Motorhoming abroad

France is and has always been our holiday destination of choice.

We love the scenery, the ease of travel and the relaxed and friendly approach to life enjoyed by our cousins over the channel. 

We had not used a ferry crossing since my disablement so this was to be another adventure.

As it turned out we had a great time and met some lovely people. This is not an exhaustive instruction on “How to Tour France”, but it’s how we do it and it works for us.

If you prefer driving and/or camping holidays and want to visit France, then the first decision to be made is how. You have two choices: either take one of the sea ferries or drive there via Eurotunnel.

We have used both options and here are the main considerations as we see them:

EUROTUNNEL:

FOR
* You can stay in your vehicle so no worry about mobility
* It’s fast, taking approximately 35 minutes
* Your journey will be unaffected by bad weather

AGAINST
* It is usually more expensive
* There are no onboard facilities such as refreshment areas
* It might be a little daunting for those who dislike enclosed spaces

FERRY:

FOR
* You can relax on board and stretch your legs
* There are ample on board facilities, i.e, restaurants, bars and shops
* It is cheaper than Eurotunnel

AGAINST
* It takes longer, typically 60 to 90 minutes (Dover-Calais)
* You can not stay with your vehicle.
* It goes up and down when the sea is rough and might even be subject to cancellation

WHEN?
 
What time of year and the best time of day? If like us, you are bound to school holidays and it’s your first visit, then it would probably be better to choose April – June breaks. Temperatures tend to be pleasant rather than hot and the traffic minimal.

If you live far from Dover then consider your travelling times as well. The roads to and from Dover are a nightmare during business hours and there is nothing more stressful than being stuck in traffic when you have a ferry to catch.

There are many campsites in the Dover area so consider stopping the night before your crossing.

There are four companies operating from Dover; Norfolkline, P&O , Sea France and SpeedFerries. We chose SeaFrance, as their website is very easy to use and their prices competitive.

If you are disabled, make sure the operator is aware of your requirements at the time of booking.

(Tip: if you are in the Camping & Caravanning Club they can book both your ferry and your campsites for you with further ferry price reductions via Carefree)

If you want to give the ferry a go then the first thing to say is that SeaFrance cater very well for disabled passengers, you will be directed to a dedicated lane awaiting boarding.

They will position vehicles adjacent to lifts for wheelchair access to passenger decks and we found the boarding process very easy. 

Once up on the passenger decks we could roam freely with the wheelchair and were able to use all facilities without problems.

Returning to our vehicle was easy and we were soon speeding off down the A16 to our first campsite.

MAPS & DIRECTIONS

Get a decent map or atlas and take time to scan your proposed route. We find it useful to plot the destinations in a route planner on the PC.

There are several free versions available, such as www.greenflag.com or www.multimap.com, according to your preference.

This is a great way to calculate the distances and make realistic plans, as it is really easy to under estimate travel times.

If you have a sat-nav with European mapping then these are really useful but it is far easier to see the entire route on your computer screen. Whatever you do though, don’t forget to take a set of good old-fashioned maps as back-up.

The sat-nav is fantastic at tracking our position and managing motorway intersections but it is always worth previewing your route on a printed map to avoid being sent up tiny country lanes.

TRAVEL & CAMPSITES

Driving in France is a real pleasure; the roads are well maintained and traffic free.

Take time to read up on regulations before travelling and you will have no problems. If it’s your first trip try not to be too ambitious with distances between stops and leave plenty of time to soak up the scenery.

Unlike the UK, there are many rest areas (aires de service) on French roads to stop and have refreshments. And fuel is cheaper too.

If you use the autoroutes (motorways) then be prepared for tolls on most of them. The costs will vary but we feel it can be worth it for the quality of the roads and the traffic free distances you can cover.

On this trip we travelled from Calais to Le Havre (total: 358 miles) and this costs around £14 each way in tolls.

Campsites are plentiful and generally very good (also cheaper than UK), we would advise using one of the major clubs to start with for booking, we used the Carefree listing and booking service offered by the Camping and Caravanning Club.

It is a good idea to read up a little from the various guides or online about your proposed travel and destinations but by far the best way we have found to pick up hints and tips is to chat to fellow campers.

They have a wealth of information and experience and a good old chin wag adds to the holiday memories.

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