Travelling There Together

Hotel in Dover - Tuesday 4th August

We have booked a hotel in Dover for the night before the ferry. It’s this Premier Inn: https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/kent/dover/dover-a20.html

Ferry from Dover to Calais - Wednesday 5th August at 7:40am

The ferry is the 7:40am DFDS departure from Dover to Calais. This arrives in Calais at 10:20am (French Time) and once you get off the ferry, it’s straight onto the road. Remember that the French can’t drive properly, but their roads are better than ours and their speed cameras can’t catch UK number plates ;)

Also, on the ferry, we book the Premium Lounge, which is VERY much worth doing as you have free drinks and snacks etc and it’s not that expensive.

Book here: https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries

Once we get off the ferry….

Drive to the first motorway services - Aire de Bosgouet Sud.

This is about 2.5 hours from Calais. We will stop here because there’s loads of eating places and stuff to do to stretch your legs. Then…

Drive to the second motorway services - Aire de la Sarthe Sarge-Le-Mans Sud.

It’s another 2 hours to here. Lots of outside green space, a kids’ playground, seating where you can pedal while you eat for those worried about DVT. Then…

Last bit of driving: Drive to the main accommodation

It should take another 2.5 hours.

And we’re there…all done for the day. Time for brie and chocolate.

Some useful things to know about driving in France….

• They drive on the incorrect side of the road.

• One of the reasons why we’re stopping at motorway services is because they’re actually really nice and have a lot going on. They’re far more elaborate than what we have in the UK.

• Their motorways are mostly toll roads, so you’ll need to pay (it’s not that expensive) and the person in the passenger seat will need to do the card payments because the machine is on the incorrect (French) side of the road for a UK car.

• The word “Rappel” under the speed limit signs just means the signs are repeating and it’s not a new speed limit.

• “Cedez le passage” means you don’t have priority, get out of the way you foreign pig.

• You MUST have high-visibility vests in the car for all passengers, and the driver’s high-viz jacket must be available from the driver’s seat.

• They have slightly different speed limits if it’s raining. Shouldn’t be a problem in August.

• The French are notoriously forgiving drivers. If you get something wrong, they’re probably just shouting words of encouragement.

• Speed cameras can’t catch you because the DVLA won’t tell the French authorities who you are since Brexit. So you can’t be caught by a speed camera, but if the actual po-po pull you over, they will take great pleasure in on-the-spot fining you.