Where are all the English?

BobtheBass said:
Over a quarter of a million speeding fine notices sent to Brits in the last few months. They don't want us to visit.
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From what I can make out, France issues around half a million speeding fines to British motorists every year, so this year isn't looking any different.
 
With regard to the original post, I suspect the exchange rate has a lot to do with it. €1.09 yesterday. Before my wonderful Dad died I took him and my brother on a tour of the Somme and the Western Front. The rate then (2005) was €1.48 to the pound.
I hope I am wrong but I can see the rate remaining low for some time to come. It makes Europe an expensive place to visit. For me the wonderful Aire system in France keeps the costs at an acceptable level.
Best wishes to all. Paul
 
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We've just returned from a few weeks in France, as a rule of thumb the further south you go the fewer Brits. On one of our sites, at Ares, we were the only Brits but by the time we moved up to Saumur there were loads. Not many in Paris though.
 
Paul E. said:
With regard to the original post, I suspect the exchange rate has a lot to do with it. €1.09 yesterday. Before my wonderful Dad died I took him and my brother on a tour of the Somme and the Western Front. The rate then (2005) was €1.48 to the pound.
I hope I am wrong but I can see the rate remaining low for some time to come. It makes Europe an expensive place to visit. For me the wonderful Aire system in France keeps the costs at an acceptable level.
Best wishes to all. Paul
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As well as a poor exchange rate the diesel is dearer as well.
However, I am not wealthy but my holidays are important to me.
I'm on the ferry tomorrow and will be in France for around 3 months.
It's my children's inheritance so I don't care 'cos death will arrive soon enough ?
 
I think it makes a difference at what stage of life you’re in. If retired and plenty of time to avoid tolls , go out of season. It’s a lot different than being tied to 2 weeks school holidays and rushing down the toll roads which all cost more money.

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Jim said:
Don't think so, I just checked and we are completely empty this weekend
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We were looking to visit....but adults only, so that scuppered that idea. One MH, one camper van, five adults and two kids. Some other time, maybe, once the family returns to Poland! I’ve even ditched the blue for biological in preparation! :)
 
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Chris said:
:D

At school I scaled the dizzy heights of CSE French studies which was French for thickos.

I got a Grade 4 :(

I remember the book we worked on. It followed the lives of the Bertillon family. Monsieur Bertillon, Madame Bertillon, Alain, Marie - Claude and Fifi the dog ( or cat I can’t remember).

Both Monsieur and Madame worked at Orly airport.

I am a hive of useful information on France if anyone is interested.
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Apart from a CSE grade 3 German, I didn’t even go in for the French exam but luckily (I think)I can still recite most of a lengthy paragraph I had to learn from a detention in the early 1960’s. Not so sure about the spellings. However, I can weary you a bit anyway...
Il y a un grand batiment au coin del la rue .... and so it drivel’s on and on and on.
I rocked up for my detention on a Saturday morning on a. Pony to avoid the detention but the canny nuns put him in a field for me - foiled again, eh! Lol
 
JJ said:
If one is keen to see other motorhomes from Blighty when touring around, might I suggest touring around Blighty? :whistle2:


JJ :cool:
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JJ one is not bothered as per my initial post! I was just making an observation and what I had noticed from previous years holidays.
 
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We answered the call on our way
5345EE4B-D0C2-4F8F-8D54-5612CDABA044.jpeg
 
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klaatu said:
From what I can make out, France issues around half a million speeding fines to British motorists every year, so this year isn't looking any different.
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I’m not really sure how that can be the case as it was only last year that the U.K. started to provide vehicle driver/owner details to the French authorities? Up until then you could speed as much as you liked you wouldn’t get fined unless a copper nabbed you doing it.

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We seem to bump it to Brits all the time, I am starting to think I am going to the wrong places!
 
BobtheBass said:
I’m not really sure how that can be the case as it was only last year that the U.K. started to provide vehicle driver/owner details to the French authorities? Up until then you could speed as much as you liked you wouldn’t get fined unless a copper nabbed you doing it.
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The UK apparently ratified the cross-border agreement in May 2017. The internet has lots of examples of people who say that they received speeding fine notices before that date. But in any case, the numbers are irrelevant, unless you believe that France is sending speeding fine notices to people who weren't actually breaking the law. In an attempt to discourage British people from spending their holidays in France?
 
Larby said:
As well as a poor exchange rate the diesel is dearer as well.
However, I am not wealthy but my holidays are important to me.
I'm on the ferry tomorrow and will be in France for around 3 months.
It's my children's inheritance so I don't care 'cos death will arrive soon enough ?
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Its also the Tolls, we have a 9 Mtr Van which is 3.25 Mtr High and we get seriously stung
 
Oh god , we are going next weekend, shall we get back?
 
We've just come back.Toured northern Spain, then France up to Massif Central then across towards coast. Returned from Le Havre. More UK vans half way up the left hand side of France and 50% of the clientele at Bayeaux.We mostly stayed on midrange or municipal sites.
Shrewsbury this weekend, don't expect there will be many French vans there...

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We rarely see U.K. reg vans on our travels, but last week, we kept seeing a UK reg Benimar around Loudeac when we visited the town for shopping.
I think many of the Brits keep to main routes as they travel south and aires recommended by others, a few will stray away and these are the ones we see.
While tolls may put a few people off ( you don’t need to use them) fuel prices here have been dropping recently, I filled up a few days ago with diesel at €1.32 a litre. That’s the equivalent of about £1.18 which isn’t going to break the bank.
 
I’m fully aware that if you break the speed limit you are technically speeding but surely the reason for speeding being a major cause of accidents on the road is inconsiderate motorists significantly exceeding the limits, not people travelling 4kph over for 100 yards after a sign that they accidentally missed/was sneakily hidden/had the blatantly wrong limit on it/wasn’t there but you’re supposed to know a red outline on the village name means 50kph? France is simply fleecing it’s motorists, and I presume the French drivers are being hit as well for money money money as a result of Macrons crazy "Plan A", and until he brings in "Plan B" nothing much will change. The Yellow Jackets are doing their best to hurry him up a bit. Can you imagine what would happen in the U.K. if they changed the speed limit but left the signs as they were, then decided some Local Authorities could change them back again if they wanted? How would the motorist have the foggiest what the limit was until he received a ticket? It would be funny if it weren’t such a blatant con.

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I’m always disappointed to see other English people when away. I don’t want to go where the masses go.
 
BobtheBass said:
I’m fully aware that if you break the speed limit you are technically speeding but surely the reason for speeding being a major cause of accidents on the road is inconsiderate motorists significantly exceeding the limits, not people travelling 4kph over for 100 yards after a sign that they accidentally missed/was sneakily hidden/had the blatantly wrong limit on it/wasn’t there but you’re supposed to know a red outline on the village name means 50kph? France is simply fleecing it’s motorists, and I presume the French drivers are being hit as well for money money money as a result of Macrons crazy "Plan A", and until he brings in "Plan B" nothing much will change. The Yellow Jackets are doing their best to hurry him up a bit. Can you imagine what would happen in the U.K. if they changed the speed limit but left the signs as they were, then decided some Local Authorities could change them back again if they wanted? How would the motorist have the foggiest what the limit was until he received a ticket? It would be funny if it weren’t such a blatant con.
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More bollocks and bullshit, but then it is what is expected in the present environment when the truth only ever comes a very poor second...
 
France is trying to increase its road safety (appalling figures) and if they pay for their road safety improvements by fining speeders then I get that. Speed cameras as you enter a BUA makes common sense too, it helps ensure that ‘drivers’ follow the ‘max’ limit throughput the village/town/city.
 
Out of interest does France have speed humps everywhere?

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