Caravan touring abroad ( France or Spain ) - 2016

[Billggski]

Another vote for ACSI and sanef, but your choice is toll roads or D roads.
For an older car the toll roads are best, no roundabouts or steep hills.

[Whyman]

We usually go for a month in June.

All booked with CC and Red Pennant Insurance. Great service when we have needed to use it.

We only take one gas bottle and have never had a problem even had enough left for a two stay in Sandringham and still not empty.

Toll roads are great in France but we do not use a Sanef tag as all booths now accept cards. Would be different if OH was not with me.

[c_lee]

Well - we returned from our month long caravan trip to France on the 2nd July and covered 1870 miles without the slightest mechanical murmur from the car.

I now have full confidence in my autobox repair.

I also now know that when approaching a French motorway pay station it is better not to try to position the outfit in the hope of allowing my Mrs ( in the LHS front seat ) to operate the pay station without alighting from the car.

Those big concrete kerbs at pay stations could do a lot of damage to the caravan front lower nearside quarter.

I was lucky ( just, and only by a whisker ) but it scraped my lower front awning rail just enough to close the running gap in the rail.

Boy that was close.

There was also a short length of approach railing that my ( UK ) nearside towing mirror was folded in by.

When my Mrs folded it out again after leaving the pay station she pushed on the ( Milenco Aero type ) towing mirror and all was fine until a couple of miles later on the motorway when the mirror let go of its grip on the frame of the OEM mirror housing.

At an aire soon after I stopped and had to improvise by dismantling the drivers towing mirror to fit on the passenger side but I was now one towing mirror short.

I was able to pick up a replacement mirror from another member on the first C&CC rally we were on.

I was told that many people had done this in the past and they now always have the passenger alight the car to pay at toll stations.

A couple of days after arriving in France and not having driven any distance from the port we decided to drive to Deauville just a few miles down the coast.

Approach for a few miles into Deauville was absolute bedlam on the road as, unbeknown to us, there was an international triathlon event in progress and there were closed roads, diversions, horrendous traffic etc etc.

The trip was very much a learning experience on so many levels driving wise having not driven abroad for about 30 years.

Through the month driving became easier.
I was concerned most when the caravan was attached.

Next time it should be easier hopefully.

Colin

[colinbos]

Im off to Holland via Harwich - Hook of Holland in 2 weeks, first time abroad pulling a caravan.

I didn't fancy Calais at all with the transient migrant issues and now the delays mean Ive been lucky avoiding that.

Caravan is serviced, Car has had a fortune spent on it, and my heart is still fluttering that it doesn't play up !



Any driving tips C_Lee ?

[Whyman]

Keep to the right, be careful on roundabouts.

The only time I have really gone wrong was going up a one way street to a roundabout and I went round the wrong way! No other traffic so all was well but a pedestrian was a bit alarmed.

Enjoy your trip.

[andyredz]

It sounds like you are well prepared with your car and caravan, I would echo just going for it! There is a different attitude to caravans and motorhome holidays in Europe that you probably remember from years ago.