easy-c Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi, I and 11 friends have hired two 6 berth Motorhomes for a week in May but have the option to extend to 10 days. We are travelling from Manchester and have decided to do a road trip to France. This is the first time for all of us. We are all in our early thirties and have decided to do something out side the box. I’m not sure if it’s the best of ideas since we are only going for a short time but what the hell. I have been to Paris but that’s about it, I don’t know anything else of what France has got to offer, places, sites etc. I would be very grateful for any guidance regarding 1) Whether to catch a ferry or go across on the Eurotunnel? 2) Best time to cross over? 3) Stick to France or visit few countries, need advice on best route? 4) The top places in France to visit, we like beaches, mountains, good views, outdoor activities? 5) Food, shall we do a big shop over here or are supermarkets easily accessible? Any suggestions welcomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel wood Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi and welcome. I would suggest that the group decides what it wants to do, rather than ask for suggestions from elsewhere. (Remember other people's ideas may not be appropriate for you.) Having said that, these suggestions may be helpful. Don't be too ambitious regarding distances travelled. Check prices and times of Dover to Calais ferries. (We use Sea France) Also check prices for the Tunnel. Buy a guide book. We like "The Rough Guide" but you may want a book just for a particular area. Get a book of campsites. The Camping Club "Europe 1" is very good (available from the Club.) Entries are written by CC members. Remember to take an adaptor suitable for French electricity hoookups. You can purchase one at most caravan/campimg shops. Many sites have EU fittings but some still use the older French system. Try to arrive at campsites mid afternoon - sometimes sites fill up in early evening. Take out appropriate insurance including medical. If your van does not come with breakdown/repatriation cover I would recommend that you take out such cover. Take some food. Make sure you don't overload the van, bearing in mind the weight of 6 people plus personal possessions. French supermarkets are plentiful BUT ARE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. Getting fuel on Sundays is not always easy. Hypermarket carparks are usually accessible for large motorhomes. France is a motorhome-friendly country but I wouldn't advise driving into the centre of cities or towns (especially medieval ones which have narrow streets and sometimes medieval gateway/arches!). Often there is parking for motorhomes (or aires) within walking distance of the centre. If you really feel that you need advice/suggestions on any specifics put your thread on "Motorhome Matters" where you will receive replies from motorhomers. Finally, ENJOY THE TRIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 easy-c - 2011-03-21 10:30 AM We are all in our early thirties..... Hi and welcome to the forum, Unfortunately we've never been to France in our MH so cannot offer any advice there, but I do have a question to ask, do the the MH's you are hiring have a MAM (or GVW)(Maximum weight) over 3,500 kg? If you do not know then I strongly recommend you ask the hire company asap, as if they are over 3,500 kg you will have to check that your driving licences include Category C1. I apologise if you already knew this but as 'early thirties' you may well be amongst the first to be caught out by the change of rules in 1997. HTH, Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Keithl - 2011-03-21 5:59 PM easy-c - 2011-03-21 10:30 AM We are all in our early thirties..... Hi and welcome to the forum, Unfortunately we've never been to France in our MH so cannot offer any advice there, but I do have a question to ask, do the the MH's you are hiring have a MAM (or GVW)(Maximum weight) over 3,500 kg? If you do not know then I strongly recommend you ask the hire company asap, as if they are over 3,500 kg you will have to check that your driving licences include Category C1. I apologise if you already knew this but as 'early thirties' you may well be amongst the first to be caught out by the change of rules in 1997. HTH, Keith. And if they don't have MAM's exceeding 3,500kg, I strongly suspect that they will be grossly overloaded, unless you are very careful indeed what you all take with you. You absolutely must ask the hirer to declare the payload, which is the loading allowance available for occupants and all their paraphernalia. The driver should already be accounted for, but only at 75kg, but the other five passengers in each van will have to fit within the allowance. Even at 75kg each that is 375kg, and that makes no allowance for food, clothing, toys, books, guides, maps, and all the other stuff (cosmetics, hairdryers etc) some members may wish to take! When makers produce 6 berth vans, they tend to be thinking of Mum, Dad, and four kids - not six adults (even slender ones :-))!Motorhomes, unlike cars, are very easy to overload and, being based on commercial vehicles, have finely judged limits. Each axle has its own limit, and it is usually the case that one axle will hit its limit before the whole vehicle reaches its gross permissible weight. So, overload an axle and not only are you breaking the law, but you will probably be exceeding the design limits of the tyres, with possibly serious consequences.You should also be aware that the French do, from time to time, run roadside weight checks and if caught overweight not only will the driver be fined (overload is the responsibility of the driver alone), they will not allow you to continue until the weight of the van is within limits.If you are thinking of a quick blast down the autoroutes remember a 3.5 tonne vehicle is no sports car: it will handle more like a bus! They ain't really built for speed! Remember that France is big, and that travel will take time.If the vans you are to hire are what I expect them to be, I think they will be over 3.0 metres/10 feet in height, and the toll rates will make your eyes water! But then, if you avoid the autoroutes, your journey will be that much slower. Balance has to be struck somewhere.I doubt you have the time within 10 days to do more than France - unless you want to spend the whole 10 days driving.Check the hire insurance terms. Most omit damage to the roof, or underside, of the van. Think trees on campsites, and tree stumps hidden along verges. They omit insurance for those areas because it is almost unobtainable, and the reason for that? Hmmm. Tricky! :-)Generally supermarkets are plentiful, and outside town centres are very readily accessible even with motorhomes. I think you'll have to shop as you go, because I doubt you will have the load allowance to carry extensive stocks. Sorry to make this all sound a pain, but get wrong and you could have 10 days of very expensive misery, and come back home 12 non-friends. Get it right - which means some fairly detailed advance planning - and you should all have a ball. So, forewarned is forearmed. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowtelse2do Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Brittany would be a good place to go for beaches and activities. Also not to far for a first trip. Lake Annecy for water sport's, mountain's and scenery is not to far, If you want the lot, mountains, scenery, beaches and activities then its the Riviera down on the Med, but that would not give you a lot of time there, From Manchester its 3 days down and 3 days back leaves you with only 6days if you take the 10 days option. What part of Manchester are you from easy-cDave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 You may also wish to check that there are indeed seat belts for 6 people. Some 6 berth vans do not actually have seat belts for that many, or if they do it may be just a side seat with a lap strap. Comments have been made regarding driver legality and I assume the hire company will insist on certain named drivers only. I doubt they will allow 12 separate drivers. As there are 12 of you all in a 'young'ish' age group' I suspect that entertainment is probably high on your list. Some smaller camp sites may not appreciate 12 people having a 'ball' so you may wish to look at sites in the more holiday camp type, where there is plenty of evening entertainment and facilties. Noise is also more tolerated. Although there are plenty of aires in France I would suggest these may not be the best with 12 people to cope with. You need external showers and toilets. No disrespect to your plans but is this really the best way to do this? Possibly hiring a 6 berth static van on a French site would be easier and probably cheaper. Eurocamp etc cater for these types of holidays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted March 22, 2011 Share Posted March 22, 2011 Hi easy-c As someone else mentioned, don't get too ambitious about distances. The idea of "visiting a few countries " in one week or 10 days is extremely ambitious. It could be done, but you wouldn't get the time to stop and enjoy any of it. ( Our first ever trip on the continent was in 1963 when we 'did' 6 countries in 14 days - with a tent - and all it gave us was some good ideas of places that we would like to go back to). Problem is that northern France has more or less the same climate as the south of the UK - you would need to go further south to get a better chance of some hot weather. There are some good beaches along the west coast around La Rochelle, and the Vendee region, which is a reasonable distance to travel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Really think hard about the mileage you are proposing, then calculate the amount of days you will have the vehicle. I would suggest that two days given food stops etc will be taken up just gong to Dover and back. Once in France if you do not use ( the expensive ) peage roads the seemingly endless French villages will slow your progress down considerably. What can look like a short distance can turn into a full days drive. If it was me I would probably head for Brittany, as other poster said "think Cornwall climate" taking in Honfluer, Bayeux, and Le Mont St Michel along the way, lots of free or cheap aires to overnight. Still looking at say 1400 miles round trip though, but that would be as far as I would consider for your first trip, and to enable you to see more than just tarmac. Good luck. P.S don't forget headlamp beam adjusters, high vis coats, first aid kit, bulb kit, and any other "requirements" if pulled over by Police. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hi easy-c - welcome to the mad house! :-D I suggest you post your question again on the Motorhome Matters part of the forum as you're likely to get more answers there as not many motorhomers 'wander' into this part of the forum. For my advice though - if you definitely want to go to France you need the 10 days to make it worthwhile. I certainly would NOT try to do more than France though, you need to get used to the place and enjoy the culture and sights, you won't do that if your continually driving around, plus you won't have great big fuel bills either! You might find it interesting to do the Normandy coast and down to Brittany as both areas are interesting and have some lovely beaches etc and are not too far for your first foray into France, they are also used to having Brits 'lurking' around! :D Remember that a motorhome holiday doesn't necessarily mean a 'cheap' holiday, and it requires quite a bit of organisation and 'responsibility', more so than a package holiday, so get planning!!! Whatever you do - enjoy it! :-D :-> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samnjan Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 You don't say in your post if you are a single sex party or mixed sex. A lot of sites will not accept single sex parties Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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