OT: Day trip to France

A day trip to France (presumably from York) by car sounds like absolute misery to me (I'm guessing around 10 hours spent in a car / on ferries). Surely you could find your way to an airport?

Surely depends on where you are starting from?

That said, I'd avoid the port towns. If you've got the time, go down the motorway to Laon - it's got a lovely medieval centre with a cathedral and all that. Might be a bit crowded at this time of year but certainly wasn't when I went there May last year.

Yeuch. Yeuch yeuch on the flying aspect. Part of the experience is the driving aspect.

D'you not like this cousin then? "Here, come and see our finest motorway traffic jams".

Actually, I quite like pottering through France on N-roads. But that only works for a day trip if you start from quite a long way south - JackH country rather than York. Make it a 2 or better 3 day trip.

Try Newhaven -> Dieppe and head west along the coast. The Normandy beaches are historically very interesting, and there are plenty of pleasant towns along the way. Further along you're into rocky scenery, which I thought was great.

Or how about train to Kings Cross St Pancras, zoom zoom zoom train from St Pancras International to somewhere like Calais (or just inside France if it stops there), and then hire a car?

Couldn't agree more - driving is part of the trip itself. Avoid the autoroute and stick to 'N' roads, head down toward Rouen. On the 'N's progress is much slower, but you get to drive through the towns, no monotony of endless identical motorway, you'll find somewhere that looks nice to stop for a pavement lunch (presuming it aint raining!) and you'll also find chambre d'hote signs on the side of the road - these can vary but you wont try more than a couple before you spot a pretty one, prices are fixed and will be on the back of your bedroom door, and 'madame' will usually cook you an English brekkie following morning. Catch an early ferry over in the morning for the decent crossing prices, stay overnight in a chambre d'hote, afternoon ferry back home the following day.

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:07:09 +0100, DervMan mumbled:

I went to Lille on the Eurostar years ago on a freebie xmas thing from work. It was reasonably French and cultural, but it was around xmas and there was plenty of "special" things on - street fairs, markets etc. Not a bad day out, especially if you stop at every place you can have a beer.

However, it might be a shithole at every other time of year..

Mike P

On Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:07:09 +0100, DervMan mumbled:

I have a similar problem. My missus and her cousin want to go to Scotland in the 2nd week of September for a "touring" holiday. Guess who is going to be taxi driver.. any ideas? Or should I continue my quest to change their mind and go to Cornwall instead?

Mike P

We did that last weekend, heh. :)

Well it'll be close to a two day trip, as if we do it, we'll head south on the evening before and catch the early ferry over.

Good idea! Thanks.

Maybe! But my French isn't that good...

You'll fooking hate it. We set off at 3am from Driffield to get to the Eurotunnel for 9.20am. Stopped twice on the way down for about an hour in total and made it with 20 minutes to spare.

The return journey was even more s**te. Landing in England at 3.30pm, it took us over 8hrs to get home with 4 of that getting from the Eurotunnel to the M11.

You should enjoy driving in France if you've not done it before. The contrast between there and this shithole will be immediately noticable once you get off the train.

You'll hardly need it. The only time I really needed it was in the supermarkets at the checkouts.

"DervMan" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

No brainer, from you. Eurostar to Lille. Fantastic city. Search around, and you can get 1st class for very little if any extra. No-brainer. More space, free food & drink at seat vs. queue for buffet car.

If you _insist_ on driving, get the boat to/from Boulogne (LD Lines), head to Montreuil sur Mer (it isn't, btw) then back to Boulogne and the old town up on top of the hill.

If you've got more than a day-trip, then Reims is very nice, and has the side benefit of Champagne... Stay here -

- Honestly. Trust me. Buy their home-made. Honestly. Trust me. Side benefit - Reims GP circuit. The old pits and grandstand have been restored to be amazingly atmospheric.

Aard gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Seconded.

But the Champagne farm I recommended in the other post is the exception.

I'd be doing it the other way around, though. Leave York in the evening, stop over somewhere south, catch an early ferry, arriving at Calais for

07:30.

Yeuch. We'd be landing quite a bit later.

Very much so. You may remember we roadtripped the modified Ka to Italy. Much better roads.

Heh.

As long as I know how to say, "there is no way I'm taking this knackered

206, leaking more fluid than a swine 'flu victim, so give me something that isn't broken" I'd be okay. It was more the car hire aspect.

Mind you, French Taxis are pretty quick...

Mike P gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

It isn't. We stopped in there for an afternoon on the way past last summer - and wished we'd had more time. We will be Eurostarring it back at some stage.

"Timo Geusch" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I've always liked it as a stop-and-wander, but last time I was in Laon we stayed overnight - and I was really disappointed. OK, it was dead quiet, but it seemed... dead. Dull. Overpriced.

Yeah I know, and Charlie's whopping discount is nice (75%) but, meh, we can do that any time...

We may already have that t-shirt... ;-)

Okay...

Thanks for the tip!