Basics to take on a trip to France

[Ian Hulley]

tons of other nice stuff we dont get here like those red long sausages that i love

Merguez innit ? Paprika sausage

We'll be over there 8th > 25th doing the France Passion thing, eating almond croissants, smelly cheeses, drinking wine and playing on some sunny beaches

Ian

[T'Onion]

mmmmmmm sausages , and horse steaks ... canny wait

going to get some more 'fake' coals for the gas bbq

[plurker]

you'll need to remove yer light benders aye, I'd do a service /oil change just before you go too...

other than the legals, I always just carry gaffa, cable ties, jubilee clips, vulcanising tape, standard tools (pliers, screws, spanners, snips, socket set) a few lengths of hose/wire/fuses/relays blah. And a Haynes together with French/English dictionary, I speak pretty good french, but used last time when me heater motor blew out on the autoroutes and I needed the technical terms and pictures of haynes to explain.

I'm there 23 Jul - 8 aug this year, LDL ferry was cheapest (£30 return) and driving boulogne-besancon (for a wedding) then down to barcelona and slowly back up the west coast. Will def be using the autoroutes to get to where we want to go, then B-roads to potter around. Great value for money, and you can really get a shift on through the night. bonne vacance, you're planning early.

[Big Boris]

Our battery went in France last year.

Managed to know enough French to get the right battery! Was certainly an interesting conversation.....they do not teach you 'I need a new battery for a 1989, 1.6td, VW T3' in GCSE french!!! LOL......

We have had more dodgy breakdowns in this country actually.....the cheapo pack of Aldi hose clips came in very handy when a pipe split on the way to Cornwall!!!

OH takes lots of bits and pieces when we go away. I am not entirely sure exactly what but some tools, hose clips, tape, fuses, spare bulbs, LPG convertor thingy! Think I will look to buy a roller extension lead when we are away next in France as sometimes your pitch can be a very long way from the EHU......luckily they had one we could borrow for free.

Oh my one essential thing I would take....wet wipes!!!! Handy for oily mitts if you do need to do some DIY, great if you get stuck over night somewhere and need a freshen up, great for lots of things!!!

I agree with plurker....we too used the autoroutes when we had a long drive to do. Frist day for example we drove from Calais to Limoges...400 miles. After that we could then spend time pottering about.

[Bilbo Blue]

Here's the list I made when I went to france and Spain.

SPARES
Brake /clutch fluid
Oil
Alternator belt
Headlight bulb
Spare electric cable
Big zip ties
5lt Fuel can
Rope and string
Electric meter/tester
Electric connector set
Battery charger


ODDS
Insurance Green card
Breakdown Cover
Ferry and campsite details and tickets
List phone numbers for missing cards, phones, RAC, Eurocamp etc
Registration documents, MOT, insurance certificate + policy document, green card
E111 cards, passports, Driving licences
Hard copies of all documents
Copies of all documents onto USB drive and laptop
Laptop
Euros for spending


CAMPING
Gas
240v 16amp x 2pin French adaptor


VAN
Headlight adaptors
Check spare tyre
Fuel lines and rubber hoses etc
Oil and filter



FUN
Flippers and snorkels
Body boards and surf boards
Crabbing gear

[jason k]

on the subject of spares i carry bits your not gonna get easily

throttle cable
pas belt
alt belt
dizzy cap , rotor and a full set of plugs
one long lead (will do any cylinder then)
one coil lead
oil (couple of liters)
pas fluid
clutch fluid
thermostat
i also carry a housing as 2.1 ones are a mare to get hold of


then basic tools and an aa card


i fitted benders on the ferry and they had fallen off within 30k!!

i never bothered the rest of the time.

check out the legal bits such as hi vis, triangle, and bulb kit

[Gandalf]

Excellent replies all - many thanks. Lots of food for thought there.

[Ian Hulley]

Everyone on board must have a hi-vis vest each and to hand. The authorities weren't enforcing it at first but you can bet they will be by now. We saw a great many French drivers actually wearing theirs .

Ian.

[Gandalf]

Cheers - didn't realise that the Hi Vis thing was for all. The Mrs will love that!

[Ian Hulley]

The Mrs will love that!

IIRC it's only a 50 Euro fine should she choose not to carry one

[chuckle-bus-tom]

You should ignore all of the above. All you need is:

The biggest Union Jack Towel you can find, one for each person.
1 pair Union Jack Boxers/tanning shorts - and no other lower half garment
1 union Jack/British Bulldog Vest - and no other upper garment
13 boxes of british real ale
1 flagpole
1 Union Jack flag

You should be fine with that, unless you have space for a toilet to place over those holes in the ground.

(p.s. 40 euros is the going rate for Jandames to pi$$ off)

[Gandalf]

You should ignore all of the above. All you need is:

The biggest Union Jack Towel you can find, one for each person.
1 pair Union Jack Boxers/tanning shorts - and no other lower half garment
1 union Jack/British Bulldog Vest - and no other upper garment
13 boxes of british real ale
1 flagpole
1 Union Jack flag

You should be fine with that, unless you have space for a toilet to place over those holes in the ground.

(p.s. 40 euros is the going rate for Jandames to bog off)

Got all that already - just going to get the big belly tattoo this weekend.

[Ralf85]

Barcelona is worh a visit but do not park your van in Barcelona. It will get broken into by thieves on motorbikes. Park at a campsite and get a bus/train into town. Also keep cash/passports close to your body as robbers swoop up on motorbikes and steal handbags. Barcelona is one of the top tourist crime backspots in the world.

Also it might be wise to avoid San Sebastien (Basque country) for different reasons - urban riots. Check before you arrive in the Basque coutry to make sure they are not about to have a strike/riot. When it happens the locals armed with guns set up barricades on the roads and the police are too busy to deal with tourists. This never gets reported back home. It's not a lot of fun.

I speak from personal experience in both cities.

Do not leave bikes unnattended on the rear of vans around Calais. They will be stolen. Once you are away from the port this problem goes away. Enjoy France and the rest of Spain.

[Ralf85]

Stuff to take. Throttle cable, Clutch cable(if applicable) fan belt, the correct anti freeze for topping up and a spare set of bulbs. Buy the beer over there in supermarkets. It is excellent and so much cheaper. Most supermakets now sell fresh milk, but you have to get into the supermarket in the early morning, because they run out by lunch time. Reflective jackets needed for everybody. They are hot on this in France.

Make sure that you buy a Michelin Atlas and Michelin camping book. AA/UK versions are not as good or detailed.

On campsites check to see if they have bread/croissants etc delivered early inthe morning. Many do. If you are on a tight budget, try focussing on local authority run sites (camping municipal). Outside of the bsuiest tourist areas these are usually much cheaper.

[tomgillson]

***BIG ONE****BIG ONE*****

You aren't allowed to take vehicles that run on LPG in the tunnel!!!!!!!!! I'd check it out and apologies if soomeone else has already stated this. Hide the thing, but saw it was a big no no when using the eurotunnel recently.................If they see your tank, you'll not be allowed on. Bit of camouflage might help though if it's an external one like mine, which quite rightly is painted up like a bomb