Petrified of driving-Calais to DLP

[Elodie]

If it's any reassurance, I can't drive because I'm terrified of driving anywhere at all. When we drove Calais to DLP, I said to dh that if all roads were like that, I'd have learnt to drive ages ago. It really is such a quiet, easy stretch of road.

Just don't ask what it was like driving to the edge of Paris to get the metro in for a day out...

[yellowmonkey]

Originally Posted by OllieT

Re headlights the dial in the car adjust up and down e.g. Load on bricks in boot you need to adjust not to dazzle car I don't/oncoming traffic.
If you are driving at dusk/night or in rain (must use headlights in rain, it's the law) then you need to change the angle of your beam as your headlights will be set up for Left hand driving not right.

Hth

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I do exactly the same with my headlights and have not had any problems. Dont worry about driving to DLP. Driving abroad is so much easier than in the UK

[bobothebear]

Have to agree it is so simple and a millions times better than our dreadful roads. Who takes on a 200 mile journey in the UK and expects it to take 3 hours? Do it in France and 9 times out of 10 that's what it will take.

The worst we had was coming home at end of November. Left at 2pm to make the 5.40pm train. After 10 minutes hit traffic. We passed a total of 5 crashes in getting away from Paris in a 20km stretch and ended up taking 4 hours to get to Calais.
We came off 1 slip road and there were 2 crashes within 200m of each other on the slip road! The final crash was a big big one probably with fatalities.
Mix into that the car suddenly pops up a message "Steering Fault" after we'd started moving properly and I lost power steering! I drove 2 hours + with no Power Steering and got the car on the EuroTunnel which was tough going. Figured we either breakdown and dont get home or I get us back to the UK and then breakdown. Turns out the car has a mechanical power steering and the car battery was dying. When I started it up after the train journey it came back to life again and not had a problem since

[Guest]

Having just got back at the weekend, we love the drive! It's so easy & the roads are so much quieter than driving in the UK!

The only thing you haven't mentioned (or anyone else) is that legally all children under 10 need a booster seat in France- not sure how this works with 3 & space across the backseat... we took a booster that lived on the floor for our nearly 10year-old as she's actually bigger than the 11year-old!

Think the rest has been answered- just make sure the hi-viz etc are in the car - not buried in the boot!

Enjoy!

[stumpe]

Driving on the toll road is exactly the same as driving on the M25 but without any traffic (the French don't like to pay the toll so take back roads), I did the whole of the toll road on cruise control at 70mph and only went faster to overtake a few cars / trucks.

Once you get off the toll road it starts to get a bit busier but its only for a few miles before you get to Disney and a satnav will take the stress out of this part of the drive.

Roundabouts can be a bit strange (only a few to go over) as you go the wrong way round and exit.

Other than that its really easy and once your on the road for 10 mins you get used to it.

Get all your bits for driving in France from ebay or amazon as its really cheap and chances are you wont need it anyway (but is you don't get it you could end up with a fine from the police).

Lee

[Lostbrain]

We drove with the kids, then aged 8 and 6 to the Dordogne last summer and I can't recommend enough David Walliams audio books, they kept my two silent for hours, it was like witchcraft - annoying children silenced. And I didn't mind the story either. Download from Amazon before you go.