Euro trip...

[lichfielddriver]

And a right stupid setup that is.  I live in France, and had no idea that this was now in force.  First I saw was a sign that I had no chance to read (got the details days later), never mind for anyone who is not a native English speaker/reader.

Plus I was going on holiday. So even if I wanted to pay I couldn't get an internet connection for a few days.

 

So they can chase me for it.  So far (weeks later) no contact.  And as far as I'm concerned, I drove over an open road with no visible warnings and really no alternative once on the M25, so "un-solicited goods" or un reasonable payment terms etc.

 

 

 

hey, guess what.......................lol

[Gizmo]

So how come the French were all massed to pay cash at the booths?

 

Pass, they don’t usually most either have a tag or pay on a card

 

Perhaps they could bring in the new the new APNR tolls like we have at Dartford, 

 

Great idea... then even more people will not pay, just like what is happening at Darford!

 

i wonder if crossing by the long ferry (Bilbao) with increased ferry costs but reduced mileages and tolls works out cheaper

 

our ferry was £120 return, tolls about 200 euros return and fuel £70 each way

 

 

When I looked into it a few years ago the Bilbao boat was very expensive (even with family discount)

[bigjohn]

Sadly anytime around the 15th August (a week either side) is usually chaos heading down south. Having the automated telepeage/tag device is brilliant and helps massively in avoiding the queues. It costs about £20 for the unit and then you are only charged when you use it. There are several different providers, some available to French residents only, others to anyone with a bank account. We used to average around £60 tolls on a return trip to Perpignan from the UK.

 

 

I've used https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/ for a few years now and have a direct debit setup from my UK bank account

 

Judging by some of the queues I've witnessed at toll booths I've been spared sitting in traffic for many hours of my life - however not every peage point has a seperate lane (most of the big ones do though)

[niveketak]

One other thing of interest when driving in France apart from the alcohol limit being less than the UK, is that never drive here in bare feet of with flip flops or other footwear that doesn't loop around your heel. A friend got stopped and was fined 90 euros for not driving in the correct footwear. A mate of mine said that was stupid as he always drove in flip flops and never had a problem. One week later....90 euros.

 

Alchotests are not required despite what anyone may say at the ports and yes 1 yellow jacket is compulsory but then 1 for anyone who leaves the vehicle. If you break down on an autoroute it is the best advice to get out of the car and get away from the road which means a yellow jacket for everyone. Staying inside a broken down vehicle can be suicide, I know, I have dealt with the result of people staying in vehicles many time, it never ended well.

[johnE]

Just back ourselves from a couple of weeks in France.

Most important tips are keep your steering wheel to the kerb at all times and give way to traffic from the right at roundabouts.

 

 Em! I thik that rule was changed over 20 years ago. Now you give way to traffic on the roundabout, which of course comes from your left.

[Phil-E]

I am with you on this Phil.......off next month to watch DTM at Oschersleben. Ferry to Dunkirk for a massive £67 return. To date, this way of getting into Germany has always been hassle free.

 

Just booked our ferry and it cost us £90 return. We used clubcard vouchers though so it's free! Bargain.

 

Done that drive a few times to date and generally find it relaxing and stress free. The only time it really dragged was when we did it in my Felicia 1.3 L&K. Comfy but doing 60mph the whole way to conserve fuel was a drag.

 

Phil

[bigjohn]

 Em! I thik that rule was changed over 20 years ago. Now you give way to traffic on the roundabout, which of course comes from your left.

 

No quite,

 

Most roundabouts (possibly not all though)  are as you say where traffic on the roundabouts has priority but all the roads feeding it have give way / "cedez le passage" signs.

 

However there are "junctions" still lurking with "La priorité à droite" especially in villages. You have to be really careful as these junctions also don't have any signs (default state)

[lichfielddriver]

well, from our last fill at a really snotty service station (AVIA Champ Rolland) to Calais, to Tamworth, fetch the dogs home, and work half of today, total of 460 miles.................

 

Best Tank!

Congratulations, this tank is your best so far at 63.0 UK MPG!

Edited 25 August, 2015 by lichfielddriver

[Phil-E]

Not too shabby!

[Penpusher]

We're going to Lithuania later this week and we too are going on the Dover Dunkirk ferry at a cost of £84 (direct with DFDS was £90, but through Ferries Direct we saved £6 - not much but it pays for a couple of coffee on the ship).

The motorway in France alongside the coast to Belgium is toll free, then all of Belgium, Holand, Germany and Lithuania are toll free. There are tolls on sections of the Polish motorway from the German border to Warsaw and most lorries seem to turn onto the old main road to leave a generally empty and quiet road for us! They built toll booths for the last section approaching Warsaw in about 2012, but they still weren't open when we went through them last year. The toll booths are never busy and we've never been delayed by more than 30 seconds or so to hand over our money.

We'll leave the UK with a nearly empty tank, fill up in France and then add a splash in Germany if needed to get to Poland, where diesel's cheaper at about €1.00 per litre. Lithuania is roughly the same price.

[lichfielddriver]

Rather than go through all this faff can't you just activate 'tourist mode' in the Maxidot options or have I misunderstood what this option does?

 

Only elegance/L&K have them, or maybe only Zenon