Now I know why we mostly go to France.

wiljoy said:
Stopped doing the uk many years ago. It's a no brainer to head over the water.
Loads of free Aires. No need to book campsites, cheaper fuel, better roads, less traffic, and no potholes.
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We are in Lithuainia I reckon there's more potholes here than the Uk ,same for Latvia and most eastern countries however lots of road building to eradicate these potholes ! ?
 
wiljoy said:
Stopped doing the uk many years ago. It's a no brainer to head over the water.
Loads of free Aires. No need to book campsites, cheaper fuel, better roads, less traffic, and no potholes.
Click to expand...
Chris said:
It’s no so bad if you time it carefully.

I did the 300 miles from London to Pembroke yesterday in just under 5 hours including stops.

Left at 05.30 to beat the M25 jams and then had a stop on the M4 services for some breakfast and then started driving again knowing that by the time we got there the Bristol, Newport and Cardiff hotspots would be clearing.

We had no hold ups at all except at Cross Hands and that was caused by rubberneckers looking at a crash on the other carriageway :rolleyes:
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drivers just don’t know how to plan simply
 
jimcg said:
Drove around Paris from South to North one Sunday afternoon assured by Google maps, using its real time traffic information, it was the quickest way go. I would rather sell the motorhome than do that again.
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We've had a similar experience. As a result, we now go east of Paris to Melun and onwards to the A6. Anything to avoid Paris and the periphique!

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Of course everyone complaining about the traffic misses one thing.

They part of the problem. If they weren't driving down the bit of road they are on there would be less traffic :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 
wiljoy said:
Stopped doing the uk many years ago. It's a no brainer to head over the water.
Loads of free Aires. No need to book campsites, cheaper fuel, better roads, less traffic, and no potholes.
Click to expand...
Hmmmmm? Well we've been going to France at least twice a year for 11 years and decided to do the South West this year. Lots of Brit Stops, parking available at many car parks mainly free but daytime charges between £2.00 and £5.90. Lots of free Aires but many more with charges. Had a few camping sites stops £9.00 including EHU to £14.00 and no pre booking. Fuel is now slightly more expensive in France and rising faster than UK. Roads in the main are better because less traffic but I've also been on terrible roads in France with pot holes otherwise I agree lol
 
EX51SSS said:
Hmmmmm? Well we've been going to France at least twice a year for 11 years and decided to do the South West this year. Lots of Brit Stops, parking available at many car parks mainly free but daytime charges between £2.00 and £5.90. Lots of free Aires but many more with charges. Had a few camping sites stops £9.00 including EHU to £14.00 and no pre booking. Fuel is now slightly more expensive in France and rising faster than UK. Roads in the main are better because less traffic but I've also been on terrible roads in France with pot holes otherwise I agree lol
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I know it's our choice and not complaining but we stayed at two britstops in our recent trip , one cost £40 the other £60 I know everyone doesn't have to spend this much but it can soon add up

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chaser said:
I know it's our choice and not complaining but we stayed at two britstops in our recent trip , one cost £40 the other £60 I know everyone doesn't have to spend this much but it can soon add up
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Those weren't compulsory charges though. Those were your choice to spend.
I understand what you're saying but the way you put it, it sounds like you had no choice..
 
EX51SSS said:
Those weren't compulsory charges though. Those were your choice to spend.
I understand what you're saying but the way you put it, it sounds like you had no choice..
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No I didn't my first sentence said it was our choice, the dear one was Julie's birthday meal and the other was just being greedy :)
 
chaser said:
No I didn't my first sentence said it was our choice, the dear one was Julie's birthday meal and the other was just being greedy :)
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Sorry, I did read that but could have read as your choice, as in using Brit Stops.
However, you paid nothing to park overnight though, did you which put against a camping site charge makes it a lot more reasonable for meal/drinks etc and wouldn't you have paid a lot more than that if you'd gone to a campsite then out to a pub for a meal?
 
Chris said:
It’s no so bad if you time it carefully.

I did the 300 miles from London to Pembroke yesterday in just under 5 hours including stops.

Left at 05.30 to beat the M25 jams and then had a stop on the M4 services for some breakfast and then started driving again knowing that by the time we got there the Bristol, Newport and Cardiff hotspots would be clearing.

We had no hold ups at all except at Cross Hands and that was caused by rubberneckers looking at a crash on the other carriageway :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I have just realised that I am better at planning than counting.

It took us just under 6 hours , not 5:doh:

05:30 - 11:25
 
My experience is that the UK is actually getting worse. Every time we come back to UK we have hardly got away from the tunnel or port when were into long sections of roadworks usually with speed cameras.

The M20 for the past couple of years has been particularly ridiculous, I cannot understand why if the 'stack lanes' are a permanent fixture why this needs to be 50mph for 15 miles, there is nobody working there. Surely what they ve done is make a two lane motorway of which we have many and they re are all 70mph. IMHO they should only switch the signs on when stack is actually in operation.
 
jongood said:
My experience is that the UK is actually getting worse. Every time we come back to UK we have hardly got away from the tunnel or port when were into long sections of roadworks usually with speed cameras.

The M20 for the past couple of years has been particularly ridiculous, I cannot understand why if the 'stack lanes' are a permanent fixture why this needs to be 50mph for 15 miles, there is nobody working there. Surely what they ve done is make a two lane motorway of which we have many and they re are all 70mph. IMHO they should only switch the signs on when stack is actually in operation.
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Agreed!
50mph for miles and miles for no good reason that I can see.
They had finally cleared the ‘stack lanes’, to my delight, when we came back through the tunnel a few weeks ago. Only to find they had reinstated them the other side of Ashford, also with 50mph limits.
The lanes were supposed to be experimental to see what effect it had on traffic but they have been there for months.
Why? What is going on? It’s a great way to impress visitors and welcome them to our road system.

Richard
 
Clarky said:
Agreed!
50mph for miles and miles for no good reason that I can see.
They had finally cleared the ‘stack lanes’, to my delight, when we came back through the tunnel a few weeks ago. Only to find they had reinstated them the other side of Ashford, also with 50mph limits.
The lanes were supposed to be experimental to see what effect it had on traffic but they have been there for months.
Why? What is going on? It’s a great way to impress visitors and welcome them to our road system.
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The reason for the London bound restriction between 9 and 8 is in case of distruption when the UK leave the EU. Was put in place for March 31 and will be there until at least 31 October.

Mick
 
In case of disruption - oooh the irony.

The unnecessary 50 mph speed limit on the M20 appears to be ignored by many vehicles with foreign plates. They know that the NIP won't be in the post.

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Recently drove down and around Brittany and Loire Atlantique no problems some empty roads free flowing traffic bliss.
Last Friday ply-crewe 7.5 hours.nightmare.
 
Clarky said:
Just driven back home to Suffolk from Calshot, near Southampton and the traffic has been a nightmare.
I chose a route that would miss a lot of the dreaded M25 and A12 and left just before 10 this morning, thinking the traffic wouldn’t be too bad.
We crawled up the M3 until past Winchester, stopped and started around the M25 near Heathrow and sat in jams trying to get to the A1m.
Just to add to the merriment there was a car fire and some of the driving was pretty awful.
It took over 5 hours.

We drive thousands of km around France (other countries are also available) every year and I have never had a drive like that while there.

And folk wonder why we prefer going to the continent rather than staying in the UK. :cool::france:

Richard
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You forget to mention the joy of the crazy paving with holes otherwise known as the A12. Probably one of the worst roads in the UK. I have to use it to come back to Suffolk and I am constantly amazed my Rapido doesn’t get damaged from the vibration of poor surfaces and bumps of potholes which I try to avoid by leaving a large gap from the vehicle in front so I have a chance of seeing them but some places are so bad there’s little chance of avoiding them. Some back roads I travelled in Poland were better.
 
iandsm said:
You forget to mention the joy of the crazy paving with holes otherwise known as the A12. Probably one of the worst roads in the UK. I have to use it to come back to Suffolk and I am constantly amazed my Rapido doesn’t get damaged from the vibration of poor surfaces and bumps of potholes which I try to avoid by leaving a large gap from the vehicle in front so I have a chance of seeing them but some places are so bad there’s little chance of avoiding them. Some back roads I travelled in Poland were better.
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Nothing much will be done to resurface the A12 for years because there are distant plans for major improvements.
By the time they happen our vans will have self destructed on the holes and patches.
The road is a disgrace.

Richard
 
Yes we drove the length of The A12 for the first time late at night returning from The Highlands to use the bridge.....could not believe how bad that road surface was, and how there has not been a public outcry to get the holes & ruts sorted.
Time the regular users & locals donned their yellow vests I think,:D it must be a safety issue with blow outs etc.
Les

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One time I was going to Carcossonne in France in the van, I ended up on a single track road diversion, through some mountains and wet roads and wobbly bridges with sheer drops either side. Give me the M25 any time ?
 
Clarky said:
Agreed!
50mph for miles and miles for no good reason that I can see.
They had finally cleared the ‘stack lanes’, to my delight, when we came back through the tunnel a few weeks ago. Only to find they had reinstated them the other side of Ashford, also with 50mph limits.
The lanes were supposed to be experimental to see what effect it had on traffic but they have been there for months.
Why? What is going on? It’s a great way to impress visitors and welcome them to our road system.

Richard
Click to expand...
50 mph or 70 mph ,,not much difference in journey times in UK,, BUSBY.

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