Driving through France

[Fr J Hackett]

A long time ago (1985 - long before Schengen) when I drove an Austrian registered car across the border into Germany I got stopped because I had no A sticker on the back. I had to buy one at an inflated price from the border guard.

At the same time or a year earlier I was stopped at the French / Swiss border with my girlfriend now wife sitting next to me in my Lotus 7 with no GB plate. The French customs officer insisted I go back into Switzerland and buy one. We went several miles back into Switzerland and found a small road that took us into France with no border crossing.

 

[westernman]

At the same time or a year earlier I was stopped at the French / Swiss border with my girlfriend now wife sitting next to me in my Lotus 7 with no GB plate. The French customs officer insisted I go back into Switzerland and buy one. We went several miles back into Switzerland and found a small road that took us into France with no border crossing.

At about that time I actually crossed from Yugoslavia into Austria without seeing any kind of border control.

 

[newtothis]

I don’t mind most colors....but I hate the flat colors....a car should shine

My car's not dirty; it's just painted matt silver.

 

[Sailing steve]

Quite a few Brit cars with no sticker.

That's nothing unusual and it's not uncommon to see older RHD cars without any deflectors on the headlights too. Post brexit you won't get a speeding ticket either if you're flashed by a camera and we've noticed in our travels there's an increasing number of UK drivers often travelling in high speed convoys taking full and free advantage of the knowledge there won't be a pile of tickets on the doormat when they return.

Whist none of these are exactly the crime of the century it does imply a nihilistic attitude toward both other people using the road and the French authorities which suggests the offending vehicle would be worth a stop to see what else may or may not be amis.

 

[dgadee]

Most of the ones I saw were up towards Calais. Parked at ferry behind a car with GB on an EU background (blue and stars). I presume be wil be ok.

Anyway, thanks for all the replies - particularly Westernman for that link. Very useful.

Trip was 2350 miles. 9 hours driving to Dover and 9 hours back. 11 to and from Port Saint-Louis. An old boy's adventure. Over 52 mpg in a VW Caddy.

Oddly, a club member was going the other way to buy. We passed in the English channel on my way back.

 

[Bouba]

That's nothing unusual and it's not uncommon to see older RHD cars without any deflectors on the headlights too. Post brexit you won't get a speeding ticket either if you're flashed by a camera and we've noticed in our travels there's an increasing number of UK drivers often travelling in high speed convoys taking full and free advantage of the knowledge there won't be a pile of tickets on the doormat when they return.

Whist none of these are exactly the crime of the century it does imply a nihilistic attitude toward both other people using the road and the French authorities which suggests the offending vehicle would be worth a stop to see what else may or may not be amis.

I think this ‘I am on vacation what could possibly go wrong’ attitude is all persuasive. And that includes every nationality even those who holiday in their own country....people who would wear a bike helmet in their own home town because they are aware of the danger...cycle in bikinis...and children are all over the road. The same disregard for the law happens on boats and in cars...but I think ‘inviting’ the law to stop you can easily backfire....especially if you’ve had a drink or two for lunch...’because that’s what the locals do’

 

[ingenious]

I don’t mind most colors....but I hate the flat colors....a car should shine

I hate the grey primer colour that seems widespread at the moment. Most of my cars have been metallic blue of some shade although my Up is white just because it was a used one that was available. My Twingo is lime green, my TR6 Magenta which was it's original build colour. It had been sprayed BRG (badly) in the US when I bought it but I decided to take it back to original as the wife liked it.
Curiously, I've been searching for used i3s in France and they are mostly black

 

[Bouba]

I hate the grey primer colour that seems widespread at the moment. Most of my cars have been metallic blue of some shade although my Up is white just because it was a used one that was available. My Twingo is lime green, my TR6 Magenta which was it's original build colour. I had been sprayed BRG (badly) in the US when I bought it but I decided to take it back to original as the wife liked it.
Curiously, I've been searching for used i3s in France and they are mostly black

They say that you never own a black car.....it owns you

 

[ingenious]

Also - re decrepit Triumphs which are in danger of breaking down - did I see Brit cars on a car loader being brought north? Maybe you can get your vehicle transferred south on the back of a lorry? No need to trail it yourself.

We are sorted. Three of us (Me, the Caterham and an older chap who has a modern car) are going early, stopping in Abbeville and Ouistreham for some history. Meeting the rest of the group in Le Mans for two days then on down. Should be an experience. Several have done it before but it's new for me. I have been at the race in Angoulême before but went by train.
Spent the past few days going over the car and have a hit list to do when I get back from Scotland, the most serious being the gaiters on the steering rack.

 

[Bouba]

We are sorted. Three of us (Me, the Caterham and an older chap who has a modern car) are going early, stopping in Abbeville and Ouistreham for some history. Meeting the rest of the group in Le Mans for two days then on down. Should be an experience. Several have done it before but it's new for me. I have been at the race in Angoulême before but went by train.
Spent the past few days going over the car and have a hit list to do when I get back from Scotland, the most serious being the gaiters on the steering rack.

You are going to have a great time

 

[nevis768]

Probably not. I don't think the police can even be bothered with crit'air.

Anyway, they will do an APNR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) scan and look up whether the car is insured etc on their computer system. If you are crit'air registered, you will be in clear regardless of whether there is a sticker in your window. They have also done away with the little green insurance sticker as well.

Nonsense, the French are not linked into the British Insurance database, nor are they linked into DVLA.

 

[wombat88]

If you want a pleasant drive through France keep off the motorways, drive a Citroen DS, GS or at a pinch a CX and leave a 'gilet jaune' on the dashboard or parcel shelf.

 

[DownWest]

Not done so much recently, but the western route from UK to Portugal was a regular for me. Used mostly non toll roads. But, the prob with N roads in France, is while the 90km limit is OK (dual, usually 110km), every little built up spot with a red boarder round the sign with the name, meant an automatic 50 limit . Pretty, but slow. Little inforcement back then, but if I tried the sort of averages I used to manage I would be nicked frequently. Once, Albufeira to Calais, averaged over the speed limits for the whole trip, including stops. 2,000 km.
There are quite a lot of unmarked cars checking speeds now and loads of camaras. Last few times I went to the UK, I flew. But, not heaving yachty gear, as that is here.

Rural France is delightful. So worth meandering on trips, if you have the time..

 

[balder]

Hello, I am currently in the BVI driving a rental car left hand drive waiting for my trawler but about driving France I must give my cent !
- if driving off highways, beware that depending in which ''departement'' you are drving or travelling, speed would be limited to 80km/ h OR 90 km/ h. With so mnay radars, you can be easily fined. For exemple, speed should be limited to 80 km/ h when 100 meters further, enterinh now in Seine Maritime or Orne, it should be 90km/ h, so sometimes confusing
- in Normandy, on A13, they have retired les ''barrieres de peage'' replaced now by an electronic system flashing the car plate when you pass.So you must connect on the internet to sanef.com to pay a little bit later. A truely stupid system which is making everybody angry. Beware, do not forget, if not they add a lot to be paid finally.
- more and more young are driving now without license and sometimes under drugs... if you are in trouble call immediately 112 with your cell