Getting to west coast France

Check the deals, it MAY be cheaper to drive across to Newhaven and go across there, last year their deals were within a tenner of Dover and £100 cheaper than Pompey.
Take the basics with you, get Recovery if your insurance doesn't come with it. Again, it CAN be cheaper to get slightly more expensive insurance because it comes with Euro Recovery.
I paid an extra £20 for my insurance, precisely for this reason. It was still only £160 comp. From memory it was RH Insurance but don't take my word for it.
If you breakdown near Mick, he'll come and loot help you out.
Help always available on here, some of it is even helpful.

 

My pals place is directly south of Lyme Regis a few miles inland, I must consult my map

I see where you are..............way south of my pal who lives in a little place called St Nicholas du Pelem.
Tony

 

We did Portsmouth to Caen and then stayed the night in municipal site at Domfront before heading down the next day to the west coast, was a nice journey

 

I have.... and Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium.... and all on the same trip. Thankfully not in the Camper though.

 

If you need a heads up on keeping your bus going and fixing the usual issues whilst on the road. Type 2 Dectives is running a Boot camp this Saturday in Cambridge and they have other dates available if you cannot make this weekend.

Worth considering if you have not got a clue, could save you a long wait for recovery if you breakdown and money.

 

my rule, and it is my opinion, is to get a Haynes manual and take that - along with spares - the list of spares is as long as you make it. I chose to take anything i thought i would be prepared to replace, and nothing that was too involved, on the hunch that if it has worked this long with no obvious signs, it wont be main engine issues, but ancillary.

We traveled from Dover all the way to Saintes via @lost-en-france house, and we didn't break down once. Well i lied, we broke down about 1 foot from the petrol pump, but that was because the fuel gauge was dodgy and my hunch was right.

The only work done on the van was cutting the cable ties off the heat exchanger flaps as it was on hot all the time, and Mick changed a braided fuel line out for us. (Thanks again - feel sorry for Henry getting gutted)

We just traveled direct across to the Vendee from Calais, but we have done the first half of that leg so many times that if we went again i would probably do Portsmouth caen/st malo, if only to avoid excessive driving and also being nearer to the west coast.

Just treat your bay with respect, don't rag it, get it serviced by a reputable person prior to leaving, and try and drum up a few relationships with people who know what they are doing with campers and keep their number on hand. If you are in no major rush, you could always post on here and more than likely get a response.



Most of all enjoy yourself.

 

Vans do break down in France, but most garages are well equipt ,I know someone who had blown a plug out ,the garage somehow glued it back...

Your not the only one kicking parts...

 

Thanks all the £100 saving in Newhaven would only go on petrol so was thinking maybe Pompey to St Malmo or Bilbao and then driving down/up for return journey 886KM

 

I agree with above, I live in Southampton and although I have not traveled with my bay I have done all over France in a variety of vehicles and Dover Calais is always cheaper including tolls and fuel if you a) have the time and b) don't mind the extra drive. We always consider that we are on holiday as soon as we are on the ferry and the trip from Calais is part of it. Its great if you have time to potter through the villages on the A roads instead of motorways. We have booked 3 weeks this summer in which we will take the caravan to the Cote D'azur with the first few days pottering and the last two days pottering back. We did Andorra, Girona and back the year before last. we slept at 2500 metres high on a great site in the Pyrenees right next to a river. they were somewhat surprised when we turned up with a twin axle caravan!

 

I've done the Portsmouth to Santander ferry and then driven back through Spain and France returning on the Cherbourg to Portsmouth ferry, the ferry journeys were fine. We had two weeks and our boy was two years old at the time. If I was to do it again I would want longer as my idea of a holiday isn't lots of driving everyday, it changed my view of holidays completely and now I am happy to go to one place and stay there for the whole fortnight.

 

My tip from experience....Don't travel at weekends to minimise the accident potential with those crazy European drivers

 

Having used Dover - Calais, Dover - Dunkirk, Portsmouth - Caen and lately Dieppe - Newhaven I'd say have a look at the Newhaven - Dieppe route its a good price and not that long a crossing.

 

Also did Bilbao - Portsmouth one year, that's a long boat trip.

 

I'm with you on that, we did a big trip down Cornwall/ Devon and Dorset a few years back, drove about 1200 miles in a fortnight from Yorkshire, never again, just drive and park up for at least 2 or 3 days now be for moving on or all you end up doing is driving

 

Remember the motorways have tolls - about £30 to st malo from Calais. - don't have them in brittany though. Cheaper to take a day ferry often as u don't need a cabin.
Great beaches !

 

know how much the tolls will cost you http://www.autoroutes.fr/index.htm?lang=en

 

We are doing dover to calais in May 1 week and almost 3 weeks in August Portsmouth to Caen then spend 2 days driving to Frejus on the south coast

 

thats a good days drive.
Distance: 997.59km dont 940.44 km on motorways
Time: 10H32
Traffic Impact: +00H05
Cost: 239.3 EUR
Toll 140.1 EUR | Fuel 99.2 EUR

I bet the fuel cost will be a bit more

 

Holey crap didn't think tolls would be so expensive.