Maiden beginner’s voyage & it’s France, What do I need to know?

[PlymBob]

I know, I should have a trial run locally, but what with weather and one thing and another it never happened, and here we are off to France for the first time on Thursday. Thankfully, not the first time to France, but it is the first voyage in a campervan apart from one night hooked up at Baltic Wharf a few weeks ago.

It’s a German van with German gas fittings. Do I need an adaptor to fit French gas bottles? If so, does anyone know what I need, or where to get it? And where should I buy bottled gas from, ideally 5kg or 6kg if it’ll fit?

I’ll initially be getting Brittany Ferries to Roscoff. I’ve checked and all the Caravan & Motorhome Club sites in Brittany are closed. Can anyone tell me what I need and how to check to find overnight stops such as Aires or campsites please?

Are there any suggestions for where to buy cassette toilet chemicals?

Do I need to have my actual driving license with me? I sent it for (age 70) renewal of C1 back in November and it hasn’t been returned yet. The van is under 3500kg but I thought it would be sensible to take the medical and hang on to C1 in case I need it for the future. After 3 months waiting for DVLA to return it maybe I shouldn’t have done.

What else have I forgotten?

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[varaizian]

Don’t know if this has come up in any of the links, it’s been quite a few years since I drove in France but I believe you need to carry 2 warning triangles, a hi vis for each passenger and alcohol breath test kits ( not sure how many but they must be approved type) I believe Halfords sell them

Only 1 warning triangle for France. 2 is for Spain I believe.

High-vis vests must be to hand in the passenger space.

No need for breath test kits. That was a Sarkozy era fiddle and is being left to die on the back-burner; a very French approach. The requirement remains but there is no sanction imposed.

Edit: DandJ said all this earlier . Doh!

 

[Mike Rivers]

Ok, been to France numerous times. My own preferences are as follows.
1) Try and get your drivers licence back and have folder with all documentation (Insurance/V5 etc). You can’t be too prepared.
2) Re toilet cassette, order green tabs (Thetford/Dometic/Elsan) - they’re easy to use (a bit pricy) and the Thetford ones smell pleasant.
3) Get a Revolut card. It’s free or £5 for a physical card. You can add euros to it on the fly and use it to actually pay in euros or withdraw cash from ATM. GBP > Euro exchange rate is better than any travel bureau.
4) Get to grips with whatever Sat Nav you prefer (Google Maps in my case) and decide what type of route you’d prefer. The fastest may include toll sections or if you have the time set preference on nav to “Avoid Tolls” and enjoy a slightly longer but more scenic route.
5) Use the French hypermarkets. It’s food shopping on another level. E.Leclerc/Carrefour/Intermarche/Auchan/Super U are all great not forgetting Lidl & Aldi. Don’t forget the local boulangeries for your baguettes.
6) Expect to make mistakes but don’t beat yourself up about them. I’ve made some howlers but that’s how you learn best!!
7) Remember France is a much larger country than the UK so roads are ideal for touring. Everyone here will have their own preferences of course so nothing is prescriptive. Do your own thing at the end of the day and if any of our combined comments have been of any use to you then that’s great.

 

[varaizian]

One of the best tips I picked up on here (might have been LennyHB) was to take photos of every important travel document and secrete them away somewhere on a phone that you always carry. Passports, licences, EHICs, insurance, everything that would make your life a misery if you lost it abroad. I recently left my bag on the seat in a Portuguese motorway stop and didn’t miss it until I was 200kms away in Spain. We turned back and found it still sitting there over 5 hours later with everything intact. They were a pretty fraught 5 hours though!

 

[meanders]

High-vis vests must be to hand in the passenger space.

And you must have one quickly accessible for every passenger. Our lad would use any excuse to put his on. It meant we could be reassured he would know where it was and how to wear it if we ever broke down. Make a game of it, but also the rule, you don't get out of the van without it if on the road.

I apply the same logic over here. Had mum and two girls following us when they broke down on the M4. Girls were dancing around on the hard shoulder with mum in a tiz. Pulled out three vests. One girl drowned in it, but she was at least visible.

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[HKF]

And you must have one quickly accessible for every passenger. Our lad would use any excuse to put his on. It meant we could be reassured he would know where it was and how to wear it if we ever broke down. Make a game of it, but also the rule, you don't get out of the van without it if on the road.

I apply the same logic over here. Had mum and two girls following us when they broke down on the M4. Girls were dancing around on the hard shoulder with mum in a tiz. Pulled out three vests. One girl drowned in it, but she was at least visible.

Many drivers in France leave them on the dashboard, so the Police can see they have them. Also, in France, you must put them on before you get out of your vehicle.

 

[our poppy llll]

Re: driving licence. I had to hand back my licence due to a brain tumour.an operation unexpectedly returned my sight. I phoned the DVLA on the day I was passed as fit to drive. My licence arrived by post the next day. So phone them and explain your plight. I found the people I spoke to very helpful

Wow! You had a tumour removed from your brain and your eye sight came back. Good lord I bet you were the happiest bloke ever. I would be bursting out in song every day, you are so lucky, I hope it never comes back and you have a great, healthy and very long life.

Meanwhile can you give me 5 & 2 numbers for the Euro millions?

 

[HKF]

PlymBob What area are you planning on visiting? There are quite a few of us live in France and might be able to help in person, if you need it. I'm in The Charente

 

[Conniedriving]

You need to have your new driving license in your hand before you can drive in France- okay in UK ( unless it has been revoked), but not abroad. You need to chase it up immediately, to give you any chance of getting it in time. Go online to check your status, you will need your old driving license reference number and national insurance number. Hopefully it has already gone through but lost in post, but could be lost in their system. You should have had it long before now, or heard from them re some query. With not needing C1 for this trip you could renew on line discarding C1 for now and a new license would be issued straight away and then get C1 later, but all cutting it fine now. You could try ringing DVLA on 03007906801 - I had to chase them last Monday (just over 3 weeks since they received my application) and explained that I needed it for an Easter trip to France. It was still to be processed but young lady escalated it that day and it was with me on Thursday. Get onto it now, but could be a struggle.

I waited over a year to get my license renewed from the dvla . I have renewed again November not got it back yet
Complete waist of space

 

[Nanniemate]

I waited over a year to get my license renewed from the dvla . I have renewed again November not got it back yet
Complete waist of space

October applications have arrived last week with some

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[Spriddler]

I travel solo and avoid autoroutes.
When on a longish A to B journey (i.e. when I'm not just wandering o'er hill 'n dale) I check out the route on a paper map so that I have a rough mental picture of the route and make a note of the major towns. I don't bother with road numbers since as one approaches towns many of the 'N' road signs tend to become 'D' roads or even 'C' roads which can be confusing/misleading.
I think it stems from when I've been travelling pre-GPS and solo on the motorbike with a map which is vulnerable in the wet and not easy to read in the plastic pocket of the tank bag without stopping. At least with a motorbike one can just stop more or less anywhere to check a map but it isn't so easy with a m/home.

 

[AlanandMayya]

I travel solo and avoid autoroutes.
When on a longish A to B journey (i.e. when I'm not just wandering o'er hill 'n dale) I check out the route on a paper map so that I have a rough mental picture of the route and make a note of the major towns. I don't bother with road numbers since as one approaches towns many of the 'N' road signs tend to become 'D' roads or even 'C' roads which can be confusing/misleading.
I think it stems from when I've been travelling pre-GPS and solo on the motorbike with a map which is vulnerable in the wet and not easy to read in the plastic pocket of the tank bag without stopping. At least with a motorbike one can just stop more or less anywhere to check a map but it isn't so easy with a m/home.

I used to put the list of towns on paper and in a plastic bag, then sellotape it to my left arm. Sort of 1960s sat nav.

 

[our poppy llll]

My pretty flamingo thinks I know how to get everywhere and don’t need a map. If only she knew I can’t even work out how to get to the local supermarket without reading instructions.!
For some strange reason I ain’t got a clue how to get around where I live, but I can drive to any destination out of England and seemingly go straight to it.
I remember once many years ago 40+ I was going to a business premises near Barcelona, I had to take an urgent airfreight parcel from Manchester Airport there. I set off and drove for 26 hours. When I was getting close to Barcelona. I pulled off the road and drove along a half made road, I stopped when I saw a woman stood by a factory gate, and in my best pigeon Spanish said “pour favour, er factoria Sony Espana location? She looked at me strange and said Si, and pointed to the factory through the gate of the drive I was parked in! In the biggest letters I’ve ever seen was the sign “Sony Espana” on the wall of the massive warehouse! I bet I could never do that again.

 

[Spriddler]

I used to put the list of towns on paper and in a plastic bag, then sellotape it to my left arm. Sort of 1960s sat nav.

On competitive rallies with a printed prescribed route I carry it on a roller illuminated with with red lighting for all night events.

 

[PlymBob]

PlymBob What area are you planning on visiting? There are quite a few of us live in France and might be able to help in person, if you need it. I'm in The Charente

Initially Brittany but then down to the Mediterranean coast.

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[PlymBob]

I waited over a year to get my license renewed from the dvla . I have renewed again November not got it back yet
Complete waist of space

Completely agree. I had to wait months for my German purchased PVC to be registered in UK, they sent docs back twice for queries that could have been answered on the phone or by email. Each time meant restarting the process.
I was sent a form to sign that could so easily have been incorporated in the original application...
Methinks it's time for them to go back to the office where they can be visually supervised.

 

[HKF]

Initially Brittany but then down to the Mediterranean coast.

Ah, opposite side to me. Well, I hope you have a wonderful time, wherever you end up!!

 

[PlymBob]

You need to have your new driving license in your hand before you can drive in France- okay in UK ( unless it has been revoked), but not abroad. You need to chase it up immediately, to give you any chance of getting it in time. Go online to check your status, you will need your old driving license reference number and national insurance number. Hopefully it has already gone through but lost in post, but could be lost in their system. You should have had it long before now, or heard from them re some query. With not needing C1 for this trip you could renew on line discarding C1 for now and a new license would be issued straight away and then get C1 later, but all cutting it fine now. You could try ringing DVLA on 03007906801 - I had to chase them last Monday (just over 3 weeks since they received my application) and explained that I needed it for an Easter trip to France. It was still to be processed but young lady escalated it that day and it was with me on Thursday. Get onto it now, but could be a struggle.

Well I phoned them this morning. First they were too busy to let me in the queue. But a message said that they may not be able to tell me any timescales or information if my request is "being progressed". Then it was at least a half hour wait, but I could request a call back. I'm still waiting...
This is a nonsense system, paid for by UK tax payers...

 

[dalspa]

Well I phoned them this morning. First they were too busy to let me in the queue. But a message said that they may not be able to tell me any timescales or information if my request is "being progressed". Then it was at least a half hour wait, but I could request a call back. I'm still waiting...
This is a nonsense system, paid for by UK tax payers...

When I rang I think the automated message said there was a 30 minute wait so I request a callback and they did ring me back 30 minutes later. The young lady couldn’t have been more helpful and even rang me back at 6.30 that evening to say it would be in the post the next day. I asked when would my status be updated on line and she said 24 to 48 hours. One of the replies to your thread said that the your date of 29 February would be the day that it was posted. If so then that would have been last Thursday so a good chance that it will arrive in time for you, though cutting it fine.
David.

 

[Puddleduck]

Many drivers in France leave them on the dashboard, so the Police can see they have them. Also, in France, you must put them on before you get out of your vehicle.

I always carry yellow vests (or orange depending on which are in the vehicle) as it just makes sense even in the UK. I also have hi-vis vests in the coat cupboard as we are the Resilient Communities contact for accidents and can don the vests when going out to inform drivers of a road closure.

I used to put the list of towns on paper and in a plastic bag, then sellotape it to my left arm. Sort of 1960s sat nav.

I put the same sort of list on the back of the sun visor

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[our poppy llll]

On competitive rallies with a printed prescribed route I carry it on a roller illuminated with with red lighting for all night events.

View attachment 871102

That’s brill.. if you gave it to my pretty flamingo, she’d still read it upside down.
Example turn next right, er honey this is a farmers field, take your next right, er honey there’s a field full of cows, no it’s bulls, ok!ok take your second right.. that’s a lake in front of us. Pass me the map! Here now it’s the right way up and I’ve turned the pages to the right country, shall we start again! Oppps…
She once asked me how I knew which way to go! I said.. see that cloud, she said yeah, well I said I just head towards it. An hour later she said, how do you know the cloud as where you want to go, I said clouds form over hills and our destination is over a hill. Oh she said…right….

 

[AlanandMayya]

On competitive rallies with a printed prescribed route I carry it on a roller illuminated with with red lighting for all night events.

View attachment 871102

Impressive! Thats like the paid version of the navigation app I used to use; I just has the free 'lite' version. Illumination wasnt an issue for me as I didnt ride much at night - the 6V headlamp on the early Bonneville was, I guess, no better than yours. And the vibration was so shocking that anything mounted on the bars promptly fell off.. I tried wing mirrors once. They lasted a couple of weeks. Ditto indicators. Even the silencers used to fall off.

 

[Spriddler]

the 6V headlamp on the early Bonneville was, I guess, no better than yours.

Very true. At an MOT the tester peered into the headlamp and said: "Is it on or is that a fried egg in there?"

 

[varaizian]

Many drivers in France leave them on the dashboard, so the Police can see they have them. Also, in France, you must put them on before you get out of your vehicle.

That was to show solidarity with the Gilets Jaune movement or, more likely, trying to curry favour with road-blockers to be let through!

 

[KiltedCamper]

Wow! You had a tumour removed from your brain and your eye sight came back. Good lord I bet you were the happiest bloke ever. I would be bursting out in song every day, you are so lucky, I hope it never comes back and you have a great, healthy and very long life.

Meanwhile can you give me 5 & 2 numbers for the Euro millions?

Thank you.The tumour crushed my optic nerve and brain. My IQ dropped to 50 and I barely functioned as a human being. After the tumour was removed it took about 12 months for my brain and optic nerve to recover. So yes, I am extremely lucky!

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[CAB96]

Can I ask what card are you talking about?

I think they are referring to the Camping Car Park (CCP) card, it is possible to request them in advance.