French Roadtrip, next week.

[explosive-cabbage]

One evening whilst drunk I booked a Sun £9.50 holiday, without realising there is water between here and France.

 

The dates have come around, I have found some cheap ferries (£59 return, thanks to advice from Mr Bickle) and I am looking for things to do between 18th and 21st in Normandy / Northern France.

 

Our ferry is likely going from Dover to Dunkirk, and we will have 36 hours to kill in northern France between Dunkirk and Granville (where the holiday camp is).

 

We are planning on going to see the Normandy beaches and possibly the Bateaux tapestry and St Michaels Mount, possibly a WW2 graveyard also.

 

Proper tourist yo.

 

What else is there?

 

So are there any good scenic routes across northern France?

 

I don't mean hooning ones as such, as I may have to tune down the car to last the distance on the amount of veg I can carry.

(About 250 litres, and it is an 11hour drive from Malham to Granville, not including travelling around to see things whilst I am there)

 

Also, is there anyone between Dover and London who would be willing to store 2 x 25L drums of vegetable oil for 5 days, so I can pick them up on the way back and use them to get home with?

(think Ernest Shackleton and food dumps in the Antarctic - except I will remember where I left them!)

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Junkman]

Mine is on 13 July. To Wimereux. Which is near Hastings.

[hairnet]

portsmouth cherbourg or caen

 

dunkirk to granville is an awful loooong way 400 kms plus tolls

 

do the lap of the cherbourg pennisula avoiding the main road

 

mont st michel - park at the tat shops on the road in and walk up as €€ to park in the car park

 

go jersey for a hoon round the island

[forddeliveryboy]

Just find a decent town and engage with the locals. Preferably female. Be aware that vegging is illegal in France (yes, I know they and the Germans run the EU but the French pick and choose their laws) so a blanket over a myriad of cubies may be an idea.

 

And don't insist they drive your car, unless you're too pissed to drive to their shack. Have a good time, we look forward to the pics!

[explosive-cabbage]

Thanks for the help.

 

I'll keep the veg well hidden and tune down the car so it's not smoking...

 

I don't really have choice but to drive from Dunkirk to Granville on the toll roads, but the ferry was at least £50 cheaper than Dover Calais and £100 cheaper then Portsmouth to Caen, so it should make up for all the toll prices!

[Station]

They do spot checks at the ferry entrance, you have to drive through and stop at a security post, if there's anything peculiar about the contents of your car, you'll get it searched. Every time I've gone through in my estate (they've never checked MR2), the back has been checked thoroughly by Frenchmen on the Dover side. I dunno if vegetable oil is legal or not though.

Autoroute is very nice and cheap, considering the M6 toll is 5.50 for 17 miles. Driving through rural French towns and the connecting roads is very memorable, it's all very WW2 tank battle.

[Mr Lobster]

You can get some cheap fares on the Newhaven - Dieppe ferry which gets you in the right area too, Dunkirk to Normandy is a fairly lengthy drive.

[IanMacfarlane]

I did the Sun holiday in France last year, first time driving on the continent and very daunting. Nerves lasted about 5 minutes once in France, had a great time, would do it again. Have fun.

[John F]

Pegasus Bridge and the town of Caen are worth looking at, as are the remains of Mulberry B "Port Winston" - the artificial harbour at Arromanches (Gold beach) that was expected to last a few weeks / months until a port was captured but is still partially in place today, 71 years later.

 

BTW it's illegal to visit Normandy without getting off your tits on lthe local cider and calvados brandy.

[dollywobbler]

Not immediately on your doorstep, but I found this place fascinating. http://www.manoir-automobile.fr/race-cars/

 

Me and a friend made the mistake of putting money in the big fairground music machine in the restaurant. Imagine the hallowed, peaceful scene of a museum suddenly interrupted by fairground music at a serious volume! Amusing.

[explosive-cabbage]

You can get some cheap fares on the Newhaven - Dieppe ferry which gets you in the right area too, Dunkirk to Normandy is a fairly lengthy drive.

 

I got quoted around £100 which isn't bad really, but it is still a long drive and I am tight!

 

They do spot checks at the ferry entrance, you have to drive through and stop at a security post, if there's anything peculiar about the contents of your car, you'll get it searched. Every time I've gone through in my estate (they've never checked MR2), the back has been checked thoroughly by Frenchmen on the Dover side. I dunno if vegetable oil is legal or not though.

Autoroute is very nice and cheap, considering the M6 toll is 5.50 for 17 miles. Driving through rural French towns and the connecting roads is very memorable, it's all very WW2 tank battle.

 

The rear seats in the 205 have been removed so it is more like a van, hopefully if I stack camping equipment on top of the veg nobody will give 2 hoots.

 

Not immediately on your doorstep, but I found this place fascinating. http://www.manoir-automobile.fr/race-cars/

 

Me and a friend made the mistake of putting money in the big fairground music machine in the restaurant. Imagine the hallowed, peaceful scene of a museum suddenly interrupted by fairground music at a serious volume! Amusing.

 

Thanks for that! Looks good, but I don't know what the girlfriend will say about visiting a motor museum, not impressed I don't expect!

[HMC]

Sounds like a great trip. If they did question the veg oil it might be worth having a plausible alternative reason its there if they are not keen on veg. (chip shop proprietor?!)

 

Seriously though, every time I hear or read about a french roadtrip it makes me think a shitefest-francais would be brilliant.

[eddyramrod]

http://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/812191937.htm?ca=2_s

[explosive-cabbage]

 If they did question the veg oil it might be worth having a plausible alternative reason its there if they are not keen on veg. (chip shop proprietor?!)

 

I will just tell them it is nothing at all to do with me, and rev some fumes in their direction.

 

 

It's for cooking, honestly.

 

I don't know what the ferry rules are like, but it isn't a particularly dangerous cargo - it isn't flammable, and it is entirely biodegradable and natural so its not harmful or dangerous to anyone. Similar to carrying 200 litres of orange juice in drums. The operator may take umbrage though.

[garbaldy]

Out of the three tat collection trips this year we got stopped once which was last month, they looked all through the pickup and sent us on our way as we only had tools,

The poor guy in a zafira had the whole content's of his car strewn across the floor.

[HMC]

Whenever I went over in my old battered/ dented black 5 series it was always pulled and looked in/ over and the shiny silver honda civic not once.

[Vin]

When I came through Caen 2 years ago I was stopped and sent into the shed. They were stopping about every fifth car...

 

They frisked me and my Dad, but my Grandad was allowed to stay in the car as he'd dislocated his shoulder and had the joint replaced before we went to France, so his arm was all strapped up.

 

Luggage search consisted of me opening the boot of the Marea, opening and closing a suitcase and being sent on our way...

 

Reckon you'll be fine Will. Enjoy it,

[SambaS]

Shame only 2 seats I need to pick a Tagora up from Maine et Loire

[mat_the_cat]

Me and a friend made the mistake of putting money in the big fairground music machine in the restaurant. Imagine the hallowed, peaceful scene of a museum suddenly interrupted by fairground music at a serious volume! Amusing.

 

I remember that! Just Googled to find a video of it:

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x24zy2u_manoir-automobiles-de-loheac_auto

[Squire_Dawson]

I can't believe the thread has got this far without anybody asking 'what chod you are planning to bring back'?

 

Take Eddy's hint...

[eddyramrod]

Take some of Eddy's money too and your A-frame.  I'll be over to collect when you're home!

[explosive-cabbage]

I can't believe the thread has got this far without anybody asking 'what chod you are planning to bring back'?

 

Take Eddy's hint...

 

Sorry guys, I really cant. I have enough chod already. [/sensibility]

[forddeliveryboy]

Technically, they can't touch you regarding the veg, so long as you're not caught refilling in France - in all surrounding EU nations it's perfectly legal, so you're allowed to have fuelled up in one of them and be carrying more fuel for when you reach your next country.

 

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=30422&pid=351903#pid351903

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=6143

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=16520&pid=182438#pid182438

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=33677&pid=384479#pid384479

[KruJoe]

I'll be making sure you have the A-frame on board.

If you find a cheap old Fiat 500 to drag back, it'd easy pay for your hols.

 

http://www.leboncoin.fr/voitures/798509179.htm?ca=11_s

[Mr Lobster]

Whilst it might not be that flammable, I do wonder what would happen if you got stopped at Dover and they find a load of barrels of veg oil in the car. You could well imagine the ferry operators not been massively enthusiastic about that somehow.

[explosive-cabbage]

Technically, they can't touch you regarding the veg, so long as you're not caught refilling in France - in all surrounding EU nations it's perfectly legal, so you're allowed to have fuelled up in one of them and be carrying more fuel for when you reach your next country.

 

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=30422&pid=351903#pid351903

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=6143

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=16520&pid=182438#pid182438

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/mybbforum/showthread.php?tid=33677&pid=384479#pid384479

 

Thanks for that, it's good to know.