France for beginners.

i want to ride to france with a few mates in the summer.

only thing is i havnt got a clue where to start.

i would like some advice on where in france to go what sort of ferrys to use n any hotels. well anything at all will help.

i no its probably been asked 100 times before its just easier than searching and more upto date.

thanks in advance

graham

[Luckypants]

Go look in the eurotour section, there are some stickies with what to take etc. That should get you started.... then come back with specific questions.

Graham, there is lots of info in the Eurotour section.
As for crossings, if you want speed then i would use eurotunnel but if you want a good price then look at ferries from Dover, Newhaven, etc. There are plenty of good roads all across France, not just the alps so it all depends on what you want.

[Dave20046]

ploppy is riding to france soon might be worth dropping him a pm

mmm didnt see that euro section. any idea how to move the thread.
graham

was looking on gogle and found this website
http://www.bike-stay.net/


looks good and useful. think i decided to go from that folkstone to calais on the eurotunnel (about 35 each way)

and then ride to caen to stay for 3 nights.

i havnt got clue whats in caen or anything just looks like a good place on the map.

any advice would be great about this idea.

graham

Originally Posted by ging6996

any idea how to move the thread.
graham

You have to ask the mod of the section...he's grumpy though



Oh and BTW, mine and Baphs only wish is to get over the channel into Calais and turn right and go west along the coast road.

South of England. Hth

Originally Posted by plowsie

Oh and BTW, mine and Baphs only wish is to get over the channel into Calais and turn right and go west along the coast road.

I think you'll find heading due west would take you across the beach and back into the english channel!

[embee]

Originally Posted by ging6996

was looking on gogle and found this website
http://www.bike-stay.net/


looks good and useful. think i decided to go from that folkstone to calais on the eurotunnel (about 35 each way)

and then ride to caen to stay for 3 nights.

i havnt got clue whats in caen or anything just looks like a good place on the map.

any advice would be great about this idea.

graham

Caen wouldn't be my choice to be honest. I would definitely recommend the Normandy/Brittany region, but the bigger towns tend to be pretty ordinary, and Caen is one. OK there are quite a few places around there to visit, Normandy beaches (WW2), Pegasus Bridge etc. if you're interested.
Look a bit further inland, search on the French tourist websites, nearly all places have a site either of their own or as part of a regional website.
Tourism is quite well organised in France! Very often just arrive in any reasonable sized town and there'll be an "i" sign for a tourist information office, they are very helpful (it's what they're there for), and they will tell you all the places to stay and even phone and book you in.....and they're happy to speak english. I've used "transport hotels/truck stops" quite a bit for overnights, usually cheap and good food (for the French truckers of course), quite often they'll find somewhere safe, garage etc, for the bikes. If you're in small numbers the cheap motel chains are excellenmt value, Formule1 etc do rooms at fixed rate, 2/3/4 people, just breakfast extra. Check online for details. Usually no need to pre-book but can be useful for the first night to get used to things.
If you want to end up in that region (certainly one of my favourites), consider a longer crossing from Portsmouth to Cherbourg/Caen with Brittany Ferries. More expensive for the crossing but factor in the extra miles to Folkestone/Calais and having to go round the M25 and the on-cost isn't so great. The Brit Ferr fastcraft is excellent, less than 3hrs crossing, check carefully the times which use the fastcraft and those which are "slow" ferries. Sometimes it makes sense to use an overnight on a slow ferry to get an early morning drop off in France, then the whole day is yours.

As for admin stuff, make sure you have the document side of things sorted, keep at least 2 copies of all relevant docs and take originals with you (reg doc, driving licence, insurance etc) check you insurance cover and consider breakdown cover. Get your EHIC card sorted (replaced the old E111). Personal travel insurance is a good idea, I use the Post Office for annual Euro cover at less than £50 last renewal, double check that riding bikes is not excluded (P.O. policy is fine, policies are usually available on-line to double check), compare policies using "confused" or "compare" etc.

As for riding, roads are generally excellent and other than on main routes the traffic is light. Just be sensible, remember that the laws do apply to you even if you are British , French Police generally don't have much of a sense of humour and it would appear that they aren't encumbered by the equivalent of "PACE" or human rights etc, so be extra polite if you are stopped. They can and do apply on-the-spot fines for certain offences, always have some cash on you (or collectively if you are in a group), they can take the bike if you can't pay on-the-spot. I've never had any problems with them, but routine stops are quite common. generally they don't like groups of bikes, and there are some rules/laws about larger group riding (7 or more rings a bell) which causes problems with bike rallies etc.

A couple of basic rules, Stop signs mean Stop, it's quite a serious offence to fail to do so and occasionally there are surveillance ops at junctions. Put a foot down to be sure. In towns the speed limit (50kph usually) starts and ends at the town signs, basically stick to it. Alcohol limit for driving is lower than in the UK, not that you would. Speed camera signs are getting more common but still rare by UK standards, a warning sign means a camera (no false warnings).

I'd recommend the Michelin maps (W.H Smiths do them), excellent details, I got the ring-bound A4 size book of the whole of France (£15 ish I think now) and just take out the sheets I want. You do need a smaller scale map for longer route planning though. Don't just stick to main roads, the smaller ones can be real gems.

Generally a great experience, take things easy, behave, enjoy.