First time abroad in motorhome.

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Bazzagas

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Fiat ducato bessacar
Hi everyone..we are planning a trip to France then Spain in April...first time in moho...taking our time..its a small 2 berth 5.8m..two adults and a dog..I'm looking for help and tips about best crossings, sites and what I will need for our fiat ducato..ie bulbs etc..we may do newhaven to dieppe as we have done it before by car..so looking fo good sites, on or off electric, down that west side of France.. would like to go through somport tunnel..
Thank you for any input..
Brian..
 
Take your time, enjoy the scenery, villages and towns if that's your thing.

As for sites there are an number of good on-line resources which are often far more up to date than anything printed.
Here are a few links...

Campercontact | All the best motorhome sites at your fingertips

All motorhome sites worldwide on one platform for motorhomers. Includes up-to-date reviews, photos and an overview of beautiful motorhome stopovers.
www.campercontact.com www.campercontact.com

MotorhomingFrance for the best aires in France

MotorhomingFrance is a website which is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone who visits or plans to visit France in a motorhome. The site covers various aspects of motorhoming in France, news on aires, travel news, useful info, tourism, motorhome books
www.motorhomingfrance.co.uk www.motorhomingfrance.co.uk

park4night - Home

Share the nice spots where you like to relax with your camper, your equipped van or regular van
www.park4night.com www.park4night.com
https://www.i-campingcar.fr/carte.php - in French but the pages will translate with Google.

AireCampingCar.com: All the Motorhome stopovers, throughout France

en.airecampingcar.com en.airecampingcar.com

Some will provide links to navigation apps if used on a phone.
 
Having just bought the latest version of All the Aires Spain and Portugal, I can commend it for including many of the better Aires we are familiar with and many that are new to us. Not the cheapest source of info but better than expected. Campercontact possibly best info as it is updated constantly. We use both.

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If you are over 65 ring for discount on the Newhaven route which is good for the way you are planning ,you dont say how long you are going for but check the mileage to the places you are thinking of going to see if it is doable in the time. There will be plenty of members with their input so you will get all the info you need.
here's a few links

France links | My Motorhome Travels

www.rebbyvid.co.uk www.rebbyvid.co.uk

Driving in France, speed limits in France, driving laws in France, French motoring rules and regulations.

Driving tips for France, speed limits in France, alcohol limits in France, French motorway (autoroute) tolls. Distance charts. Age limits and seat belt laws for driving in France. Self-drive holidays with Drive-Alive. Plan online.
www.drive-alive.co.uk

Driving in France: top tips, advice and guidance | RAC Drive

Driving in France is very different to driving in the UK . Find out everything you need to know and need to take with you before you go.
www.rac.co.uk www.rac.co.uk
 
rod_vw said:
Take your time, enjoy the scenery, villages and towns if that's your thing.

As for sites there are an number of good on-line resources which are often far more up to date than anything printed.
Here are a few links...

Campercontact | All the best motorhome sites at your fingertips

All motorhome sites worldwide on one platform for motorhomers. Includes up-to-date reviews, photos and an overview of beautiful motorhome stopovers.
www.campercontact.com www.campercontact.com

MotorhomingFrance for the best aires in France

MotorhomingFrance is a website which is designed to be an invaluable resource for anyone who visits or plans to visit France in a motorhome. The site covers various aspects of motorhoming in France, news on aires, travel news, useful info, tourism, motorhome books
www.motorhomingfrance.co.uk www.motorhomingfrance.co.uk

park4night - Home

Share the nice spots where you like to relax with your camper, your equipped van or regular van
www.park4night.com www.park4night.com
https://www.i-campingcar.fr/carte.php - in French but the pages will translate with Google.

AireCampingCar.com: All the Motorhome stopovers, throughout France

en.airecampingcar.com en.airecampingcar.com

Some will provide links to navigation apps if used on a phone.
Click to expand...
Thank you..
 
Thanks everyone for your help..Will i need beam deflectors, spare bulbs, breathalyser etc...my cars headlights are a flat beam so I don't need them but the moho is 2008 so normal headlights..
 
The only piece of advice I can give,

BEWARE!! especially in the first few days.

When coming off a dual carriageway and going on the off ramp and you are faced with a junction (It may be a T junction, or a crossroads,
allowing you to rejoin the dual carriageway)

REMEMBER!!! you are on foreign soil.

If you are turning left at that junction, remember to drive on the right???

In the past, I've turned left and been politely? told that I'm driving on the 'wrong' side of the road!!!
 
Bazzagas said:
Thanks everyone for your help..Will i need beam deflectors, spare bulbs, breathalyser etc...my cars headlights are a flat beam so I don't need them but the moho is 2008 so normal headlights..
Click to expand...
You should have beam deflectors, spare bulbs.
You definitely need a yellow gilet for each person travelling in easy reach
You should, by law, have a breathalyser but the fine is zero euros for not carrying one, so the sensible decision is to not get caught buying one.
From memory you need one of those warning triangles as well and if you dont, it would be advisable.

I also think it is 60 to get the discount on Newhaven Dieppe by telephone only.

Choose one of the internet based aires, Presuming you will have some form of access to wifi over there, and forget about the books would be my advice. The books are great to look at, but already out of date by the time you get them.

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Bazzagas said:
Thank you...
Click to expand...
suavecarve said:
You should have beam deflectors, spare bulbs.
You definitely need a yellow gilet for each person travelling in easy reach
You should, by law, have a breathalyser but the fine is zero euros for not carrying one, so the sensible decision is to not get caught buying one.
From memory you need one of those warning triangles as well and if you dont, it would be advisable.

I also think it is 60 to get the discount on Newhaven Dieppe by telephone only.

Choose one of the internet based aires, Presuming you will have some form of access to wifi over there, and forget about the books would be my advice. The books are great to look at, but already out of date by the time you get them.
Click to expand...
The breathalyser law was scrapped some years ago.
 
Don't forget dogs paperwork. If you don't have an EU pet passport you will need an AHC also rabies titre test - see your vet. Search Pet Passport for full info. Need to organise NOW as need 3 months after rabies jab.
 
You won’t need a titre test

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Hi Brian,

We kept some notes on our first trip across the Channel in 2020, and I posted them on the thread below, which might be of use for your trip.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Newbie's 1st European Trip Jan/Feb ’20 – Lots to Learn!

Hi, We’re very much Motorhome Newbies, having bought our first motorhome just before Christmas ’19. We had a couple of short UK adventures to Wales and to Yorkshire over New Year, and we then decided to dive in at the deep end and head south to explore Spain and Portugal in Mid-Jan for six...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Have a great trip!
 
March Hare said:
Hi Brian,

We kept some notes on our first trip across the Channel in 2020, and I posted them on the thread below, which might be of use for your trip.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Newbie's 1st European Trip Jan/Feb ’20 – Lots to Learn!

Hi, We’re very much Motorhome Newbies, having bought our first motorhome just before Christmas ’19. We had a couple of short UK adventures to Wales and to Yorkshire over New Year, and we then decided to dive in at the deep end and head south to explore Spain and Portugal in Mid-Jan for six...
www.motorhomefun.co.uk www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Have a great trip!
Click to expand...
Thanks for that...I didn't know about the 2 pin converter...Big help that is ...its coming tomorrow....i dont know what to get with regards to gas...I'll have 2x 6kg red bottles of calor gas on....have you links to the different connectors...
Thanks again..
 
Driving on the "wrong" side of the road takes a very short time to get used to as everyone else will be doing the right thing. However be very careful in places such as supermarket carparks. There may well be no one about and without concentrating you will do what comes naturally in a UK car park :eek:
Sue
 
As far as I'm aware there are no direct adapters for Calor to accept French/Spanish bottles. Judging what we use I'd predict those two 6kg Calors won't last.
The obvious solution is refillable, which you can get filled almost anywhere in Europe and UK - at considerably less cost than Calor. However there is the initial outlay, expect £300-500 for a twin-cylinder system - it'll eventually pay for itself and can be transferred from van to van.
Alternative is to buy a suitable continental gas bottle and new hoses etc to adapt and connect to your regulator, a few Funsters have done this, perhaps they will post their experiences. I'd imagine a French motorhome dealer could work something out for you although if it would be the same in Spain I don't know.
Finally if you've a BBQ point you could connect directly there with a suitable fitting and hose - but you must use a supply bottle with a regulator as it'll be downstream of your own regulator.
 
Hi - first, don’t worry. It’s much, much easier to camp on continent than UK. You will enjoy.

Advice

  • be careful (especially in mornings) in rural locations. It’s easy if no traffic to default to driving on left. Put a little sticker reminding you on the dash.
  • roundabouts and junctions can be disorienting until you get used to them. Just go slow, until you are sure. dont worry about annoying other drivers. we brits are too polite!
  • despite all the advice about carrying this and that, remember that for the police and gendarmes you are at the very bottom of their list of interest. You need a vest and a triangle - not for compliance, it’s just common sense, like spare bulbs. In 30years and about 50,000 miles i’ve only been stopped by the douanne, and that was when I was a long haired 25yr old. You don’t even need the silly UK stickers (a UK only requirement!), no law enforcement on the continent could care less that our government now wants to make its cars display ‘UK’

- remember, rural communities will welcome you. They want you to frequent your businesses. Even in remote areas, you will be overwhelmed by safe parking areas, designed just for you. There will always be somewhere to walk the dog.

- take your time, avoid the tolls. You can zap the country in a day on the autoroute, better meander down the nationals (A roads) and the departmentals (sort of B roads). These roads are (almost) always spacious and wide and easy to drive on.

- dont forget to wave at other campers

- be prepared for friendly dutch motorhomers.

- ENJOY :)

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Bazzagas said:
Thanks for that...I didn't know about the 2 pin converter...Big help that is ...its coming tomorrow....i dont know what to get with regards to gas...I'll have 2x 6kg red bottles of calor gas on....have you links to the different connectors...
Thanks again..
Click to expand...
Would also recommend getting refillable LPG bottles. We have 1 x 11Kg Gaslow refillable and that's all we ever need even for long holidays. Plenty of LPG stations in EU. https://www.gaslowdirect.com/product/gaslow-11kg-refillable-lpg-cylinder-no1/ You'll also need the filler point adapters. It is an investment which pays back quickly given the mega difference in price between bottled and forecourt LPG especially in EU. Obviously need it fitting by a specialist unless you feel competent. Gaslow company have very helpful staff in theiir office.
 
I have tended to almost always use campsites with EHU and for the past 10 years of touring for 8 weeks at a time twice a year in EU. I have never used more that 2kg of gas in each trip. I would use it though early & late in the seasons when weather got cold & kept fridge on gas when stopped for lunch when travelling so not simply never using it. If you were to do similar you won’t need any refillable gas cylinders and save a fortune not getting them.
 
royandsharont said:
I have tended to almost always use campsites with EHU and for the past 10 years of touring for 8 weeks at a time twice a year in EU. I have never used more that 2kg of gas in each trip. I would use it though early & late in the seasons when weather got cold & kept fridge on gas when stopped for lunch when travelling so not simply never using it. If you were to do similar you won’t need any refillable gas cylinders and save a fortune not getting them.
Click to expand...
Our system has moved to each new Adria we've bought. Agree it's a big purchase initially but we must have paid for ours twice over at least in the 20 years we've been motorhoming. We also have a Spanish 11 Kg cylinder that we link up externally with the Gaslow local cylinder hose and use that with the relevant adapter when the campsite charges for electricity. Big savings on winter holidays.
 
As it is your first time in France etc, please be aware that Aires on Motorways are not the Aires we tend to refer to. I am sure some of them are fine but best avoided for overnight stops for safety reasons. Generally speaking the Aires we talk about here are fine safe and usually quiet, if not, move on for there will surely be a better Aire close by. People who use Aires in my experience, enjoy a quick chat, which also identifies you as the owner of your vehicle should strangers show an interest in it.
 
Thank you..we have driven to spain through france a few times in the car but this is our first time in a moho....we learned a lesson about 25 years ago when we stopped in a so called aire...it was dark and we were tired so pulled in and went to sleep..in the middle of the night a car pulled in behind us and sat there for around 5 minutes with its headlights on and engine running...then they just left...Needless to say, we moved off immediately....it may have been police but I couldn't see....never stayed at an aire since..hopefully things are better now...

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Bazzagas said:
Hi everyone..we are planning a trip to France then Spain in April...first time in moho...taking our time..its a small 2 berth 5.8m..two adults and a dog..I'm looking for help and tips about best crossings, sites and what I will need for our fiat ducato..ie bulbs etc..we may do newhaven to dieppe as we have done it before by car..so looking fo good sites, on or off electric, down that west side of France.. would like to go through somport tunnel..
Thank you for any input..
Brian..
Click to expand...
Last year we sailed from Portsmouth to santander and did the west coast of france (we had a campervan and an Awning) this year we are in our moho.....
sailing to calais then off to Rouen,angers and I'll de re,hoping to go down to south coast and around to chamonix with a few more stops back to calais any recommendations after I'll de re would be appreciated we are away for 18 nights the longest stop so far is 3 nights on I'll de re ( just off la rochelle) thanks
Lorna
 
When we went to Bordeaux we stopped off at the Camping Carpark at Lailley en Val (after using the tunnel for our crossing) near to Orleans.

02647180-DB86-450E-B3C2-184AFF6E6256.jpeg

Lovely aire with EHU, water, waste. Would definitely use again if heading in that direction.
 

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