Thinking of going to France, couple of questions (1 Viewer)

Dave K

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Hi all
As relatively new motorhomers we haven't tried the European travelling yet so I need to ask a couple of probably stupid questions.
We travel with our 2 dogs, fully aware they need treatments and pet passport but what is the protocol when you arrive at the other side of the Channel Tunnel, does anybody need to see the dogs, come into the motorhome etc, I ask because one of our dogs is quite nervous so I just wondered what to expect when we arrived in France.
The other question is because we are both working we only normally have 9-10 days off at a time, can you suggest any places to visit in that allotted time scale, we love walking so anywhere with scenery would be great, we also have to cater for the hounds so any recommendations would be appreciated
Dave
 

Hollyberry

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Travelling with dogs: going to France no one will look at them, or their passports.
Returning to UK. You take dogs to a vet between 24 and 120 hours before you get on the ferry. ( must be a minimum of 24 hrs) Check vet stamps and signs passports that they've given them worming tablets. Check date and time are correct too.
At port you are given a chip reader to read the chip in the dog, hand it to check in clerk with passport, do same for next dog. Clerk prints out paperwork, ticks boxes and off you go onto ferry. I think for the tunnel you take the dogs into the animal check in office. Chip readers are very easy to operate.
I used to travel regularly with 2 dogs and 2 cats, never had a problem, it really is an easy procedure.

With 9-10 days maybe west coast--La Rochelle down to Il de Re? Nice beaches you can take dogs on.
 

magicsurfbus

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If you don't mind putting the hours/miles in there's no part of France you can't reach in two days from Calais using autoroutes.

You'd get a fair bit of scenic variety around Bordeaux - to the NW you've got the islands and coastline of Charente-Maritime, to the east you've got the limestone gorges of the Dordogne and Vezere valleys, to the West you've got the big wide pine forest backed beaches of Lacanau and the like. If you do a long drive on Day 1 to the aires at either Puy du Fou or Futuroscope you can be in most of those places halfway through Day 2.

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Nice suggestions guys, but as a first timer, he might be better served taking in a shorter drive route, such as Brittany. Of course it all depends on what time of year and where the crossing will be. But let's break Dave in gently!!

Keith :cool:
 

magicsurfbus

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Or better still, cling to a nice safe Caravan Club campsite full of Brits within 30 minutes' drive of a Normandy ferry port and spend a week walking the dogs in the pissing rain :)

Motorhomes have wheels for a reason. (y)
 
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Go for it it's easy the tunnel now has a new pet check in as well as previously said it is important to make sure vet gets everything right and that the dogs have been micro chipped

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Dave K

Dave K

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Or better still, cling to a nice safe Caravan Club campsite full of Brits within 30 minutes' drive of a Normandy ferry port and spend a week walking the dogs in the pissing rain :)

Motorhomes have wheels for a reason. (y)

I prefer to be on the move rather than camped up for a week so driving isn't too much of an issue, we did 1400 miles this year going up to Scotland and travelling around in the same sort of timescale and I'm led to believe it's easier to drive in France than over here?
 

sdc77

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That new pet check in was chaotic when we came through the other day.. might be an idea to allow a little extra time for it coming back
 

DBK

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As the OP lives in Somerset with limited time a crossing from Plymouth or Portsmouth would be worth considering.

We are in Brittany at the moment and the opportunities for walking are virtually endless. There is a path which runs around the coastline and lots of quiet roads which makes it very easy to plan circular routes.

Downside is the weather and the crossings are more expensive than the shorter channel crossings.

The dogs can stay in your MH although some ferries have kennels. It depends on the crossing and the ship.

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Dave K

Dave K

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As the OP lives in Somerset with limited time a crossing from Plymouth or Portsmouth would be worth considering.

We are in Brittany at the moment and the opportunities for walking are virtually endless. There is a path which runs around the coastline and lots of quiet roads which makes it very easy to plan circular routes.

Downside is the weather and the crossings are more expensive than the shorter channel crossings.

The dogs can stay in your MH although some ferries have kennels. It depends on the crossing and the ship.

That's one of the reasons I was thinking of the Tunnel, quicker and can stay with the dogs, although probably a lot more expensive I know
 

DBK

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That's one of the reasons I was thinking of the Tunnel, quicker and can stay with the dogs, although probably a lot more expensive I know
No, the Chunnel can be quite cheap. Just a lot of driving from Somerset and you arrive in a bit of France which is good for looking at old battlefields and not much else. :)
 
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Dave K

Dave K

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No, the Chunnel can be quite cheap. Just a lot of driving from Somerset and you arrive in a bit of France which is good for looking at old battlefields and not much else. :)

I know what you're saying, i suppose the ferry crossing from Plymouth would be the sensible option but just didn't fancy leaving the dogs

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Hi Dave, Brittany is fantastic for moho's & dogs. but a bit far from Calais for first time, I suggest the Loire From Briare to Angers. plenty of aires by the river with nice walks also nice chateau's
 

magicsurfbus

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I prefer to be on the move rather than camped up for a week so driving isn't too much of an issue, we did 1400 miles this year going up to Scotland and travelling around in the same sort of timescale and I'm led to believe it's easier to drive in France than over here?

Outside of the major cities France has a lower population density than the UK, and their toll autoroute network is well-developed and very efficient. Yes you pay to use it, but the roads are virtually empty and diesel is much cheaper over there. Even their departmental roads aren't very busy compared to our A and B roads - you often drive long stretches through rural areas without another vehicle in sight.
 
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Just over a month into our first MH trip to France, presently enjoying week two on Ile De Re a stunningly beautiful island. We travelled across from Portsmouth not cheap but convenient for us. I have found the driving over here effortless despite my initial worries and the roads are much less congested than at home. We have not used Toll roads and enjoyed exploring and sightseeing on our travels.

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Hollyberry

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I lived in the Dordogne and checked out the costs with Mqppy ( ferry, fuel and tolls)
As going TO France Dover to Calais there was no ferry charge for the pets, it worked out cheaper, though a longer drive, to do that route.
Coming into UK the pet charge was the same for all routes (£40 per pet equal led £160 for my lot) I used to do Le Havre to Portsmouth or Dieppe to Newhaven to have a shorter drive.
 

Easyliving

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On the subject of the pet passport office here is a video by Keith Chesterfield (Funster) that shows exactly where to go.



If you find yourself in the east of France I can recommend the vets at Bergues where they all seem to speak good English, not especially cheap though.

Have a good trip.

Paul

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Dave K

Dave K

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On the subject of the pet passport office here is a video by Keith Chesterfield (Funster) that shows exactly where to go.



If you find yourself in the east of France I can recommend the vets at Bergues where they all seem to speak good English, not especially cheap though.

Have a good trip.

Paul


Thanks Paul, it's still in the planning stage at the mo so won't be until next year at some point but it's something I'd look forward to trying
 
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Hi Dave,
We've done several trips over to France ( always been great now looking forward to going twice next year)
if there's any help or info just ask. we will be taking our dog ASBO for the first time , so been very interested in your thread.
We have done Brittany 3 times , Loire , a anticlockwise trip 3 weeks around central France, Ile de Re, Ardeche, Millau bridge. Not sure where we head for next year .
 

Allanm

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Don't forget travelling down the east. The area around Champagne is very nice, lots of rivers and canals with nice walks too.
A lot of railways have closed down all over France and the tracks have been made into footpaths. Walking is very popular in France so you should find plenty of opportunity to walk the dogs and see some impressive scenery

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Dave K

Dave K

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Hi Dave,
We've done several trips over to France ( always been great now looking forward to going twice next year)
if there's any help or info just ask. we will be taking our dog ASBO for the first time , so been very interested in your thread.
We have done Brittany 3 times , Loire , a anticlockwise trip 3 weeks around central France, Ile de Re, Ardeche, Millau bridge. Not sure where we head for next year .

Thanks very much for the offer of help, I'm sure I'll take you up on that at some point
Dave
 
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Don't write off the north of France.
We all have the tendency to get off the boat or train and get going but Nord Pas de Calais has a lot going for it.
The obvious war memorabilia and the likes of Bayeux Tapestry but there's some lovely old towns and cities worth exploring.
Have a look at this site: http://about-france.com/regions/nord-pas-de-calais.htm
Great area to get used to the differences ready for the bigger trips in the future.
 

Hollyberry

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Thanks for the info @Hollyberry , how long are the ferry crossings, did you leave the dogs in the van?

Dieppe to Newhaven is 4-41/2 hours, Le Havre to Portsmouth about 1/2 hour longer. Dogs stayed in the car or motorhome, whichever we were travelling in. I left them a bowl of water only, no food, just in case of a choking/vomiting episode ( though this never happens at home anyway)
On these crossings you can be escorted down to check on your animals. I never did--- if they're agitated/ upset, what can you do? And if they're not, they won't understand why you've appeared and gone again! Close the curtains, make sure they've got a nice cosy bed to curl up in and they'll probably sleep the journey away. Mine were never agitated or had done any damage when I returned.
They travel better than you think. Cass and 3 cats flew Cyprus to Paris, no ill effects. Poor Holly had to fly Cyprus to Frankfurt, wait until next morning and was then flown down to Barcelona. Just trotted out the crate wagging her tail.

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mjltigger

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so a silly but related (I think) question... for the dog owners... we are planning to do the long weekend in the Christmas markets again this year and pup is finding it difficult being left behind with our eldest so we were considering taking him. Is it possible to have the worming done by our vet in the UK before we go as we will be back within the 5 days?
 
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We travel with two dogs....used to go via tunnel but have now changed to Portsmouth-Caen in view of Calais problems. It is a bit dearer but we are in the frequent travellers club...bon voyage I think they call it ...and get 30% off all crossings after the first. The dogs just sleep on the crossing..about 6 hrs.
France is good for dogs pretty much everywhere except that some of the Mediterranean beaches, and some posh Atlantic beaches, have 'no dog' policies.
Suggest you check the price before you take the dogs in for the pre return trip vet visit. We were overcharged massively by a vet in Honfleur once.
Have a look at our blog if you want some ideas for dog friendly sites. We are down in CapBreton at the moment...a great aire but maybe a bit far south if you only have 9 or 10 days.
 

snowdrops

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Can't beat the Ile de re with bikes. Chunnel and 7 hrs driving and you're there. La Rochelle across the bridge too.

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We have two dogs and have been three times to France (tho we are retired and go for a month or so - age has its advantages!!). As far as walking dogs is concerned - if you get a good road map you'll be able to see where woods are - they are always a good bet for off lead walks. Also canals and rivers will often have paths along them. Lots of Aires are on rivers so we often stay overnight on one of those and can walk the dogs when we arrive in the afternoon and again in the morning before we set off. If we are wandering round villages, then the dogs have to put up with on lead walks! Never had problem finding vet before coming home tho price varies enormously - last time was only £20 for both dogs (we have paid over £60) (We take worming tablets with us). We always mark Vets on our road map when we pass one (you never know when you might need one) but normally just ask at a pharmacy or boulangerie or anywhere! Or simply stop a dog walker - they'll know where a local vet is. Do allow time for that process - sometimes you can get appt immediately but don't rely on that.

Where to go is definitely a problem cos France is huge and nearly all of it fabulous (except in our view) the far North. All depends what you like - mountains, beaches, gorgeous villages, city culture etc etc. I don't think anyone has mentioned Alsace (the bit next to Germany!) - the villages on the Routes Des Vins are superb - medieval wooden frame houses with window boxes and tubs of amazing flowers. Real fairy tale stuff. You could then go to the French Alps - Chamonix is fab (note you can't take dogs on the Aiguille du Midi cable car but there is an Aire at the bottom station so we left them in MH while we did the trip - A "Must Do" if you are in the area) as is Samoens - but you can't really go far wrong anywhere round there if spectacular mountain scenery is your thing. The village of Yvoire on Lake Geneva is also a "must see" (the gardens there are amazing even if you aren't really into gardens!).

Do get in touch for more info. Have fun!
Sally
 

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