The thought of driving a motorhome through France and across the continent for the first time can feel pretty daunting. This article helps to explain and clarify some of the differences between driving on English and French roads.

Planning ahead

· Make a detailed plan of your trip

· Pre-book the main sites you will be spending a few days at, and any stopover sites on route.

· Think about where the service stations are on the Autoroutes where you could stop for food or a sleep if need be. Check that they always cater for larger vehicles such as Motorhomes. There are other rest stops called "Aires" but these are unmanned and ok for a short break but are not advisable for a long stay and certainly not overnight.

· Create a travel book containing all the site information including addresses and phone numbers all highlighted

· One of the key things to note is that in France their postal codes do not work in the same way as ours so just putting that into the Satellite Navigation will not give you a correct location.

Driving in France

Driving your motorhome in France is generally very easy but you do need to be aware of certain travel requirements and basic information to ensure you have a good trip.

· Fill up your motorhome before you really need to - There are regular petrol stations on the autoroutes and on the other main roads in France but in rural France you will see less of them and they will have restricted hours

· Unleaded fuel is known as Sans Plomb and Diesel is either Gas-Oil or just Diesel. It is worth being aware that the large hypermarkets always cater for Motorhomes so don’t hesitate to use them and their fuel is typically the cheapest.

· If you have never driven on the right before, don’t worry. French signposting is very good and quite easy to understand and you’ll soon get the hang of it.

French road network

· France has a fantastic network of autoroutes that rarely suffers congestion and has great advantages but that comes with a price. When you enter the autoroute you do so at a Peage. Take a ticket at the barrier and then when you come to the end of that portion of the autoroute you enter another Peage, hand in your ticket to the attendant and then pay the fee. They always accept credit cards if that’s how you want to pay but you cannot go through the credit card only barrier because it is height restricted; you should always choose a barrier with the person/change sign.

· Autoroute signposting in France is excellent and it is pretty easy to get from A to B, but you do need to make sure you know the names of the larger towns on route so you head in the right direction.

· The other main roads in France are ‘N’ or ‘RN’ designated. These are very good roads but they are more scenic and therefore much slower. Smaller roads are designated with a ‘D’. You will usually find these when you get nearer to your destination and they are generally suitable for Motorhomes. As in the UK the sites themselves will usually give you the best route in to them and you should always follow this.

· If you do enter a town and want to pass right through then look out for the "Toutes Directions" (All Directions) sign and this will take you around the outskirts or along the ring road.

· Another common sign is "Autres Directions" (Other Directions) and this will always appear with a second sign indicating a specific place e.g. if you see a sign saying "Dijon" plus a sign saying "Autres Directions" then unless you want to be in Dijon follow the other sign.

Speed restrictions in France

Legal speeds in France vary with weather conditions and there are a large number of speed cameras. Fines are usually heavy and have to be paid immediately and you will be escorted to a cash machine if you do not have enough cash to pay.

· Speed camera detectors are illegal in France whether in use or not - If you are caught with one in your Motorhome you will face a very heavy fine, confiscation of the device and maybe even confiscation of your Motorhome. If you have one of these devices leave it at home.

· There is no embargo on warning systems such as those within your Satellite Navigation so you do not have to worry about these.

French Speed limits in dry weather:

· Autoroute (toll road) : 130kmh/81mph

· Dual Carriageway : 110kmh/68mph

· Other roads : 90kmh/56mph

· Built up areas : 50kmh/31mph

· Specific speed limits will be separately signed e.g. school vicinity

French speed limits in wet weather:

· Autoroute (toll road) : 110kmh/68mph

· Dual Carriageway : 100kmh/62mph

· Other roads : 80kmh/50mph

· Built up areas : 50kmh/31mph

· Specific speed limits will be separately signed e.g. school vicinity

French speed limits in poor visibility of less than 50m/55yards

· All routes : 50kmh/31mph

With a little planning, driving in France should be as easy as driving in England. With a good map and someone to help navigate, it should be relatively easy to drive your motorhome through France, and to where you want to go.