Gendarmes - watch out next year!
Discussion
In today's paper it shows a "fellah" in a normal outfit with jeans on a black Yamaha TDM 900. This however, is no normal guy going about his business but the new police bike with all the toys well hidden and the only outward identity being the arm band "gendarme" on his sleeve. Beware!
Have planned to be off the autoroute after Abbeville on the way down and the way back next year.
New for us from Abbeville to Rouen then traditional route down N138 and then the sneaky little cross country route I planned last year in to the campsite. Absolutely brilliant and on the way out it keeps you well away from the dual carriageway queues.
On the way back we're doing something completely ne to us, we're going via Beauvais, staying off all the traditional routes and going for a nice cross country drive there for a night and then onto the tunnel on Monday.
Not essentially for missing the gendarmes as we're ure they'll be everywhere, but we've found that earlier on Wednesday morning and getting away without getting stuck in all the traffic reduces the number of gendarmes you encounter.
Apart from one of our team getting pulled on the way down, in convoy on the way home up the N138 we had 2 Gendarme bike cops follow us for a 2 miles or so, other than that we had no more close encounters.
The guys behind us who got caught in the traffic saw a lot more Gendarme speed traps on the way home than we did, only 30mins behind us aswell . .
New for us from Abbeville to Rouen then traditional route down N138 and then the sneaky little cross country route I planned last year in to the campsite. Absolutely brilliant and on the way out it keeps you well away from the dual carriageway queues.
On the way back we're doing something completely ne to us, we're going via Beauvais, staying off all the traditional routes and going for a nice cross country drive there for a night and then onto the tunnel on Monday.
Not essentially for missing the gendarmes as we're ure they'll be everywhere, but we've found that earlier on Wednesday morning and getting away without getting stuck in all the traffic reduces the number of gendarmes you encounter.
Apart from one of our team getting pulled on the way down, in convoy on the way home up the N138 we had 2 Gendarme bike cops follow us for a 2 miles or so, other than that we had no more close encounters.
The guys behind us who got caught in the traffic saw a lot more Gendarme speed traps on the way home than we did, only 30mins behind us aswell . .
The Leaper said:
Based on what I've witnessed and read about over the past 12 years of going to Le Mans there is only one way to protect the cash in you wallet and not get points: don't speed. Seriously boring though to do this on almost empty French roads but it really does seem the only way.
R.
Depends when you time your journey, but I tend to agree.R.
Wednesday and Thursday there were reports of le plod on the way down, and we saw a bunch of them on the way back on the Monday. They weren't out for a picnic either...
We drove down on Friday evening (left Calais at about 6.30pm) and managed a quick run from the Tunnel to Le Mans (3 hrs, 18 mins from the moment we hit the concrete at Calais to the time we pulled up outside Houx) without seeing any police. We figured they'd have had enough fun by then and would be off home or out celebrating about all the Rossbiffs they'd pulled.
But the journey back was a different story.... Sensible speeds and plenty of games of 'spot le gendarme'.
//j17 said:
Nick M said:
Wednesday and Thursday there were reports of le plod on the way down, and we saw a bunch of them on the way back on the Monday. They weren't out for a picnic either...
The cheek of it - French police men out enforcing French law...The Leaper said:
Based on what I've witnessed and read about over the past 12 years of going to Le Mans there is only one way to protect the cash in you wallet and not get points: don't speed. Seriously boring though to do this on almost empty French roads but it really does seem the only way.
R.
Agree completely. We take the opportunity to have a fun run down without making it a race down. Years ago it was a race down and back to the ferries. We're finding now that we're enjoying the revised philosophy better and much less stressful. Maybe we're all getting old R.
well it sounds like V15ben and i will be heading south instead of north after the race as were thinking of doing a tour of a few other contries for 2 weeks after the race to south France, Austria, Italy etc and then the ring on the way home so should be a good laugh and hope to not see asmany BiB!!
Matt
Matt
Johno said:
Have planned to be off the autoroute after Abbeville on the way down and the way back next year.
New for us from Abbeville to Rouen then traditional route down N138 and then the sneaky little cross country route I planned last year in to the campsite. Absolutely brilliant and on the way out it keeps you well away from the dual carriageway queues.
On the way back we're doing something completely ne to us, we're going via Beauvais, staying off all the traditional routes and going for a nice cross country drive there for a night and then onto the tunnel on Monday.
Not essentially for missing the gendarmes as we're ure they'll be everywhere, but we've found that earlier on Wednesday morning and getting away without getting stuck in all the traffic reduces the number of gendarmes you encounter.
Apart from one of our team getting pulled on the way down, in convoy on the way home up the N138 we had 2 Gendarme bike cops follow us for a 2 miles or so, other than that we had no more close encounters.
The guys behind us who got caught in the traffic saw a lot more Gendarme speed traps on the way home than we did, only 30mins behind us aswell . .
Is is still called the N138? New for us from Abbeville to Rouen then traditional route down N138 and then the sneaky little cross country route I planned last year in to the campsite. Absolutely brilliant and on the way out it keeps you well away from the dual carriageway queues.
On the way back we're doing something completely ne to us, we're going via Beauvais, staying off all the traditional routes and going for a nice cross country drive there for a night and then onto the tunnel on Monday.
Not essentially for missing the gendarmes as we're ure they'll be everywhere, but we've found that earlier on Wednesday morning and getting away without getting stuck in all the traffic reduces the number of gendarmes you encounter.
Apart from one of our team getting pulled on the way down, in convoy on the way home up the N138 we had 2 Gendarme bike cops follow us for a 2 miles or so, other than that we had no more close encounters.
The guys behind us who got caught in the traffic saw a lot more Gendarme speed traps on the way home than we did, only 30mins behind us aswell . .
I thought I saw a thread early this year saying it's now called the N338 or something.
One of the guys in our group this year was 90 Euros lighter due to heavy foot on return to calais , so also thinking about trying the old route for 2009.
Also less toll fees !
mister.t said:
I need to work out a route through the back roads and avoid all the peages/motorways - It always more fun on the backroads anyway so I'm told by Le Mans veterans 
(I'm a LM virgin!)
No No No all you le Mans virgins should stick to the main roads save you getting lost (I'm a LM virgin!)
and leave the back roads to us 
mister.t said:
I need to work out a route through the back roads and avoid all the peages/motorways - It always more fun on the backroads anyway so I'm told by Le Mans veterans (I'm a LM virgin!)
For some reason the French do seem to spend shed-loads on maintaining their back roads and then don't drive anywhere on them - which is very generous of them! (I'm a LM virgin!)//j17 said:
mister.t said:
I need to work out a route through the back roads and avoid all the peages/motorways - It always more fun on the backroads anyway so I'm told by Le Mans veterans (I'm a LM virgin!)
For some reason the French do seem to spend shed-loads on maintaining their back roads and then don't drive anywhere on them - which is very generous of them! (I'm a LM virgin!)Latest: yesterday an Audi TT was picked up on the autoroute just north of Le Mans at St. Saturnin at 145mph. His Xmas present was the car seized (it'll be sold for state funds) and his driving licence taken off him on the spot. Hope he enjoys the festivities!
If loads of French drivers came over here speeding like idiots once a year in their equivalent TVR's, Lotus', Astons, Jags, Caterhams, Westfields, Nobles, Ginettas, modified Jap cars etc, (oh hang on, they haven't got ANYTHING like that) then we would really get the arse. I have been going in a group of 3 - 4 performance cars for the last 5 years and we stick to 90mph on the motorways even through speed traps and have never been stopped. If you are sensible and respectful, you can have as good a time as the drivers who drive at 150mph without the fear of a huge fine or worse. Its not all about how fast your car can go in a straight line, anyone can do that, its about the whole experience.....
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