Off to France on Saturday in the Yeti for two weeks of cheese and wine.

Portsmouth 8am saturday for the crossing to Caen then travel down near La Roche Sur Yon on the Vendee for a week, then across country for a week near Reims.

So if you see a Yeti looking lost in France its probably me, give us a wave !

Edited 8 August, 201312 yr by billhook

Sounds good enjoy!

Welcome to the forum billhook.

 

Welcome to you too Buck.  :yes:

 

I won't be in France when you're there, so here's my wave now.   

la roche.... -> reims thats a helluva trek - good luck with that then!

Having just taken ownership of my Yeti, attention turns to next years hols, fancy touring in Sharky, may head across the water to France or North of the border to Scotland.

Vendee weather apparently good right now. We had this last 2 weeks in the Dordogne  :sun:

 

Enjoy!

 

Billhook, the old Formula 1 pits in Reims are worth a look - they are starting to refurbish them in the old style. Some good videos on YouTube showing the old circuits.

I'm just back from three blisteringly hot weeks in Provence. I saw three Yetis in all that time - one German and two French! Dacia Dusters as ubiquitous as ever, but lots of Cashcows and a good few Pukes also in evidence.

The pits on the Les Essarts/Rouen circuit were still there when I first started goiing to France with any regularity - late 70's early 80's. It was exactly as I remembered seeing it on the telly in the 60's,  left curve downhill past the start/finish.  Just a bit drab.  I suspect the A13 was built over quite a bit of it.  I did manage to find the New World - Le Nouveau Monde.

The French have had quite a few venues over the years, pre Ecclestone.

Just found this

http://8w.forix.com/rouen.html

and this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Grand_Prix

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_circuits

you'll have to edit out all the modern boring Ecclestone inspired dross.

Interesting article on BBC website this morning about speeding in France;

 

French police step up watch on British drivers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23619783

Slightly lazy reporting from the BBC,

 

Quote:

French police say many foreign drivers break the speed limit because they know they can avoid a fine. EU figures show that foreign drivers make up 5% of road traffic but account for 15% of speeding offences in the 28-nation bloc.

 

And:

However, the UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark have opted out of the EU directive.

So the only way motorists from those countries can be sanctioned on French roads - and there are many more from Britain than Ireland or Denmark - is if they are caught in the act by the police and made to pay on-the-spot fines.

 

Personally, if you don't want the fine don't do the crime!!

Thanks for sharing that Graham.  Otherwise we get all the people repeating what they heard on the beeb as gospel.

As you say, if you don't do the crime, you don't get the fine.

I was caught once, bang to rights in a radar.  I was let off - for being english? it coming up to lunch? - don't know.  A nice surprise, and I do try to be more careful now.

When I went to Rouen I could find no trace of old circuit. You tube shows just occasional bits are still there.

Apropo nothing at all, travelling thro' Morlaix? avoid it for a week or two, the local egg / chicken producers had a party last week, 10k eggs dumped in font of the town hall, protest against the price paid for their stuff, at last the CAP begins to exact a revenge on the French farmers who've had it good for time immemorial. Does't go down weel that east european producers are sealing their market for eggs and far eastern producers their market for poultry

Rant over, the locals have been s******ing re the size of omlette possible!

s******etc - s n i g g e r i n g

Had a great crossing. Glad we had a cabin though. Got lost in Caen, we have had the major getting lost in France episode now so all should be ok. Yes i know they forgot to replace tbe road signs after the war !

Went to La Tranch sur mer today. What a lovely place. Over 20 years since we were last here.

I was thinking of finding the old race circuit buildings at Grueux when i go to Reims. But thats a week away. Oh and the Yeti! What a fantaztic car for long journeys. A real dream of a mile muncher!

Don't forget the Breathalysers also, you still need to carry them but via the AA 

 

January 2013 - the French government announced that the implementation of the sanction for drivers not carrying a breathalyser – a fine of €11 – has been postponed indefinitely.

Exactement - so you don't need to carry them!

NO!!

Billhook, we've just had two great weeks in France in our Yeti, hope you do too!

I've had my (French bought) Yeti for almost a year now and the only others I've seen in the country have been UK-registered, probably  on the way to hols. Around here, it's definitely Dashed-off Dishcloth territory:  perhaps I'm just preoccupied with them, but they seem far and away the most popular new car here.  All that said, I was waiting to get a car full of stuff checked out of Leroy Merlin (sort of B&Q) in Poitiers, the week before last, when I was approached by two chaps who were also waiting and who wanted to know more about the Yeti, which they said was by far the best-looking (and, when I'd let them have a look Inside, best-equipped) 4x4 they'd ever seen;  had to tell them that it wasn't actually a 4x4, but was embarrassingly proud of their praise, so perhaps there'll be one new  French-registered one around here soon!

billhook, my dad had a problem with Caen, too. He, John Wayne and a load of other guys had to wait until the allies had finished bombing it flat befor he could go through in 1944.

 

one of his salutory ww2 stories - makes you think!

 

Grateful for the fact that UK suffered a lot less detruction than some parts of the rest of Europe.

Just got back from 10 days in Nice, and I only saw 1 Yeti - and a pretty scruffy one it was too (though I'm not surprised given the way they drive and park there   - I wouldn't take my own car near the place!).

Just back from a week in La Palmyre (near Royan on the Atlantic coast).  We travelled via the Tunnel and covered the 520 miles via Rouen, Le Mans and Poitiers.  Over the entire trip there and back, as well as our time tootling round the local area, we saw a grand total of 1 Yeti!!!  It had French plates on and we received a very nonchalant Gallic shrug when we waved hello.

FIve weeks abroad this summer holiday and we saw a grand total of between 8-10 Yeti's! Still cant believe how rare they are on the roads! Happened to see countless Dacia Dusters throughout France and Italy - they appear to be selling very well indeed!