Rosslare - Cherbourg booked 8th September returning 23rd

Hi,

You will get off the boat around 10 or 11 am, you could do worse than to drive the short distance to St Mere Eglise and park up at the aire for the first night.

This will give you a taste of how easy it is to drive on the right. I find the French roads really good and not busy. French drivers I also find to be much better, patient and law abiding than here.

The aire will give you experience of how Aires work, and the town is famous from the D day landings. The airborne museum is first class and you will also be able to start experiencing French towns, shops, cafes etc.

If you are going to try eating out go for a lunch time meal rather than at night as the evenings are often more expensive. The 'plat de jour' is usually the best way to order in my opinion.

Visit a large supermarket such as a Super U, le clerk, Carrefour etc, and fill with cheap diesel.

You will then have experienced most of the routine daily actions and ready to travel further and grow in confidence.

Oh, make sure you try to use some French in shops etc as it will get you a better response, especially if you tell them you are Irish.

You will be amazed how quickly you get into the swing of it and how motorhome friendly it is.

If you are happy to use Aires then the 'All the Aires' book is very useful. If you prefer sites then check out the ACSI discount scheme which for about £20 (can't remember exactly) they will give you large discounts at good quality sites, you will save the outlay in about 2-3 nights.

Check websites like the AA for what you need for the vehicle such as Hi vis jackets, spare bulbs, warning triangle etc.
I am sure others will add to this list and the more you read the more prepared you will be.

Enjoy it

Davy

Headlight deflectors and consider breakdown cover.

Also the shops are all closed on a Sunday so if arriving on a Sunday make sure you have enough supplies!

Thanks for all the replies

ADAC membership - tick
Aires books - tick
ACSI camping card - tick

Anything else I need to do? Himself can look after motorhome needs!!!

dont try seeing all of france in one trip,
pick an area and suit yourself, if you like it stay if not move on
relax dont panic
first aire choice st mere eglise is good choice only 15 miles away from boat
e n j o y

important.........
on arrival at site or aire
pick spot, park
apply handbrake
get chairs out
open wine, or put kettle on
get sunglasses on, footwear off.......
hey,,,, your motorhoming in france !!!!!!!

I like your style Bob. Our thoughts at the moment are to take a couple of days to drive to Bordeaux then slowly meander back. I'm looking forward to sitting on sun lounger, reading my book with glass of wine very close by

Looking for a recommendation for a good road atlas please. I prefer to use old system in conjunction with new!!!

I am on the Rosslare Cherbourg ferry atm. Really nice drive down yesterday (prob hottest day of the summer so far) - all 255 miles. Arrived in plenty of time luckily avoiding the traffic chaos around Dublin yesterday afternoon. Parked up at the ticket booth and walked up the steps near the port - there is a cliff top walk to a kids play area. Was told by Stena that check-in opens at 6.30pm but at 6pm they started letting vehicles through.

This the old Celtic Link ferry and I thought we were going to be boarded onto the lower deck but was waived to go up the ramp to the middle deck . Luckily there was no problem with overhang and we made it up no problem.

A lot of folks slept on chairs, benches, floors, blow up beds last night our cabin was clean comfortable and the food in the restaurant was good enough (for a ferry).

There isn't a huge amount to do on board (takes about 5 mins to familiarise yourself with the ship). The free Cinema runs from 1am to 6am and you have to pay for the daytime showings €8 adult, €6 kids.

At the moment the kids are with the onboard entertainer making paper flowers. Wi-fi is just about useable and the crossing is incredibly smooth. I even tried out the Truma App (motorhome leveller) on board - this ship is incredibly smooth despite the sea looking a bit choppy.

Only gripe is that we pre-booked meals via the Stena website as we were led to believe we were saving money on-board (2 adults, 2 kids) but actually paid quite a bit more than the on-board offer ( 2 x adults and up to 3 kids for €30 Euros).

Oh and there is an offer on the restaurant for a bottle of wine (white, red or Rose) for €7 - you won't be rushing to stock your cellar with it but it is cheaper than buying two glasses at the bar!

If planning to hook up get a reverse polarity tester and adapters as not all will be the standard eu 3 pin. Electric supply can be very low 3, 5, or 6amp is not uncommon so a low wattage kettle may be useful.
The French use a drainpipe 60/90 degree bend to help filling up with water if there is no hose connector for the tap. Note hose connectors of various sizes maybe needed.
Lemans has a good aire not to far from Cherbourg.
Enjoy

Ordered the Michelin road map, waiting for it to arrive so we can start planning our route or at the very least where we spend our first night. I plan on not going too far on the basis that Rupert will be crying out for a long walk

Joined France-Passion over the weekend too

Thanks for all your help so far, all recommendations and tips are very appreciated

Pat might head down your way this weekend

Yeah I use Caxton as well and have found it very good.