kevandali Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Hi All Had the van for a fortnight now and getting used to it. We were stationary for about an hour and a half last weekend as an accident shut the A1 Northbound, it was great to switch of the engine and have a cuppa, our son sat in the back to make sure all the car drivers could see him. (lol) Anyway, back to my point of posting. We are off to Brittany for two weeks in the middle of July and need to start sorting essential stuff that we need to take with us. At the moment I need to get a hose pipe but what sort of connections will I need? Do I buy a variety of connections before I go or is there a universal connection I can use ie rubber with a big jubilee clip. Also the mains electric has a blue three pin socket at each end, do I need some sort of adapter for France. As we are new to all this a list of essentials would be great, if we are to avoid paying high prices at dealerships, where do we get all the stuff. One last thing, have been told that one of the cheapest ferries at the moment is the Norfolk line that goes to Dunkirk, is it advisable to use this ferry when travelling to brittany or is there another ferry company that travels further round the west coast of France at a similar cost? What would you advise, cheapest ferry to Dunkirk then drive or more expensive ferry nearer to Brittany area. Sorry this posting is a bit vague but at the moment not sure what to get and which ferry company to look at. As always any information much appreciated kevandali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david lloyd Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Hi kevandali I use a food grade (blue usually) hose pipe which I cut into a short length of about 3m and a longer section that join together when needed with the usual plug/socket connectors. I also have an assortment of tap connectors which you can buy at garden centres. Most taps with a thread at the end are 1/2" bsp I think but just in case there are several different threads which all screw into each other so i have never been stuck. I also have a simple push on type with a jubilee clip for those taps gthat don't have a screw on end. If you invest in one of the flat cassette type hoses you will probably get an assortment of adaptors with it. Many french sites still have the two pin outlet for electricity so you would need to have the short adaptor with french two pin plug at one end and blue european connector at the other - these are available at most caravan accessory shops. Can't help with ferry prices I'm afraid - we used eurotunnel last month and paid with Tesco Clubcard deal tokens. Best of luck and have a good trip. Regards, david ps - I have left a short report on our visit for you as you asked on the posting "It's here, It's here!"" (I think that was the title) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Hi Kevindali David has answered the question on hose adapters and Plug ins. As for the Ferries at the moment Norfolk Line seem to be in front with prices, but as always try them all (P&O, Sea France and Norfolk) all plying between Dover Calais, Bolougne or Dunkerque. As to which route you need to make decisions like how long have I got what do I want to see, if not long then consider routes like Poole - Cherbourg or into caen or La havre, there is also a route into Roscoff from Portmouth. The longer the ferry crossing the more cost. It is a matter of balance Diesel versus Time Versus distance, bearing in mind diesel is cheaper in France than here, I prefer to go the short crossings and meander if I have plenty of time althoug I have travelled Hull - Zeebruge cos I traded in tesco vouchers and got a cheap crossing, didn`t fill up until Belguim so saved money alround. Which ever way relax and enjoy, learn a bit of francais and you will be welcomed over there not like here! Foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Re Ferries, try also Transmanche: Newhaven-Dieppe (internet search under Transmanche). Quite a bit closer to Brittany than Dunkerque and not too bad on prices when I last looked.Have funBrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A W Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 We live in Brittany and among the ex-pat community Brittany Ferries have a terrible reputation for their pricing structure.At peak times it would not be unusual to pay over £500 return including a cabin.They have 2 routes into this area Portsmouth-St Malo and Plymouth-Roskoff. It all depends where you live in the UK.From the South and West these crossings are convenient but if you have to drive a long way it would be prudent to get the cheapest crossing you can and do the mileage this side where fuel is cheaper.There are no toll roads anywhere in Brittany. Bonne vacance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkie36 Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 At the moment Norfolk Line cannot be beaten either on price or service. As someone up the list said, always amble when you are on hols. what's the point of rushing to your destination, take in the views on the way.Enjoy (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevandali Posted June 22, 2006 Author Share Posted June 22, 2006 Thanks for all the info folks Booked the Norfolk Line Ferry today, hose and connection hunting plus electric lead adapter hunting tomorrow. Any recommended Brittany sites that we should head for on our first few days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 kevandali, How much did you pay for Norfolk line ferry and what times. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevandali Posted June 23, 2006 Author Share Posted June 23, 2006 Cost of ferry was £123 return, leaving at 2.00am and returning at 4.00am Checked out loads of other ferries but this was the cheapest, other times were available but at a little extra. I am sure you could get a better deal if you hunted but seemed ok for us. cheers kevandali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 Brittany Ferries UK-France routes are Portsmouth-Caen, Portsmouth-St Malo, Portsmouth-Cherbourg, Poole-Cherbourg and Plymouth-Roscoff. Alternative operators sailing to Brittany (or close-ish) are Condor Ferries and LD Lines. For motorhomes, LD Lines fares are likely to be significantly the cheapest, but there's only one ship at present (operating Portsmouth-Le Havre), the outgoing UK-France crossing is overnight and there are very few cabins. For Brittany Ferries guide prices, we paid £311 for our recent crossing. That was Portsmouth-Caen return, Sunday 4 June 15:15 outwards and Tuesday 20 June 09:00 back. Motorhome 6.38m long by 2.76m high, two adults, no reserved accommodation. Booking was via Motorhome Ticket Club and conditions applied to the ticket. (We paid much the same price in March for a Brittany Ferries Portsmouth-Cherbourg/Cherbourg-Poole crossing.) On water-tap connections, I've very occasionally encountered a threaded outlet on French taps that is much bigger diameter than normal. This can be a real beggar as 'universal' jubilee-clip connectors won't go on it. Not sure what the outlet size is - possibly 1" BSP - but suitable hose-adapters are available cheaply in French DIY-type stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
euroanchor Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 check out Norfolk lines specials, they were doing a 3 crossing package for about £100, not too sure on the ins and outs though,their web site will give you details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted June 23, 2006 Share Posted June 23, 2006 That price sounds a bit high, we paid £68 recently. Don't think we'ee be using them again tho' the prospect of slogging down to to Dover and then slogging past Rouen doesn't appeal. We'll be reverting to Tesco vouchers and P&O in future. We're only 30 miles from Hull, and you get a good nights sleep before having to tackle any driving. You'll have a terrific time, [liked the bit about relaxing in a traffic jam- we've thought about selling drinks in similar circumstances!]; and you will decide for yourselves which is the best combination of driving / ferry crossings for you. have fun B-) ps - you will also need a reverse polarily connection for France [ notice everyone else has ducked this hoary old subject] - suggest you do a search on reverse polarity - you should find enough info to set you straight. (lol) pps - you should also look at: http://www.motorcaravanners.org.uk/touring.htm and get a CCI Camping Card International. Can also get them from Caravan Club and Camping & Caravanning Club, but you have to be a member. ppps - the end - shall now go and celebrate France's win :-D :-D :-D B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 I suspect that reverse polarity was not mentioned was that most motorcaravanners travelling regularly in Continental Europe with reasonably recently-built motorhomes ignore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 Re reverse polarity, in all the years we have been tourning in France Caravan and Motorhome, we have only come across rverse polarity a few times, made up a reverse connector years ago not used it yet. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted June 24, 2006 Share Posted June 24, 2006 must be something we do then - 'cos we always use it at least 50% of the time - even with the 'blue' 3-pin plugs. agree it's no real problem but it does seem to cause a lot of confusion. B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelmg Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 I have just booked a day trip with Seafrance and the cost of £30.00 return. Also in October the cost of £70.00 for a two and half weeks return. I personnally would not use Brittany ferries or any of the ferries companies on them routes as they cost to much and you also miss a lot of the French country side, without going on the French Motorway system. Most of the French town`s like Motorhomes stopping in thier town because they hope you will spend money in their local shops. Some of the supermarkets let camping cars park overnight so you can get your fresh breakfast,(camping cars are motorhomes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enodreven Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Hi, Twooks I must agree we had to deal with reversed reverse polarily at a number of sites, the problem we had was that we had made up the 2 different european/french connectors and labeled them as you do ??, only to find that most of the time they were using the blue 3 pin as the UK albeit they were reversed, so screw driver in hand i just opened the plug and reversed the cables ? but you do need to keep track and put them back before you move on ?? Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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