed! How annoying!
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Sony - it *might* switch over automatically once you get to France if you have the correct map installed.
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Is there a GPS menu option on TomTom (I use a Sony system) ?
When driving and being guided rather than just having the map functioning (which shows instantaneous speed) you can select the GPS function. This shows how many satellites are connected, altitude, longitude and latitude and also current speed in MPH or KM/H depending on what units you have selected elsewhere in the setup.
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>In my experience on urban dual carriageways the French do not move over to let you exit a slip road - you have to get up to speed and merge.
I'd express this the other way round: one of the things that make French motorways a pleasure is that you don't get idiots bumbling (or charging) out of a sliproad and expecting you to move over for them. That there's a Give Way line - reinforced in France with a Cédez le passage sign - and French drivers recognize it as such.
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TT3 and TT5 (using a PDA) both change to kph when you change the distance to kilometers.
Can't see the go units being much different.
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Don't expect to be able to refuel outside normal working hours at a supermarket. Your British credit/debit card will not work - even with chip and pin.
Supermarkets are (virtually) all closed on Sundays
You can now use your British credit/debit card in most automated fuel stations around the major ports. I've used ones in Calais, Dunkerque and Caen.
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