Tam, Jade and Franky's European Adventure

[Clarky]

As you are going to La Mailleraye there are new washing machines and a dryer outside the Carrefour store.
From the vet keep going up the street, over the roundabout and turn left after about 300 m.
It’s an excellent small supermarket with a filling station.

Some Frenchies are a nightmare at service points. They just don’t care who they hold up or for how long.
Loved the van lady incident, you really should have that on video and put it on YouTube.

Richard

 

[spitfire]

I'm not sure my heart can handle France.
I left honfleur this morning heading to a free aire in saint romain de bolcosc. So I stuck the coordinates in the satnav and was greeted by toll charge. ..so I said sod that. .it came up with a 60 mile route so I chose the toll charge option figuring it will be the bloody bridge.

I nearly passed away when I got charged €6.30 to cross a 2km bridge I mean I dinnae want to buy it just cross the bloody thing ....i wouldn't mind but they haven't even built it properly it's all wonky with a camber that has you gripping the steering wheel like a man possesed in case you go off the side. All right in a lhd maybe when the passenger gets a rollercoaster type thrill but in rhd with a driver scared of heights it's a recipe for disaster ....the toll booth woman was a right cheery soul too ( not )

Anyway I'm only just recovering from that and continuing down the road and the sat nav tells me to take the next exit ....and there's only another bloody toll barrier to get off the road ...another €1.30 you'd think I'd come in to money ..... €7.60 in the space of ten minutes and not a drink or bite to eat has passed my lips.
Outrageous


Then I arrive at the aire which I'm only using to empty my toilet waste by the way .....theres a van on the services and one qued behind so I joined the que ....25 mins it took these two numpties to empty and fill ...some folk don't half mess around on the service points. And then the cheek of it there's 2 bloody French women sneak in and start washing dishes under the fecking tap while I'm trying to fill me water bottle.
The cassette emptying point is another challenge as what idiot cements a grate over the top of the waste point ? ...so you end up with a grate covered in jobby ....they have thoughtfully left a pair of bbq tongs attached on a string so you can poke the offending article through the grate but it's not a pleasant job and of course you always get bloody spectators who like to stand right behind you while you do it ....one of these days I'm going to turn around quick and spill my cassette over them to see if that stops it .

I also went to empty my grey waste only to find an empty tank and the bloody plug has bounced out somewhere and is inside the tank which I can't get too grrrr
A job for later fishing that out .


So eventually I leave the aire heading towards fecamb. ..coming through a wed village and there's some roadworks getting done so diverted via a side street ...a very narrow side street ...and tree lined ...so I've turned in to it and a wee Citroen van coming the other way ...numerous cars behind me

I pulled over as far as I can without hitting the trees but can't go any further so stopped
But the wee Citroen van lady can't get past ....so she's shouting and waving out window for me to drive forward which I can't cause of trees ....i can't go back bevause of cars
There's nothing behind her at this point but instead of reversing she gets out and is trying to open my passenger door that's locked and also has a fiamma deadlock thingie on it ....shes making signs to open window which I can't reach lol so I signal her to walk round to my side ....she does arms flapping around and talking in French

She then gets round my side and starts going mental ....i can't understand a bloody word meanwhile the cars behind start tooting and a wee old guy about 340 years old comes up behind her in an old Merc

I'm trying to tell her she will have to go back etc

She bangs on the side of the van and goes in her van slamming the door and still going mental

So the wee old guy starts reversing and so does she still flapping at me and shouting ....finally back enough for me to squeeze through and just as I passed she reverses in to the old guys Merc. ...

I just got out of there .....


Bloody France


You can keep it ......i just wanna go home lol

Remember re tolls here there is always an alternative route but guess you missed it and of course we don’t pay any road tax !!

 

[Northernraider]

Should have set your satnav for no tolls then it would have taken you across one of the free ferries across the Seine, well mine does.
As for the woman drive it's just not French ones some of them just can't understand it is easier to reverse a small vehicle than a big and of course they themselves are frightened to death of reversing.
Have you got any dash cam footage so we can have a laugh

French at services can be unbelievable at times. Had one guy start washing his van. I drove up within a few inches of his bumper and left my engine running he got the hint.

It did say about a ferry but I didn't think they were free lol ....so I opted for the bridge.
Bridge tolls seem expensive ...before they abolished the one on the forth it was a quid to cross and only on one direction.

That woman was nuts but I'd love to have seen how mad she got after hitting that guys car ...it was an old classic Merc too.

Sadly my dash cam is a cheap thing off eBay and it's a 15minute loop that jist keeps recording over itself. Probably wouldn't have seen much anyway.

The service thing I will never understand they just seem to be unaware there are other folk waiting.

 

[Northernraider]

As you are going to La Mailleraye there are new washing machines and a dryer outside the Carrefour store.
From the vet keep going up the street, over the roundabout and turn left after about 300 m.
It’s an excellent small supermarket with a filling station.

Some Frenchies are a nightmare at service points. They just don’t care who they hold up or for how long.
Loved the van lady incident, you really should have that on video and put it on YouTube.

Richard

Ah thanks for that ....ideally I wanted to hold off till just before crossing so jade didn't get the throws all messy again but I might just do them there anyway ...they aren't that bad and are only really to protect the light coloured upholstery but I would like to present the van as best as I can having been living in it the last 12 months.

To be honest at the time of the crazy van lady I just wanted out of there but she was bonkers I've not seen any road rage like that for a while. ..the only words I understood was monsuier and idiot lol

 

[Northernraider]

Remember re tolls here there is always an alternative route but guess you missed it and of course we don’t pay any road tax !!

Aye the only problem in that case was it mentioned a ferry which I figured woukd be dearer or the route round the river which was about 60 miles so I opted for the bridge.

Not that bad really just more than I expected to cross a bridge

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[Onemanandhisdog]

So eventually I leave the aire heading towards fecamb. ..coming through a wed village and there's some roadworks getting done so diverted via a side street ...a very narrow side street ...and tree lined ...so I've turned in to it and a wee Citroen van coming the other way ...numerous cars behind me

I pulled over as far as I can without hitting the trees but can't go any further so stopped
But the wee Citroen van lady can't get past ....so she's shouting and waving out window for me to drive forward which I can't cause of trees ....i can't go back bevause of cars
There's nothing behind her at this point but instead of reversing she gets out and is trying to open my passenger door that's locked and also has a fiamma deadlock thingie on it ....shes making signs to open window which I can't reach lol so I signal her to walk round to my side ....she does arms flapping around and talking in French

She then gets round my side and starts going mental ....i can't understand a bloody word meanwhile the cars behind start tooting and a wee old guy about 340 years old comes up behind her in an old Merc

I'm trying to tell her she will have to go back etc

She bangs on the side of the van and goes in her van slamming the door and still going mental

So the wee old guy starts reversing and so does she still flapping at me and shouting ....finally back enough for me to squeeze through and just as I passed she reverses in to the old guys Merc. ...

I just got out of there .....


Bloody France


You can keep it ......i just wanna go home lol

You should have just stuck the kettle on and gone to bed!! You always have the upper hand in a motorhome

 

[Lenny HB]

I think your bridge charge was high because of your 3 axles, sounds like the one I've been across I think it was €2.30.

 

[Northernraider]

I think your bridge charge was high because of your 3 axles, sounds like the one I've been across I think it was €2.30.

I thought that but apparently €5.40 Is the car rate ....i was class 2 at €6.30
Glad I don't live there and work in le havre lol

 

[Just smiffy]

What aire did you stay on at cite Europe?
Is it close to the chunnel and was there washing machines near by?
I wanna do all my throws etc before heading over as I've someone viewing the van on Monday afternoon in Southampton.

The aire right outside carrefour and I don’t think there are any washing machines about...

 

[Manic]

We got charged €6.60 on the Trancarville bridge near Romain de colbosc but we had our car in tow.
Pont de Normandie would have been €13

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[spitfire]

Aye the only problem in that case was it mentioned a ferry which I figured woukd be dearer or the route round the river which was about 60 miles so I opted for the bridge.

Not that bad really just more than I expected to cross a bridge

Ha ha don’t ever go through the Frejus Tunnel with a double axle . A good few years ago was 44 euros .

 

[Northernraider]

We got charged €6.60 on the Trancarville bridge near Romain de colbosc but we had our car in tow.
Pont de Normandie would have been €13

Highway robbers they are

 

[spitfire]

I think your bridge charge was high because of your 3 axles, sounds like the one I've been across I think it was €2.30.

UK is worse Tamar Bridge £6 !! And huge lorry on 4 wheels £1.50 !!!

 

[Northernraider]

Ha ha don’t ever go through the Frejus Tunnel with a double axle . A good few years ago was 44 euros .

That's outrageous I could build a tunnel for that

5 or 6 Andrex toilet roll tubes ...few tubes of pva glue

 

[spitfire]

That's outrageous I could build a tunnel for that

5 or 6 Andrex toilet roll tubes ...few tubes of pva glue

I told her I don’t want to buy the tunnel and she said then you should t ha e such a big van lol

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[Northernraider]

I told her I don’t want to buy the tunnel and she said then you should t ha e such a big van lol

Yeah the toll attendants need gagged

 

[irnbru]

Yep your post about the irate woman was very funny.

 

[Northernraider]

Yep your post about the irate woman was very funny.

At one point I thought she was gonna slap me lol ....i flinched

 

[jumartoo]

Were at Cite Europe right now. Looks like one day late for @Just smiffy and one day early for you. We're destined never to meet up!

Have a good time back in the UK and I hope your mum is OK.

 

[Northernraider]

Were at Cite Europe right now. Looks like one day late for @Just smiffy and one day early for you. We're destined never to meet up!

Have a good time back in the UK and I hope your mum is OK.

I won't be at cite Europe till Sunday but yeah I'm sure you just keep avoiding me lol.

Met a couple of funsters at honfleur but my bad I can't remember their names
They aren't very active on here but they were one of the couples interested in my van when I first put it for sale.

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[busby]

That's outrageous I could build a tunnel for that

5 or 6 Andrex toilet roll tubes ...few tubes of pva glue

Can remember complaining to the guy on the toll on Sandbanks Ferry years ago about the price,,I said to him how much,,,i could swim across there,,,Probably so he answered but NOT WITH YOUR CAR ON YOUR BACK,,,,so true,,BUSBY

 

[Just smiffy]

Were at Cite Europe right now. Looks like one day late for @Just smiffy and one day early for you. We're destined never to meet up!

Have a good time back in the UK and I hope your mum is OK.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Judith @jumartoo ....

Are you going to uk or ? Judith

 

[jumartoo]

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Judith @jumartoo ....

Are you going to uk or ? Judith

We're on our way (slowly) back to Totana. Meeting up with friends, both Funsters and not yet Funsters near Limoge in the next week or so, then northern Spain. Hoping to walk the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo to Lugo or maybe all the way to Santiago before returning to Totana.

Where are you heading for?

 

[chaser]

Ha ha don’t ever go through the Frejus Tunnel with a double axle . A good few years ago was 44 euros .

58 euros class 2 fortnight ago

 

[spitfire]

58 euros class 2 fortnight ago

OMG

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[Clarky]

We should arrive at La Mailleraye some time on Saturday afternoon if you are still around Tam.
We will probably be there for 2-3 days if anyone else is there. Come and say hello.
Fun stickers are deployed front and rear.

Richard.

 

[Just smiffy]

We're on our way (slowly) back to Totana. Meeting up with friends, both Funsters and not yet Funsters near Limoge in the next week or so, then northern Spain. Hoping to walk the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo to Lugo or maybe all the way to Santiago before returning to Totana.

Where are you heading for?

Probably going to do a bit of fishing (course) after meeting Tam around Le Mans or further down if it’s not warm, then like you slowly going south, probably over to south west of Portugal then over to Spain for the winter...

I’ve got till end of February to waste my time along the way..

 

[2657]

Ha ha don’t ever go through the Frejus Tunnel with a double axle . A good few years ago was 44 euros .

I was considering that tunnel in 2009 en route to Croatia in the fiver......until I checked online........Class4, around €240 from memory!!!

 

[gus-lopez]

Bridge tolls seem expensive ...before they abolished the one on the forth it was a quid to cross and only on one direction.

Don't go over the Millau bridge then. I think @JockandRita paid 30+ € , 3 axles. It's 8.90€ for a car.

 

[Northernraider]

58 euros class 2 fortnight ago

OMG

I'm in a cold sweat already

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