Off to France - 1st time!

[kenwardc]

Hi there Folks

A quick plea for advice... we are off in our Dethleffs Trend to France on 12th September. It's the first time we'll be driving our Molly out of the UK and into France so I'm more than a little nervous. We have a Garmin Camper 770 so I'm not overly concerned about being taken down inappropriate roads but that not the issue. The questionI have revolves around the twin Alugas bottles we had fitted up near Telford a year or so ago. I have three adaptors but the van does have a bayonet filler cap on the skirt. Would the bayonet not work to fill the bottles?

Any advice appreciated
Chris

 

[Riverbankannie]

If your skirt filler can be used in the UK, then it will not work for France. You need the dish shaped adapter and always make sure it is screwed on very tight.
On this site, it is the top one in the image

UK Bayonet Gaslow Gasit Remote Filling Point European Travel LPG Adaptor Set

UK Bayonet Gaslow Gasit Adaptors Set for European Travels. Set of 3 adaptors converting UK Bayonet Filling Point to filling nozzles in all European countries.

www.lpgshop.co.uk

 

[Peter & Elaine]

if you have these 3 you should have no problem
enjoy and relax the first half hour of driving after ferry is the worst just be careful

 

[kenwardc]

Thanks folks for the quick responses. I'm at a los as to how you fit one of those adaptors to the bayonet in the skirt... HELP!

 

[Brockley]

You’ll love it, if you can change your gps settings to constantly warn you to drive on the right it might be worth doing. I know it sounds daft but first time we went we stopped on a country road miles from anywhere and when we set off again there was no reference like road signs anywhere so I strayed off on the wrong side of the road .

Saw a car way off in the distance heading straight for us, soon moved over.

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[suavecarve]

First junction in the morning and 3 point turns. Take extra care on those ones and you ll be fine

 

[kenwardc]

if you have these 3 you should have no problem
enjoy and relax the first half hour of driving after ferry is the worst just be careful

Peter & Elaine - <nervous fidget> - why do you say the first half hour is the worst..? What need I be aware of, other than staying on the "wrong" side of the road?

 

[namwaldog]

Keep Right Head Up Display

At Peterborough Show I was talking to someone who said they would love to go to France but were petrified about driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. That is a shame, there really is nothing to worry about. But, I realise for some this is a...

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[Charlie9038]

you will get used to it don't worry, there is a lot less traffic the the uk

Enjoy

 

[Stealaway]

The adaptor should screw into the centre of the bayonet. Have a look now and see if there's a thread down the centre for the different adapters.

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[Brockley]

Be careful going into some small towns because sometimes you feel like you are on the priority road but sometimes you need to give way to traffic pulling out from the left. I’d drive very slowly into villages.

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[WJACC]

Be careful going into some small towns because sometimes you feel like you are on the priority road but sometimes you need to give way to traffic pulling out from the left. I’d drive very slowly into villages.

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That's stuffed him from the start Priority from the RIGHT>>>>

It is rare so don't get stressed by it..

You'll be driving slowly through villages as the majority have speed bumps, I struggle at anything over 20 kmph over them.

 

[kenwardc]

if you have these 3 you should have no problem

View attachment 420545

Peter & Elaine which of those is the one? I have all three and have just tried to screw the one at the top of your pic into the fitting. It's too big and does not screw in. I haven't yet tried the one with the washer in it... perhaps I've misunderstood and the one with the washer is the one I should be using?

Many thanks
Chris

 

[kenwardc]

Be careful going into some small towns because sometimes you feel like you are on the priority road but sometimes you need to give way to traffic pulling out from the left. I’d drive very slowly into villages.

Brockley Thanks for the tip. I have been to France in our little Skoda Scout (once) and kinda seen that specific sign. Someone told me about people pulling straight out into the road from the right but I haven't seen anyone do that yet.

First junction in the morning and 3 point turns. Take extra care on those ones and you ll be fine

suavecarve Where are the three point turns? I will be driving the bus really slowly but would be nice to do a street view if I can to see what I'm up against.

 

[yodeli]

to give way to traffic pulling out from the left

Now now isn't it what you do whatever country you're in when you are facing a STOP sign? Left, right, never mind which way the traffic comes from , you're not allowed a single move.
Oh and also.... English drive on the left and most Europeen on the right ... on the right only... not on the wrong side (whatever the history), just on a different side. In French we don't say you are driving on the wrong side, we just say you drive on the left.

Just saying....

Amicalement
Frankie

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[Simon Meadwell]

Its the dish shaped one top of the previous pictures. Screws in tight. Then gas pump hose goes onto dish and when you pull the trigger it clamps into the dish. Then just push button and away you go.

 

[Brockley]

Should be able to screw the dish adapter into the end of the bayonet fitting or unscrew the bayonet fitting and screw the dish adapter straight in.

 

[gus-lopez]

Thanks folks for the quick responses. I'm at a los as to how you fit one of those adaptors to the bayonet in the skirt... HELP!

Photo of your skirt fitting would help to show size of centre thread. It may well be as 10mm one which means those adaptrs shown ,which have 1/2" thread will not screw in & you need the other set with smaller thread

 

[kenwardc]

Oh and also.... English drive on the left and most Europeen on the right ... on the right only... not on the wrong side (whatever the history), just on a different side. In French we don't say you are driving on the wrong side, we just say you drive on the left.

Just saying....

yodeli I was honestly only joking. To us (I've driven on the left my entire driving life (about 43 years) so anything that's other than that to me (internally only) is the "wrong" side. Only poking fun - no disrespect meant!

 

[WJACC]

Always park on the right and use service stations etc. on the right. It reduces the chance of setting off on the left...

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[kenwardc]

Photo of your skirt fitting would help to show size of centre thread. It may well be as 10mm one which means those adaptrs shown ,which have 1/2" thread will not screw in & you need the other set with smaller thread

gus-lopez I'm off to the van to take a pic! Back in a sec. Flipping heck I am so pleased I asked the question.... I would have hit the road and then run out of gas while in France for 15 days! The thread is definitely bigger on my adaptor - it just does not screw in. Another question - where do I get the set with the smaller thread please? I'll order it immediately.

 

[Lenny HB]

That's stuffed him from the start Priority from the RIGHT>>>>

It is rare so don't get stressed by it.

Over the last few years a lot of towns and villages have brought it back in.

 

[Riverbankannie]

@suavecarve Where are the three point turns? I will be driving the bus really slowly but would be nice to do a street view if I can to see what I'm up against.

Only when your navigator send you the wrong way! To be fair we usually reverse into an opening but suavecarve is right in saying that it is in pulling out from somewhere that most likely to take wrong side of road.
Study your onward route from the tunnel/ferry and just note down the major towns in that direction so that you can quickly decide between Lille/Paris/Rouen etc when approaching autoroute. Double check that you have selected the correct destination on your satnav before setting off. There are often multiple towns and places with the same or similar names. Use the “show map” function or similar to check where it is sending you.

 

[busby]

gus-lopez I'm off to the van to take a pic! Back in a sec. Flipping heck I am so pleased I asked the question.... I would have hit the road and then run out of gas while in France for 15 days! The thread is definitely bigger on my adaptor - it just does not screw in. Another question - where do I get the set with the smaller thread please? I'll order it immediately.

Would think two bottles of gas should last a couple of weeks..Last autumn we did 12 weeks on about 12 kgs of gas..Ran the fridge quite a bit on gas but not much cooking because it was hot so plenty of salads..BUSBY.

 

[WJACC]

Over the last few years a lot of towns and villages have brought it back in.

Living in France and driving 20000kms or more, it is rare, it might be slightly less rare than it was. If you're forever worried about cars etc. pulling out from the right you'll probably miss the person crossing the road from the left...

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[63720]

Two words of advice..... keep right ...... especially in a tunnel ok it was more than two

 

[kenwardc]

Here's a picture of the screw thread on the bayonet... too small for the adaptor... Please excuse the muck that has collected in there <blush>

 

[Riverbankannie]

Here is mine

 

[FIDGET]

Hi Kenardc, Chris ,
As said before don't worry after very short time it becomes second nature (driving on the right) but just beware when you stop for a cuppa & then restart off again as you will be relaxed & you can for a second forget. As too Priorite a Droite ( Priorty from right ) usually they are signed but not always , we came across this when driving through a town & a refuse truck came straight out in front of me , luckily I spotted him in time to avoid a collision , we've been over to France in moho about a dozen times only once have I come across this happen , but have noticed the sign a few times.
Where are you heading , are you using aires or sites.
If you need suggestions ask away I'm sure there are a lot of knowledgeable travelers on here that will give some polite suggestions & advice.
Stop worring & ENJOY your holiday , we were going on the 16th sept but due to health risks & covid decided next year instead.
Terry

 

[WynandJean]

Peter & Elaine - <nervous fidget> - why do you say the first half hour is the worst..? What need I be aware of, other than staying on the "wrong" side of the road?

It's just that you will be very uptight for the first half hour. After that you'll settle down to realise that scary as it seems as you are getting prepared, it is much less scary than in your own imagination. Driving in France is much less stressful than in the UK. Traffic systems seem to make more sense, roads are better (and quieter!), and away from cities it's a pleasure.

Wyn

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