Road trip to Loire valley
Discussion
Hi all,
i am about to take my 964 over to the Loire for a weeks holiday in May. It will be my first time driving abroad and wondered if any you have some handy information.
I've already booked the Euro-tunnel and arrive hopefully in Calais around 9 or 10am. Is it possible to drive from Calais down to the Loire in a day or am i better off booking a one-night stop in Normandy on the way down? How long does it take in hours to say get down to Rouen, then onto Le Mans and then finally the Loire region?
Any suggested routes recommended or potential pitfalls ?
Also, what do i need in terms of getting the car prepped? for instance headlights. And any essential tools/parts to take with me?
Was also thinking of getting a sat nav and wondered whats the best one for europe as well as UK, without spending silly money ?
Looking forward to stretching the Porkers legs on those lovely empty tree-lined french roads :-)
Lots of questions i know ! Thanks in advance for any help
Mark.
i am about to take my 964 over to the Loire for a weeks holiday in May. It will be my first time driving abroad and wondered if any you have some handy information.
I've already booked the Euro-tunnel and arrive hopefully in Calais around 9 or 10am. Is it possible to drive from Calais down to the Loire in a day or am i better off booking a one-night stop in Normandy on the way down? How long does it take in hours to say get down to Rouen, then onto Le Mans and then finally the Loire region?
Any suggested routes recommended or potential pitfalls ?
Also, what do i need in terms of getting the car prepped? for instance headlights. And any essential tools/parts to take with me?
Was also thinking of getting a sat nav and wondered whats the best one for europe as well as UK, without spending silly money ?
Looking forward to stretching the Porkers legs on those lovely empty tree-lined french roads :-)
Lots of questions i know ! Thanks in advance for any help
Mark.
Should be able to do that run in a day. Use the A16 and A28 to get to Rouen. Take the N138 from Rouen to Le Mans, the head South on the A11.
The slow bit is getting around Rouen - follow the signs to Paris to skirt around the outside of the city, then, when you get to the A13, head West towards Le Havre for a few miles to find the N138 - good luck!!
The slow bit is getting around Rouen - follow the signs to Paris to skirt around the outside of the city, then, when you get to the A13, head West towards Le Havre for a few miles to find the N138 - good luck!!
silver993tt said:
Take a first aid kit, emergency triangle, orange/yellow over vest and a spare bulb kit. That lot should keep the Gendarme happy should you get stopped for any reason.
British plates is enough of a reason to be stopped, so this is good advice. When I lived in Switzerland and crossed the border at least once a week, no one bothered with any of that stuff (unless it was needed in Switzerland).
2something said:
silver993tt said:
Take a first aid kit, emergency triangle, orange/yellow over vest and a spare bulb kit. That lot should keep the Gendarme happy should you get stopped for any reason.
British plates is enough of a reason to be stopped, so this is good advice. When I lived in Switzerland and crossed the border at least once a week, no one bothered with any of that stuff (unless it was needed in Switzerland).
When we got the the Swiss border from Austria with 10 motorbikes, we were all asked to show our first aid kits. For a car, they're a small light object to carry so it's worth it.
To be honest, I tend to avoid France and Switzerland, loads of lovely roads in Germany, Austria & Italy and generally more tolerant authorities (especially for bikers).
jonzo said:
Hi all,
Is it possible to drive from Calais down to the Loire in a day
Is it possible to drive from Calais down to the Loire in a day
Yes. Very easy.
jonzo said:
Any suggested routes recommended or potential pitfalls ?
Yes. Loads of avoidable pitfalls. Some already posted previously, but you'll be entering the favourite hunting ground of the Gendarmerie at a time when they expect to catch loads of Brits! Do a search on here - well documented already, methinks.
jonzo said:
Also, what do i need in terms of getting the car prepped? for instance headlights. And any essential tools/parts to take with me?
I suggest you go to the AA website and download their guidelines for European motoring. They are very good and kept up to date.
jonzo said:
Was also thinking of getting a sat nav and wondered whats the best one for europe as well as UK, without spending silly money ?
Cheapest option I can think of is TomTom software on a PDA you already have, then download French speed cameras and keep them updated. Use the key words Radars France to find the URL for updates. Better than in-car SatNav because of the overlays you can do with speed cameras/traps.
jonzo said:
Looking forward to stretching the Porkers legs on those lovely empty tree-lined french roads :-)
Yup - and the Gendarmerie are lying in wait for you, mate, and when they don't get you, you'll be busy worrying about French driving habits and (in)discipline! Choose your week in May very carefully too, else those tree-lined roads will be nothing but jammed.
IMO, if you wanna stretch the Porker with good roads and discipline, go to Germany (or Northern Spain).
Enjoy your trip, and please let us know how you get on (tips on the latest trials in France are always welcome).
Edited by bcnrml on Tuesday 20th March 18:52
If you want a dedicated SatNav have a look at the TomTom One Europe for about £250. Has complete street level mapping of the whole of Europe and postcode routing for the UK. UK and Europe speed camera PointsOfInterest (POI) overlays are really easy to install and work pretty well - saved me a couple of times now. Other POI's (e.g. Shell petrol stations for VPower etc.) and applications (Route logging and speed readout) can be installed. Route calculation very fast and more sensible routes than the built in SatNav in the wife's Toyota.
DO NOT SPEED on the auto route, and be prepared to be stopped by the Gendarme frequently anywhere near Calias. Don't take anything that could be construed as a radar or camera detector. I've been stopped for not speeding.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
Thanks alot for all your great replies gents. I had read previous posts and articles in porsche mags about the gendarmes targetting Brit sports car drivers. :-(
I take it a sat nav that has camera overlays wouldnt be construed as camera detection equipment? Getting a hefty fine and confiscation would put a bit of a dampener on the holiday !
I will post back on here with my tales of adventure :-)
I take it a sat nav that has camera overlays wouldnt be construed as camera detection equipment? Getting a hefty fine and confiscation would put a bit of a dampener on the holiday !
I will post back on here with my tales of adventure :-)
magic torch said:
DO NOT SPEED on the auto route, and be prepared to be stopped by the Gendarme frequently anywhere near Calias. Don't take anything that could be construed as a radar or camera detector. I've been stopped for not speeding.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
...I've made plenty of trips to Blighty from Provence...at varying 3 figure speeds and not once been stopped! I think driving to the conditions and most importantly common sense/observation are the keys? However within 50km's of the Channel ports I always rein it in!
scotty_917 said:
magic torch said:
DO NOT SPEED on the auto route, and be prepared to be stopped by the Gendarme frequently anywhere near Calias. Don't take anything that could be construed as a radar or camera detector. I've been stopped for not speeding.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
...I've made plenty of trips to Blighty from Provence...at varying 3 figure speeds and not once been stopped! I think driving to the conditions and most importantly common sense/observation are the keys? However within 50km's of the Channel ports I always rein it in!
Sounds like you've been lucky...
As I've said I've been stopped when I wasn't speeding and asked why I was travelling at the speed limit. Stopped when I was probably just over, the speed exaggerated, and faster locals ignored. Stopped when one of us was well over.
Never been stopped in a hire car though.
Globulator said:
scotty_917 said:
...I've made plenty of trips to Blighty from Provence...at varying 3 figure speeds and not once been stopped!
What type and colour car were you driving? i.e. was it an 'invisible' one like a renault etc? once in a convoy of Porsches, Ferrari's, Lambo's & M3's.....doin' deep into 3 figure's in broad daylight, on near empty autoroutes!
scotty_917 said:
Globulator said:
scotty_917 said:
...I've made plenty of trips to Blighty from Provence...at varying 3 figure speeds and not once been stopped!
What type and colour car were you driving? i.e. was it an 'invisible' one like a renault etc? once in a convoy of Porsches, Ferrari's, Lambo's & M3's.....doin' deep into 3 figure's in broad daylight, on near empty autoroutes!
I'm going down there next Sunday (1st) for a weeks Holiday, So I'll be able to tell you then how easy it is! It looks easy, I am hoping to get there (Ciron) by about 4 or 5pm leaving Calais at around 9 (7am ferry) We usually get to Lemans for about 3/4pm leaving Calais at around 10.....
Unfortunatley were heading down in the Skoda so might not be able to travel at the speeds of the 968, but then I shouldn't need fuel so often...
Unfortunatley were heading down in the Skoda so might not be able to travel at the speeds of the 968, but then I shouldn't need fuel so often...
magic torch said:
scotty_917 said:
magic torch said:
DO NOT SPEED on the auto route, and be prepared to be stopped by the Gendarme frequently anywhere near Calias. Don't take anything that could be construed as a radar or camera detector. I've been stopped for not speeding.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
Make sure you've got all your docs, and handful of bulbs that could pass for spares.
...I've made plenty of trips to Blighty from Provence...at varying 3 figure speeds and not once been stopped! I think driving to the conditions and most importantly common sense/observation are the keys? However within 50km's of the Channel ports I always rein it in!
Sounds like you've been lucky...
As I've said I've been stopped when I wasn't speeding and asked why I was travelling at the speed limit. Stopped when I was probably just over, the speed exaggerated, and faster locals ignored. Stopped when one of us was well over.
Never been stopped in a hire car though.
perhaps that was because they were all incapable of breaking the speed limit.
seriously though. the police in france have guns so when they tell you that you have speeding you take it and pay the fine.
on one four day trip i was relieved of over 150 euros and we were trying not to speed on the autoroutes.
also be careful of your sat nav equipment. i have heard stories (probably untrue) of units being smashed at the roadside as plod were not satisfied of their legality
that said, when i was over there last weekend a french registered jeep stormed past me (i was in a clio) with windscreen mounted speed detector equipment so quite what plod would have done to him i have no idea
good luck
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