Also take care when leaving a roadside cafe, hotel, petrol station etc, when you're turning onto a single-carriageway road that is also quiet.
There's often nothing in view to remind you which side of the road you should aim for.

And you need to remember to look both ways if you're turning left - I've seen a Brit biker look only to the right when leaving a petrol station - it was a close shave!

Have a great trip!

__________________
TTR250 - London to Cape Town

Thanks guys. I think the first trip will be by ferry for the kids to enjoy it a bit and for a rest for us all. Then the tunnel on the way home.

__________________
To be able to say I have been to at least 10 European countries by April 2014 will be a great start to my dream of travelling the world.

did 6 in 24 hours once, wouldn't recommend it though, didn't see much of them!

yeh, thats the scenario I was thinking of. It really suprised me when I nearly got caught out like that. I do look both ways, but my instinct is to look right first, then left, and I hadn't realised that when I look left I have already started to exit the junction slightly and am really just checking for overtakers coming the other way
now I am much more deliberate about junctions!

You will have a great time in France.
Avoid Paris as said. As an ex-Parisian I can confirm they are usually rude and traffic is horrendous. Best going by Eurostar to visit Paris.

For accommodation in France, campsites are usually very good and clean. There is a star system like for hotels, so worth staying in 3, 4 or 5 stars campsites.

It is also very pleasant to stay in a "Gite rural" which is the equivalent of B&Bs, usually in small villages and farms.

Look also for signs of "Chambres d'hotes" Similar stuff. You can stay in really nice farms / stunning old houses for decent price. Includes Breakfast.

North of France is not really nice. Follow the A16 along the coast.
Le Touquet is a nice and pretty place to stay for the night. It used to be the playground of the rich once upon a time, and it still shows.

Following the A16 you will get to Normandie.
From the A16 it falls then into the A28 and A29 toward Le Havre (no interest there- industrial).

You can then explore all the little coastal towns of Honfleur, Deauville, Cabourg. Avoid weekends to avoid the Parisian crowds.

From there, cross and follow the A84 beyond Avranches. Then you are fairly close to Mont St Michel. Awesome. Must visit.

Then you should visit some of northern Bretagne. La "Cote de granite rose" is stunning.

Pick up the N175 / 176 to St Malo. worth a visit. Dinan too (nice medieval town). Continue then west on the N175 / N 12 toward Guingamp. Although best going via coastal little roads. Perros Guirrec is a lovely town and the area is stunning. Plenty to visit, boat trips to islands etc...

If you prefer to avoid La Bretagne, you can continue south toward Nantes. Visit Angers on the way and the castle.

Then you would be in the Loire Valley, so visit wine producers and zillions of castles to see.

And how could you avoid Poitiers? Birth place (and burial place) of Alienor D'Aquitaine, medieval queen of France then Queen of England. Mother of Richard Lion heart. Lots of history in Poitiers. Again!

And for the Science (and SciFi) geeks, the "Futuroscope de Poitiers" is supposed to be awesome (even for kids!).
The problem, starting to look at map of France, is that there is so much to see and visit.

Explore and enjoy. I'm sure you will have a great time.

PS one thing that drives my (british) husband crazy about the french: lunch and dinner time. Outside big towns, if you want lunch or dinner it will have to be during strict lunch or dinner hours, don't expect to find a restaurant open/serving food after 2pm for example! However a brasserie is usually a good bet (if the chef is around... which can be tricky outside said lunch / dinner time!)

Cheers.

__________________
Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Yep, that's another point: the French roads are virtually empty compared with the UK, including the autoroutes (motorways).
But, yes again, that is probably when we all get it wrong at times, especially (for me) doing 3 point turns on single carriageways in the dark; not recommended actually.
I believe the "empty road" syndrome is what lures foreign drivers into problems in the UK - momentarily they go back into driving on their own side of the road, and then, around the blind bend, comes a UK person as a reality check.

Just for the record, I have now driven across France for a day and a half, and I have seen next to no police apart from those who took a cusory glance at my passport in Dover, and a few Gendarme who were doing some kind of marching exercise; they appeared out of the woods and next to the highway as I passed - they were complete with their reflective jackets which served to remind me that I forgot mine and it is back in the UK. Doh!

__________________
Dave

So, to ride two up through France, would we need one, two, or no hi-vis vests?
Will we need spare bulbs and a breathalyser kit.
What if you had a breathalyser but after a heavy night used it to check you were ok to drive/ride............ can you say to the peelers "sorry officer, I'm as rough as a badgers arse and had to use it to ensure I was fit to drive. Here look, I've still got it under my seat, I didn't want to litter your gorgeous countryside."

You will realise that this particular thread has been about driving in France.

There have been a lot of earlier threads about riding in France so I will limit my own comment thus:- I have seen very few bikes in the last few days while driving across all of the north of France into the Alps - the vast majority of those riders were French and they were not wearing any hi-vis clothing.
Yes, you are expected to carry spare bulbs but no for the breathalyser kit business (supposedly, that was a proposal when Sarkhosy was the President and it has been placed "on hold" since he was not re-elected; it is also said that his brother-in-law owned the breathalyser factory - make of that rumour what you will, but please don't say that politics is boring!).
For the rest of discussion about riding in France just look back a little for when the weather was last good enough for such activity - loads of things about speed cameras for instance.

__________________
Dave

I did 3,500 miles through France last July on a Kawasaki Versys, camping and hostelling. in September i was two up on a Hayabusa. Two totally different trips and roads. Absolultley brilliant. I loved it. From Calais to Millau then over to Italy border.

I want to go back !!!! Not a problem anywhere,

However, at the beginning of March it was re-introduced as some dick thought it was a good idea.
They then ruled that the fine for not having one was scrapped.

Soooo the state of play is. YES, you need a breathalyser, NO, you will not be fined for not having one.

I don't carry them. Car or bike. Why would you?

__________________
Nostradamus Ate My Hamster

deleted

I've driven a few hundred Km over the past few days from France into Switzerland and seen just one bike rider wearing hi viz stuff (and that was in Switzerland).
OK, there were not a lot of bikes around compared with the height of summer, but there were a few out for a day ride last Saturday, including on part of the route des Grande Alps (which was snow free and dry); sports bikes and Harleys mainly - no sign of intrepid adventurers in the daily temps of about -6 cent at about 1000m ASL.

Glad I haven't bought any. But I did invest in a nice new, shiny hi viz vest for about 6 euro when I realised that the other one was left behind in the UK.

__________________
Dave