It is probably worth knowing that the legal alcohol limit in France is much lower than in the UK and it is better not to drink when driving because the penalties are very severe.

If you approach a roundabout with a sign that says ‘Vous n’avez pas la priorite’ it means the traffic on the roundabout has priority if there is no sign traffic entering the roundabout has priority. It can be a bit confusing.

Up to date road atlas and caravan site books are essential. Take old maps and you will find many of the road numbers have changed.  Take old site directories and the sites may be closed not open as expected. We take the Caravan Club ‘Caravan in Europe’ directory.

Join France Passion from the link on the home page for free camping on farms and vineyards. You pay a small fee to join and get up to date information about participating sites.

For the Pet Travel Scheme see DEFRA web site - www.defra.gov.uk for up to date information.

You will need an adaptor to hook up to site electrics. On some sites the  wiring sometimes results in what’s called ‘reverse polarity’. There is a warning light on the ‘control panel’ which indicates that the site’s negative and positive wires have been crossed. It is a simple matter to take two continental adaptors, one that is correctly wired and one that is reversed, but make sure you label them as such and only use the reversed one where ‘reversed polarity’ exists.  

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You will be aware how much gas you need per week in the UK. However, Calor gas is not available in France and therefore you will need sufficient for your trip. Alternatively  check out the Caravan Club or C&CC web sites for information about gas adaptors for use with other types of gas available in France.

We have a re-fillable 23L upright Carabottle fitted and therefore we are able to re-fill at petrol stations but the longest we have stayed in France is 4 weeks and as yet we haven’t run out of gas. Even in October we haven’t needed the heating on so we tend to use less than at home during the late season.

Mile, after mile, after mile of Burgundy vineyards

We take about 400 euros in cash and use our debit card to obtain further amounts at any bank ATM. Banks are everywhere in France even in the smallest villages. We never make purchases with our debit card at stores in order to reduce the risk of fraud. We have found the use of a bank ATM is cheaper in France than obtaining euros in the UK. At petrol stations and supermarkets we use a credit card.

Driving and Pets

Gas

Rouen - timber frame buildings