France - here we come
Discussion
Well, we had a great time in France. 5 of us did the tunnel then stopped at a hotel in Amiens on Thursday evening, followed by a run down to La Bourboule in the Massif Central for 4 nights. Visited the village at Oradour Sur Glane and stood under the new bridge at Millau (thanks for the tips). Both were well worth a visit. We were caught out slightly by the fact that it was pretty cold (some people were still skiing!!!) but we all survived.
The roads were superb and generally very well surfaced. We had both fast sweeping bends and tight hairpins, often within a few miles of each other on the same stretch of road. The other road users were as good as usual and often moved well over to ensure that we had every opportunity to get passed as quickly as possible. We did noticed a definite increase in the number of speed traps and cameras though! But, if you stick to the town limits and watch for the well sign posted cameras on the Autoroutes, as we did, you should not have too much trouble. The only slight shock was that petrol was not cheaper (even slightly dearer if you use tourist exchange rates) than the UK.
We managed just over 2000 miles in less than 6 days so I now need a new rear tyre! (Front fitted just before we went.) The edges of the tyres are now well worn but the Autoroute there/back journey has given the rear a very “square” profile!
Pictures will appear on www.old-gits.org in the next week or so.
The roads were superb and generally very well surfaced. We had both fast sweeping bends and tight hairpins, often within a few miles of each other on the same stretch of road. The other road users were as good as usual and often moved well over to ensure that we had every opportunity to get passed as quickly as possible. We did noticed a definite increase in the number of speed traps and cameras though! But, if you stick to the town limits and watch for the well sign posted cameras on the Autoroutes, as we did, you should not have too much trouble. The only slight shock was that petrol was not cheaper (even slightly dearer if you use tourist exchange rates) than the UK.
We managed just over 2000 miles in less than 6 days so I now need a new rear tyre! (Front fitted just before we went.) The edges of the tyres are now well worn but the Autoroute there/back journey has given the rear a very “square” profile!
Pictures will appear on www.old-gits.org in the next week or so.
We tend to book accommodation in advance via a number of different web sites. A couple of good sites are:
www.france.hotels-france.com/us/index.php
www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/
www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/
www.francehotelreservation.com/en
As yet, in all our trips, we’ve not had a “bad” hotel but none have been good enough to recommend specifically.
If we simply want a “stop over” hotel, then the budget end (Ibis, B&B, Formula 1, Premiere Classe etc.). These offer very good value for money, are usually very easy to find and you can arrive/leave any time.
If we want a “base” for a few days then we normally look at a 2/3 star family hotel.
We were surprised to find that the Massif Central was “between seasons”, which meant we had loads of hotel choice but did mean many of the restaurants were closed and those that were open had pretty restrictive menus. There was also not a huge amount of night time “atmosphere” but if you’re with a good group, that shouldn’t matter.
While we had a GPS we did find the following site useful as it gave the location of speed cameras on the motorways.
http://mapping.drive-alive.co.uk/road
Have a great trip and enjoy the wonderful roads. When are you going?
www.france.hotels-france.com/us/index.php
www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/
www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/
www.francehotelreservation.com/en
As yet, in all our trips, we’ve not had a “bad” hotel but none have been good enough to recommend specifically.
If we simply want a “stop over” hotel, then the budget end (Ibis, B&B, Formula 1, Premiere Classe etc.). These offer very good value for money, are usually very easy to find and you can arrive/leave any time.
If we want a “base” for a few days then we normally look at a 2/3 star family hotel.
We were surprised to find that the Massif Central was “between seasons”, which meant we had loads of hotel choice but did mean many of the restaurants were closed and those that were open had pretty restrictive menus. There was also not a huge amount of night time “atmosphere” but if you’re with a good group, that shouldn’t matter.
While we had a GPS we did find the following site useful as it gave the location of speed cameras on the motorways.
http://mapping.drive-alive.co.uk/road
Have a great trip and enjoy the wonderful roads. When are you going?
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