635 miles in 1 day / thoughts

M

mr wilks

Lifer
 Lancashire
Lots of time to ponder today when clogging the euro miles . effortless in comparison to uk miles .
Left Normandy at 6-45am this morning & arrived near Cap d,Agde 9 hours later feeling fine other than a possible fine from speeding camera near Toulouse :cry:
Thoughts /
Leather trim is sought after but i way prefer the cloth trim in our tourer for long drives in warm climate / just way more comfortable :?
The french etiquette on motorways is way beyond our own , the leaving of the outside lane for cars to pass is simple stuff but just seems to work here
French services or "Aire's" / picnic stops are 2nd to none ! they are simple & do exactly what the driver requires , easy on / easy off
Some of the most hideous vehicles on the roads today are french , WhoTF passes them off for production ? Staggeringly ugly at times :cry:
Tolls are ridiculously expensive ! i know there is no roadtax here but i covered 635miles today & paid 56 euros :o although diesel is 1euro34 :wink:

Anyhow today's highlights were passing a De Lorean /8am in the morning commute near Nantes ,
Having a french wingman near Bordeaux :roll: in a 320d LCI sport spec tourer in white , we cruised at 92mph for over 100 miles doing our bit for anglofrench relations :) think he was nosing at my 224's :P http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q576/beaucostil/600milessouth001_zpsb660b298.jpg
& lastly the bottle of local french wine & crevette salad on roof terrace in french village , swallows all over the skies :roll: happy days forum friends
Here's the house details if anyone is tempted to try it http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/france/fr453.htm
No driving tomorrow , beach day :thumbsup:
 
We recently did 950+ miles in one day from the south France to home - like you say, the French leg was effortless while the UK leg was bumping, busy and a real chore

I would gladly pay road tolls if it meant smoother, less congested roads and more stop off areas and service stations like France


Enjoy the rest of the trip
 
Sounds like you had a good time. We regularly do 700 miles in one day when we go to Germany to see the olds. Must admit I find French drivers a bit bonkers, but the country that I really hate driving in is Belgium. Belgians are truly bonkers, at least when they get behind a steering wheel.
 
Unless pulled over and fined dont worry, i dont think the tickets can cross the channel :lol:

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
 
Did you get overtaken by a 2CV? Seems they can outperform their design capabilities on the old autoroutes! On holiday a few years ago I got comfortably overtaken by a 2CV and when I checked my speedo I was doing pretty much 100mph! How do they do it?
 
GreyZed said:
Did you get overtaken by a 2CV? Seems they can outperform their design capabilities on the old autoroutes! On holiday a few years ago I got comfortably overtaken by a 2CV and when I checked my speedo I was doing pretty much 100mph! How do they do it?
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HAha , no CV attack but in the whole day i was passed only 4 times , 1 white Trafic van ,1 VW Transporter mini-bus with 6 or 7 passengers ,1 Renault Twingo & the best one near Narbonne , a 996 C4s with a grey haired lady behind the wheel :o passed me at 90 mph & rapidly disappeared :thumbsup:
 
There is French road tax it is added at point of sale on the car insurance - hence the green vignette in the window proves you have paid your Insurance and your road tax . A pretty good system. You also pay for a Carte Gris on every vehicle sale which is on a sliding scale based on horsepower.

Agreed the Airs are much better than British services .
 
Nondizzyblonde said:
Sounds like you had a good time. We regularly do 700 miles in one day when we go to Germany to see the olds. Must admit I find French drivers a bit bonkers, but the country that I really hate driving in is Belgium. Belgians are truly bonkers, at least when they get behind a steering wheel.
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I am 100% in agreement with this. And my Belgian colleagues at work all agree too :o
 
ZermattV said:
There is French road tax it is added at point of sale on the car insurance - hence the green vignette in the window proves you have paid your Insurance and your road tax . A pretty good system. You also pay for a Carte Gris on every vehicle sale which is on a sliding scale based on horsepower.

Agreed the Airs are much better than British services .
Click to expand...

That system was kicked out around 10years ago , there is no roadtax as such only the levy's paid through the toll system which is somehow linked to CO2 emissions :wink: :thumbsup:
 
Hats off to you guys doing mega miles in a day. :thumbsup:
Last year on the 250 mile drive to the National Meet I had to pull into Services twice for half hour powernaps as I was nodding off at the wheel. :(
 
Sounds idyllic Mr W. happy days indeed.
Enjoy yourselves.

(I once drive about 420 miles from Boston to Niagra, loved it. Putting in the miles is ok as long as there's decent scenery)
 
Love the French "aire's" - always so calm and woodlandy, with good food and a place to chill out! Usually some whacky feature like a designer building or a weird statue too :D

Your trip sounds great, can't wait to do a road trip down to Bordeaux, maybe even on to Valencia.. :driving:

I loved the roads the last time i did it (sadly in an ASTRA! haha.) .. hope my coupe boot is big enough!
 
mr wilks said:
ZermattV said:
There is French road tax it is added at point of sale on the car insurance - hence the green vignette in the window proves you have paid your Insurance and your road tax . A pretty good system. You also pay for a Carte Gris on every vehicle sale which is on a sliding scale based on horsepower.

Agreed the Airs are much better than British services .
Click to expand...

That system was kicked out around 10years ago , there is no roadtax as such only the levy's paid through the toll system which is somehow linked to CO2 emissions :wink: :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Certainly existed 2005-2008 I paid it every year on my French registered car- and I think it still applies on Carte Grise - which when I sold my GTI cost the new owner 400 euros to change.

Enjoy your stay :thumbsup:
 
You should ask for a refund mr Z 8)
taken from the net
France
The French vignette-based vehicle tax was introduced in 1956 to fund a minimum income scheme for citizens of age 65 and above. They were available in tabacs, and all vehicle owners were required to buy one at the end of each year. The price depended on the engine's horsepower, and in which department the car was registered. The vignette system soon led to controversy, leading to the tax not being ring-fenced for the elderly any longer.
Vignettes were abolished for motorcycles in June 1981, and for other vehicles in 2001. An electronic toll is currently charged for all travelers using motorways and expressways, while additional charges have to be paid for passing through certain tunnels and bridges.[1]

:thumbsup:
 
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