Not long back from France....never again!!

At least never going to do a round trip of 1,500 miles with a wee 1600 pushing us along....It was a lovely holiday, am not going to go all travelogue on you because it wasn't that sort of a trip, but the travelling was a bit of an ordeal.....Bradford to Dover took us nearly 9 hours (we had to have some longish stops due to a hot start issue which I'm going to sort but hadn't before we went...DURRR..), Calais to Troyes probably took us about 7 hours...Troyes to Lac De Chalain about 4 hours. Came home via Disneyland Paris which added a few hours to our return journey. Bless em, got some lovely smiles n waves from T4 and T5 drivers on way down, and even from the couple of bays that passed us, loads of T25s passed us too....There was a gorgeous swiss Westfalia Joker HiTop on the camp site at Lac de Chalain and frankly, I would have happily have swapped our bay for it, which kinda makes me feel I'm being unfaithful to our lovely Bay...oh well, it was a lovely holiday , just the travelling was a pain in the bum

 

Time to get a type 4 in there

 

Bet you didn't get done for speeding though

 

There's no rushing t2's... Isn't that why you got it in the first place

 

I've been there done that and travelled on to Spain in my type2 never ever again wot a trip good to say undone it tho .

 

Yep. Been thinking just that!

 

it's aboout the journey, not the destination. isn't it?
well done for doing it though

 

My wife and I honeymooned in the US back in 2005 when I bought our 67'SO42. Drove it from near Canadian border down the 101pch west coast to San Diego covering 4000mls in 18days. Best trip ever. Even if the wife was 3mths pregnant and throwing up everywhere. What a trip!

 

We did 2000 miles in 2 weeks driving around France last year and would do it again, it's all about putting your favourite music on and taking your time.

 

Think we are all trying to get there to fast chill put the choonns on relax enjoy the road but not at night no light's or road markings scary and with 40 wat candles for headllights

 

Next time dont go so far you have to go to the south coast of Brittany for good weather , we did Chester to portsmouth with an overnight crossing and then St Malo to Quimper about 130 miles , from there just pootled around if we fancied it , took the bikes on the back and a really great time , the whole lot was 800 miles return and that was mostly in the UK

 

This is what it is all about life is so laid back over there just go with the flow don't plan just go where you feel like going stop for how long you want too, if you get fed up move to somewhere else there's plenty to see and do,
Just book your ferry and play the rest by ear I could do it all the time if only I had money roll on that big lottery win,
As John Betjmen said (All I ask is a T2 and star to steer her by)
Steve

 

read that and started singing 'hit the road Jack', images of a bus driving through France , most jealous

 

One day when you get your bus done up just go for it, we have done just over 4000 miles in europe in the last 2yrs,
Just stay off the main toll roads and hit the back roads,
Steve,

 

Sounds like your getting old JT.

 

I started this thread a few days after returning from France, I had almost fallen out of love with Bays..... with hindsight the prob was not with the Bay, it was the route we had done...and not the distance as such. We went away with a three year old for the first time, we had a prearranged destination and a certain amount of time to get there. We had forward planned to stop over night in Dover, then two nights in Troyes (if you ever get the chance to go there, do, its a lovely little town, lots n lots of half timbered buildings and York Shambles-type streets) before carrying on to Lac De Chalain in the Jura. We thought this would be enough stops. I love France to bits and would go back tomorrow if I could. If it had been the two of us, just ambling our way South and stopping where we chose, it wouldn't have been an issue, its different with small kids, well with our small kid it is .... now we just need to save up a bit more for that 2 litre Westy Berlin we've wanted for a while....

 

Travel through the night is the only way. I did Bournemouth to Saintes overnight last year - left base at 5pm, got on 9pm tunnel, drove til about 8am and slept at Aire-de-Somethingorother for a couple of hours - quick pee and a coffee and was down south by 2pm. Don't know how I'd do the journey with the kids though - the night bit would be ok but would have had to have the day somewhere and then do the rest of the driving at night. I left Bournemouth wrapped in blankets and coats and jumpers, but by 6am I was stripped down to underpants and tshirt. On the return journey I idiotically left Saintes in shorts and tshirt and was absolutely frozen by the time I got back to Calais. Luckily I could climb in the back, draw curtains, have a snooze and get changed while the train went under the sea. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

We did the overnight drive when we went in 2011...I actually really like night driving.... not an option this time though