So we drove down through France and spent a week in a Gites in Limousin. I was a little anxious about the 9 or so hour drive, but needn't have been. Passed without incident and was actually pretty enjoyable!
I can thoroughly recommend the Eurotunnel service- punctual, efficient and very well organised. We arrived early for both departures and were allocated onto an earlier train without fuss or incident. Both trains departed and arrived on time, without fuss or bother. If you need/want to get to that part of the continent, I don't think there's an easier way.
French roads are generally very good- high quality surfaces, without huge amounts of traffic (except Paris- more later). From Calais West along the A16, all was well. French drivers tend to be sensible and courteous, rarely tailgating or speeding. Only bad driving I saw was actually Belgians! I really don't understand the road numbering system in France though, which I think is confusing (or probably just different to ours). Luckily, our sat nav handled all with aplomb (more about the car later too).
On the way down, we stopped at an Aire (service area) that had an overpriced menu of not great food. On the way back, we (without high hopes) ended up in small retail park off the N154 just south of Chartres. We went into a place called RestauMarche, which tuned out to have an excellent very French menu, good service and reasonable price. Fois Gras, Steak Frites and Brioche with caramel sauce, E20. Really nice too!
We tried to persuade our in car sat nav to avoid Paris, but managed not to on the way down. Ended up on the peripherique. Slightly mad, but still pretty sensible really,a nd no big worry. We were lucky it wasn't too busy; I can imagine an accident or road works would really foul it up. On the way back I worked out how to avoid Paris on the SN, and had a less fraught but longer journey.
The car I must say was outstanding. 2006 (56) Merc E220 CDI estate. We drove home (Kent) to Folkestone, then Calais to Limousin, all in all 550 miles and about 10 hours (inc stops). I stepped out with barely a stretch and felt totally fresh. Very comfortable and just muched the miles without fuss. The COMAND based sat nav was excellent (especially once I'd worked out how to avoid Paris!). Managed a global 45mpg, not bad for such a big car. It also swallowed a huge amount of luggage and still enabled me to see through the back window (in 30 bottles of wine and 20 tins of cassoulet on the return). I'm quite fickle when it comes to cars, but this is truly a magnificent beast.
So, all in all, a fantastic trip. I wondered if I would enjoy it, but did thoroughly. We will do similar next year- perhaps to Provence with a stop en route.
And if you want a nice Gites, try www.cottages4you.com -easy to find what you want and the process is simples. The place we had was amazing!
Hope there's something of interest here!
Cheers,
Alex.
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>> Only bad driving I saw was
>> actually Belgians!
The worst drivers in Europe, without exception. Utterly shambolic. Easily the most difficult place to drive on the continent.
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I used to think there must be no road junctions in Belgium, since whenever I saw a Belgian driver encounter one in France he had no idea what to do and would stop dead in panic. I've since been there and - if Brussels is anything to go by - it's the opposite: the junctions are so horrendous that no-one knows what to do and panic is the only response.
Luckily those red-on-white number plates are easy to spot from a long way off, so you can give them a nice wide berth.
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>> The car I must say was outstanding. 2006 (56) Merc E220 CDI estate.
Do these come with a 7-seat option?
Hmm. Hmmmmmm. Could well be the thing to wean me off my inverted car snobbery.
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Glad to hear you had a good trip. We have been taking our caravan to france for the last 20 years and have used the tunnel ever since it first opened. As you say its brilliant, always very slick and quick. Only once were we delayed for over 4 hrs when some imigrants entered the tunnel on foot.
As you say the roads in general are so much better than in the UK and lane disapline is so much better ! I think we have a lot to learn in the UK. I have never had a bad experince whilst abroad including in Spain and italy and poland etc (I get the impression some of the Drivers in Poland are running on Vodka ! ) LOL
We normally when going to the lim region head Via Rouen ! much much quieter road trip!
Just off for 4 weeks now with Van touring in Europe, starting with Le-Rochelle and then the Pyrenese for starters and see where we head from there !
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Mmm, la Rochelle. I'm envious. Have lunch at A Côté de Chez Fred in Rue St Nicolas and make me even more so. (Chez Fred is the fishmonger next door.)
If you're still hungry, 40 minutes south is the little oyster port of la Tremblade, where Chez Gaby on the esplanade will feed you very nicely too. I'm looking forward to Snowdonia but I'd much rather be going there!
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cheers for the heads up, i will take the details with me ! we also get to see the Tour de France as the site we are staying at for 4 nights is about a mile away from the route.
Have good time in Snowdonia ! everytime I have been there it always rains ! thats why we always head well south.
Last time I went to Wales in mid summer we had 10 days of solid rain and even the hotel ended up with water leaking through the roof and had buckets in our bedrooms ! & that would of been over 20 years ago now !
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Alanovic: yes indeed, it comes as a 7 seater (both the W311 and the latest incarnation). Rare but not unfindable used. Personally, I would have preferred the 280 CDI, but didn't find one at the right time and also fighting SWMBO's fiscal restraints!. The 220 is reasonably quick and economical, but sounds a bit dull as a four (for me the only thing I'd change about the car). Lucky for me, I have an E30 325i convertible for my 6 cylinder kicks!
BW,
Alex.
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Interesting point that the Tunnel will let you travel early without any charge. I avail myself of this most times I travel. You wouldn't able to that with Mr O'Leary and his airline!
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The tunnel normally allows you to arrive up to 2 hrs before booked departure on the UK side and if earlier than 2 hrs you normally get sent out or charged extra to catch an earlier train.
On the French side they normally seem to be glad to just get rid of you as I have often arrived 3-4 hrs earlier than planned ( always allow my self ggod time incase of delays ) and they just seem to bung you on ASAP.
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Same on the DFDS ferries. Have always been let on the ferry for an earlier sailing when returning from France
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How are fares on the Chunnel these days? Bearing in mind my £59 return on DFDS/Norfolkline it'd need to be alot cheaper than it used to be.
But TBH I prefer the ferry. It's three hours from home to Dover so I'm ready for a break, a meal and a comfy seat and a view. Being stuck in my car in a railway carriage with no view would need some compensating factor - 40 mins off the journey isn't enough.
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The avoidance of sea sickness in me, the missus and two small children is plenty compensation.
Tunnel every time for me. We then get to eat in France rather than from the trucker's (no offence) all day breakfast bar on Norfolk Lines!
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More details of location of restaurant on N154 south of Chartres,please.
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You'll probably find it here
www.restaumarche.com/ou-nous-trouver.html
www.restaumarche.com/restaumarche-chartres_le_coudray-4342
I think it's part of the Intermarche supermarket chain
You will also find that there are similar restaurants associated with the other supermarkets - LeClerc, Carrefour, Auchan (Flunch?), SuperU etc. Also look for Casino Restaurants
Our kids used to love the Flunch Restaurants because you ordered a main course and then chips, veg, salad etc were "A volonte" - ie, help yourself as many times as you like. Not so keen these days because they don't seem to serve fresh veg - tinned or frozen.
Also worth trying the dreaded McDs in France - they have a very different menu and much better bread buns - as a confirmed McD hater I was pleasantly surprised.
By the way, don't ignore the local brasseries - probably a good few in each town where you can have a 3 course lunch for 12/15 euros if you choose "plat du jour" as main course. But, avoid Tete de veau - a speciality of Limousin - it is as it says - head of calf. Very, very fatty and the calf's eye looking up at you as you eat it is even more off - putting!! And the ear bit is very gristly. Only dish I have been unable to eat in France - but I had to try it!! Never again!!!
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>> The avoidance of sea sickness
>> Tunnel every time for me.
Couldn't agree less, from my own point of view. Sickness is quite rare on channel crossings. The ferries have stabilizers and are big, and the crossing hardly takes more than an hour. I am aware though that some people are more sensitive to the slight motion than others, and children can be especially so.
The other factor is that the tunnel doesn't seem like proper travel between one country and another. Air travel was only for the rich when I was small. If you went abroad you went by ship, even to Ireland. The whole palaver of waiting at the port, going aboard, looking over the side en route and so on adds immensely to the pleasure of the trip. Or so it seems to me. You won't see whales and flying fish but even so, you get a whiff of the sea that separates us from France.
It's handy and quick being able to get the train from London to Paris, and I have done so of course. But I wouldn't dream of taking my car through the tunnel.
The Irish have this song: 'Thank God we're surrounded by water'.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Thu 23 Jun 11 at 11:44
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The latest P&O boats are 50,000 tons+;bit different from the 8,000 tonners not that long ago.The new boats should be quite good when the docks are equipped with the facilities to handle them-they need loading ramps with at least three levels instead of the current two-there are vehicles having to do three-point turns on one of the decks-just like the old single enders.
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We have used the tunnel this year i think it was about 140 pounds return easter time.
I prefer the ferrries have been on all of them.More relaxing.Missus is not keen on sea crossings.Belgian drivers are unpredictable in the past Begians didn't need a driving licence.;)
Through Antwerp for the turn off to Rotterdam always a bit of a headache they won't give way.
I found driving through France no problem we all get lost once in a while go with the flow.Iam in two minds either taking a plane to Amsterdam from Humberside Airport and the train to Rotterdam.Or drive south and crossing the Channel on the Norfolk line.The Ferries from Hull are not that cheap and it is a 12 hr crossing.I have to have a look at the prices.
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>> The latest P&O boats are 50,000 tons+;bit different from the 8,000 tonners not that long
>> ago.The new boats should be quite good when the docks are equipped with the facilities
>> to handle them-they need loading ramps with at least three levels instead of the current
>> two-there are vehicles having to do three-point turns on one of the decks-just like the
>> old single enders.
>>
We went over on the new one in May, we were on the upper car deck - almost empty.
No 3 point turns, it is set up for U turns at the end when full, wide enough as well.
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"We then get to eat in France rather than from the trucker's (no offence) all day breakfast bar on Norfolk Lines!"
Your are bit behind the times Alanović.. Norfolk Lines (now DFDS) have a separate deck and facilities for truck drivers. Car drivers are very well catered for with a decent restaurant, cafe and a couple of bars. Much more civilised way to cross the channel in my view than a hole in the ground . Amazingly smooth too as the boats are very well stabilised. Always look forward to getting on the ferry and having a break from the driving for a couple of hours
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>> Personally, I would have preferred the 280 CDI, but
>> didn't find one at the right time and also fighting SWMBO's fiscal restraints!. The 220
>> is reasonably quick and economical, but sounds a bit dull as a four >>
Comfort yourself with the knowledge that you'll be using a fair bit less fuel in your 220 than a 280 (which I used to have). W211 (sic) E-classes are in their element with this kind of driving, but our 3 kids found the rear seat (and big transmission tunnel) increasingly restrictive as they grew. We should have stopped at just 2 kids!
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No! Last week they were telling me a W211 estate would be the solution to my V70 Not Big Enough shocker. Please don't tell me tall teenagers will be squashed in there too. My drive isn't big enough for an R - assuming I could even find one.
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For many years I've used Norfolk Line Dover-Dunkerque as the cheapest option and have been well satisfied. Usually the routine was to book a hotel on the internet for the first night before leaving home, having calculated a reasonable distance to drive from Dunkerque in the time available.
As for Belgian drivers - yes, they are shockers on the whole. Aggressive drivers, except for the fact that (like most continental drivers) they will move to the nearside after overtaking on motorways. The CLOG club doesn't seem to exist over there.
Doesn't look as if I shall be taking the car abroad this autumn and I'm missing it already.
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I like to take the car with me abroad always something to take back in the boot.And take sister and brother in law for a run they don't drive.
Duinkerken easier for me to write.;) Is my best route, to Antwerp not far and from Antwerpen about 1 hr to Rotterdam.
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>> No! Last week they were telling me a W211 estate would be the solution to
>> my V70 Not Big Enough shocker. Please don't tell me tall teenagers will be squashed
>> in there too. >>
If you have 3 kids, I think a flat-floored fwd chariot will have to be the answer. Rwd does not equal the best rear seat packaging.
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Only two, but they're both going to be long, like me. Legroom in the back matters more than shoulder or foot room.
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Don't think you'll find much difference between either on a run like that, maybe 1-2mpg.
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Mercedes Benz E-Class W211 - Musings on France - Alanovich
