WILL I COPE TAKING MY MOTORHOME OVER TO FRANCE ON MY OWN, AT 64YRS OLD?


For a long time now I have been wanting to go over to France in my motorhome Dora the Explora. The thing stopping me was, fear. I was afraid of driving my motorhome on the other side of the road. I did not know what area to head for and I was afraid of booking camping spots. Would I be safe? 

Over the last four years since I retired at 60, I have been a pro-age campaigner travelling Great Britain and Ireland. I constantly encourage women to face their fears and have their adventures. Now it was my time to show that I am up for the challenge of heading to France in Dora.


I often say that my plan is to have no plan and to go with the flow. This time I knew that I did need to formulate some kind of plan to make me feel a bit safer.  The 'Caravan and Motorhome Club' were brilliant helping me book my ferries from Dover to Calais. I also got more peace of mind by booking my Red Pennant Insurance and European Breakdown cover  https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/insurance/overseas-holiday-insurance/  through them. You get a discount as a Caravan and Motorhome Club member.

I decided not to go to far into France for my first trip there. For this reason I chose to do a ten day trip to the Normandy area. The Alan Rogers Travel Guides were perfect. 


They gave me all the information that I needed about the sites and places to visit nearby. I finally chose three sites from his latest guidebook and their website https://alanrogers.com , where there are thousands of sites in Europe to chose from. They have barcodes you can scan to get even more information. 

My first choice from the 55th edition of the Alan Rogers guide, was  https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-la-bien-assise-nord-pas-de-calais    Camping la Bien-Assise Nord/Pas-de-Calais, Guines because of its close proximity to Calais. I felt that would be a good stopping off point and booked myself in for two nights. And one night for my last night of the trip so that I was nearby to get the ferry from Calais to Dover the following day.

Secondly I found https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-le-champ-neuf-picardy   Camping Le Champ Neuf Picardy,Somme, Saint Quentin-en-Tourmont on the Alan Rogers Website,  I liked the look of it. It said that it was a quiet site and would only be about an hours drive, which is all I felt that I would manage. Especially if I was to negotiate roundabouts. I booked three nights there because I knew that I would want to go out exploring on my bike as it was on the Bay of the Somme. 

Last but not least I chose  https://alanrogers.com/campsite/camping-le-marqueval-normandy   Camping le Marqueval Siene-Maritime, Pourville-sur-Mer  I booked for four nights. Again it would not be too far to drive and I would get to totally relax and enjoy being near the sea.

I booked the Caravan and Motorhome Club https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/south-east-england/kent/black-horse-farm-club-campsite/ Black Horse farm site, for the night before and night after my trip, to be near the ferry port.  

With everything booked I was full of excitement and fear. It was really going to happen. At the age of 64 I was going to drive my Motorhome in France on the other side of the road and explore Normandy as a solo female traveller.

Now I had to make sure that I had all the things I needed for venturing into Europe . Thankfully the Caravan and Motorhome Club have all the information you need about Motorhoming in France on their website https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/overseas-holidays/useful-information/travelling-after-brexit/driving-in-europe-brexit/

I ordered myself a UK sticker for the Van. Spare headlight bulbs, breathalyser and headlight refractors. I had a high viz jacket,Yellow triangle and fire extinguisher. I made sure I had my Passport, Driving Licence, V5 ownership papers and insurance documents.

Some places have low emission Zones so I ordered myself a Crit'Air sticker,  https://entreprendre.service-public.fr/vosdroits/R44284?lang=en  even though I was not going to any low emission Zones, I thought just in case I got lost and drove through one by accident, I would get one to pop in my windscreen.

As I have a bike rack I also ordered a square panel with red and white diagonal reflective stripes to fix to the bike rack cover.

When I was collecting my Euros from the post office the man behind the counter asked me where I was going and I replied " I am taking my motorhome over to France for ten days on my own" I could feel myself bursting with excitement and fear about my next adventure and I could not wait to head on over there to France.

In my next blog I will let you know how I got on. The highs and lows of the trip.





Comments

  1. MoneyMegaMarketSeptember 13, 2023 at 2:29 AM

    Thank for sharing details with us.
    MotorHome Insurance

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ellie BrownJanuary 12, 2024 at 4:45 AM

    What an intriguing read! Your motorhome journey to Ireland seems like such an incredible experience, and your detailed insights into the preparations and considerations are both informative and entertaining. I can imagine the excitement and challenges of taking a motorhome on a ferry, and your firsthand account is truly valuable for anyone planning a similar adventure.

    I particularly appreciated your tips on booking ferry crossings and adapting to different driving norms. Your honesty about the uncertainties and adjustments adds a personal touch that makes the narrative relatable.

    On a side note, your experience resonates with the diverse range of motorhomes available for exploration. If ever you're on the lookout for new or used motorhomes to enhance your travels, checking out a reliable dealership like RV Supercentre could open up even more possibilities. Happy travels and looking forward to more captivating stories from your motorhome adventures! Safe journeys!
    If any one want to explore new and used motorhomes for sale checkout https://www.rvsupercentre.co.uk/servicing.html

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ONE WOMAN, ONE MOTORHOME, ONE FRENCH ADVENTURE

Image
The night before I was due to get the ferry over to France I booked the  https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/club-sites/england/south-east-england/kent/black-horse-farm-club-campsite/   campsite, so that I did not have far to drive the following morning to make my crossing. The campsite managers were so welcoming and let me stay in an area of the site that is specifically for people heading off to get ferries, so that they are not worried about disturbing other campers if it is a particularly early start. All the facilities at the site were excellent and clean. They gave me a printout of the best ways to get to the Port of Dover, which was very helpful. As I drove into the port I was nervous. I had to concentrate hard to work out which lane I was in. Thankfully it was all relatively easy and I joined the queue to board the boat.   I drove onto the ferry without any problem, parked up and headed for the Club lounge. It's worth paying the extra to get a nice meal, drinks and lovely surroun
Read more

MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN WOMEN GET TOGETHER FOR ADVENTURES

Image
                                                 Recently I had the privilege of joining around forty women in the Peak District to have our own solo van adventures. The Amazing woman ,Hollie Londors, made it all happen. She has formed a group called @these-girlsvan to help and support women who are fearful of venturing out alone in their vans, for their own adventures. Many of them busy mums. So Hollie organises get togethers. I asked if I could join them on one in the Peak District, to see what it was all about.  I first met Hollie when we were both talking at the Motorhome show at the NEC earlier this year.  We have spoken since at several other shows. I instantly fell in love with her enthusiasm for life and adventure. She is an awesome young woman who wants to help other women get the best out of life and face their fears. She has so much positive energy and enthusiasm for what she is doing, it just comes across. Likewise she was impressed with me choosing my life in the motorhome
Read more