Reader Tips
My advice would be proper planning. For our first trip towing abroad in 2017, I left nothing to chance and we had a fabulous, stress-free two weeks! Phillip Richardson
Margaret Vaughan
Mid-day meals If you like good food at a reasonable price, look out for local restaurants serving setprice midday meals for ouvriers (workers) from Monday to Friday. They often have a blackboard outside or displayed in the window, showing the day’s menu and the price – usually between €10 and €13. For this you get a starter, often a buffet of hors d’oeuvres – which can be a meal in itself – a main course and dessert. Sometimes cheese is also offered. There is usually a choice of main course, which generally includes a fish dish, and a selection of accompaniments. If there is no choice, and you prefer fish to meat, Friday is your best bet. Choice of desserts can depend on how early you arrive! House wine is generally included, but don’t expect a Grand Cru. Cider is often an option in Brittany and Normandy. As a rule of thumb, the more ‘white vans’ parked outside, the better the restaurant. Municipal campsites For the ‘real France’, spend a night or two on a municipal campsite, run by a local authority. These excellent-value sites offer basic facilities, such as showers, toilets and washing-up areas, but generally don’t have bars, shops or restaurants. They are often in beauty spots, by a lake or river. In my village, Beslé-sur-vilaine, for example, the site by the River Vilaine costs €7 per night for two or €10 with electric hook-up. You don’t need to book ahead.
Peter and Vera Whalley
Travelling with your pet Travelling to Europe with your dog is currently quite easy with a pet passport (although this may change in the event of a no-deal Brexit – see p21). To get a passport, dogs must be fully vaccinated and microchipped, either before or when a rabies vaccination is done. Pets must then wait 21 days before they travel and must be at least 12 weeks old when the passport is applied for. Not all vets can issue pet passports, so allow enough time to obtain one. Do not let the rabies vaccination expire. When rabies vaccinations and boosters are due, they need to be carried out at least two weeks apart. It’s also advisable to ensure your pet has tick and flea treatment; your vet will advise about products. When returning to the UK, dogs must be treated by a qualified vet against tapeworm (some vets allow you to take the tablets with you) and this must be carried out not less than 24 and not more than 120 hours before the pet is due to arrive in the UK. Always check the date and time are correctly shown when this is done. Charges, based on the weight of the animal, vary widely for tapeworm treatment abroad, ranging from €15 in Holland to €55 near the Channel in France. On a recent tour in Belgium, we paid €29.50 but had to try three vets before finding one to sign the pet passport. We usually travel by Eurotunnel as your dog is with you the whole time in your vehicle and the journey only takes 35 minutes. Eurotunnel currently charges £38 per return journey. When returning to the UK, before checking in, you need to visit the Pet Reception with your booking reference, your dog and the pet passport. When using Eurotunnel you clear Customs on the French side and drive straight off when you arrive in the UK. We recommend taking your pet’s regular food with you, plus any medication they require. We also tend to park in the shade and keep to regular exercise times. A cool mat can be useful when travelling in hot weather. The Continent is much more petfriendly than the UK; it’s not unusual to see dogs in restaurants and shops. Some countries stipulate use of a muzzle, so we carry one; although we’ve never used it or seen any other dog wearing one. Check out the Government’s website (www.gov.uk/take-petabroad) before you go to find out more about travelling in the EU with pets.