France Ferry & Campsite info (use Search function) mod warning post 1

Westernyelp

I'm going to be in Bordeaux for the Ireland, Belgium game. Don't have match tickets I will head to the fan zone. I'm just wondering what peoples thoughts are on security. I would hate to let those terrorist B*stards prevent me from going but would like to know what others thoughts are on it. cheers

54and56

Westernyelp wrote: »

I'm going to be in Bordeaux for the Ireland, Belgium game. Don't have match tickets I will head to the fan zone. I'm just wondering what peoples thoughts are on security. I would hate to let those terrorist B*stards prevent me from going but would like to know what others thoughts are on it. cheers

If you let the b@$tard$ influence whether or not you go you're letting them win. Fcuk them. That's my honest attitude but then I'm not risk adverse as a rule so do what you believe is right for you.

Westernyelp

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

If you let the b@$tard$ influence whether or not you go you're letting them win. Fcuk them. That's my honest attitude but then I'm not risk adverse as a rule so do what you believe is right for you.

i'd be inclined to agree with you alright. We plan to head in. wondering if it is a worry for people in general though.

The Silent E

Anyone needing last minute accommodation in Bordeaux from 17th-19th June, send me a PM. Have a hotel room I won't be using.

I'm a regular poster on YBIG.ie but everyone there is more or less sorted so I'm posting here for anyone who is still looking!

aquarius10

Hi

I hope someone can recommend a place to have lunch before we board Brittany Ferries from Cork to Roscoff on a Saturday at the end of June. We'll be travelling from Ennis so thought Carrigaline or Douglas but need help.....

Preferably somewhere child friendly with good value menu. We'd like to have a nice lunch before boarding .... Am planning to pack a cooler for tea/snacks that evening & will bring breakfast snacks too.

Thanks

Ryan Mac Sweeney

Hi there
I have read your post. I believe the best place to stop off for something to eat is barrys in douglas as i heard that its very child friendly and its also good value for money and that they do lovely food there. The Carrigaline Court Hotel is also another option as the food is also lovely there and its also quite child friendly. You can download a menu online to check the prices and read about kids menus etc.

aquarius10

Hi

I hope someone can recommend a place to have lunch before we board Brittany Ferries to Roscoff on a Saturday at the end of June. We'll be travelling from Ennis so thought Carrigaline or Douglas but need help.....

Preferably somewhere child friendly with good value menu. We'd like to have a nice lunch before boarding .... Am planning to pack a cooler for tea that evening & will bring breakfast snacks too.

Thanks

Stone Deaf 4evr

aquarius10 wrote: »

Hi

I hope someone can recommend a place to have lunch before we board Brittany Ferries to Roscoff on a Saturday at the end of June. We'll be travelling from Ennis so thought Carrigaline or Douglas but need help.....

Preferably somewhere child friendly with good value menu. We'd like to have a nice lunch before boarding .... Am planning to pack a cooler for tea that evening & will bring breakfast snacks too.

Thanks

If you're coming from ennis, you'll be passing via mallow and takign the N20 up. The Commons bar and restaurant on the left hand side just before the city does pretty good food. in carrigaline the carrigaline court hotel on the right hand side at the roundabout is worth a look also.both have their own car parks and are easy to get in and out of.

Hero777

Hi All,

Going from Dublin to Cherbourg on the Epsilon Saturday sailing, but worried that there are very little facilities for young children. Any thoughts/ experiences of using this route. Any entertainment Idea's would be very much appreciated!

Kids are 4 & 1.5

Thanks!

54and56

Hero777 wrote: »

Hi All,

Going from Dublin to Cherbourg on the Epsilon Saturday sailing, but worried that there are very little facilities for young children. Any thoughts/ experiences of using this route. Any entertainment Idea's would be very much appreciated!

Kids are 4 & 1.5

Thanks!

The Epsilon doesn't have dedicated child play areas. IIRC the last time I was on it there were a few play mats and soft toys arranged in an area beside the bar but thats it.

You'll need to entertain them yourself for the hours they'll be on board and not asleep. If you have a cabin you can turn it into a play den, watch movies on a laptop/PC, play your normal games etc.

It's a bit of work for the few hours your on board before you all hit the sack and the same next morning for the 2-3 hours between waking up and arriving in Cherbourg but it's all a big adventure and shouldn't be hard to deal with.

average_runner

Je_suis_Jean wrote: »

The Epsilon doesn't have dedicated child play areas. IIRC the last time I was on it there were a few play mats and soft toys arranged in an area beside the bar but thats it.

You'll need to entertain them yourself for the hours they'll be on board and not asleep. If you have a cabin you can turn it into a play den, watch movies on a laptop/PC, play your normal games etc.

It's a bit of work for the few hours your on board before you all hit the sack and the same next morning for the 2-3 hours between waking up and arriving in Cherbourg but it's all a big adventure and shouldn't be hard to deal with.

Treat the boat ride as the start of the holdiay. We always got presents for the kids for when on the boat, box of cars, games for their tablets, dolls etc.

Kids are 3 and 5 this year. Movies also a great thing.

Stone Deaf 4evr

average_runner wrote: »

Treat the boat ride as the start of the holdiay. We always got presents for the kids for when on the boat, box of cars, games for their tablets, dolls etc.

Kids are 3 and 5 this year. Movies also a great thing.

The novelty of being on a boat is almost always entertainment enough for my lads anyway. lookign forward to heading off in two months now!

munchkin_utd

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

The novelty of being on a boat is almost always entertainment enough for my lads anyway. lookign forward to heading off in two months now!

+1, and it being an overnight service means the kids are asleep for 10 to 12 hours of the journey anyhow.

I found it a b1tch with the late evening 8 or 9pm sailing when you arrive at 4pm, as the kids stay up shocking late but still wake at 7am meaning you have to pad out a heap of time then till you get off. By the end it feels like youre in Jail, but out at sea.

Leaving mid to late afternoon and arriving at 11am, with the sleep in between, is much easier to keep the wee ones occupied and you land early enough to get somewhere useful at the other end.

Miley Byrne

munchkin_utd wrote: »

I found it a b1tch with the late evening 8 or 9pm sailing when you arrive at 4pm, as the kids stay up shocking late but still wake at 7am meaning you have to pad out a heap of time then till you get off. By the end it feels like youre in Jail, but out at sea.

Agreed, I had that problem last year on a Tuesday Rosslare-Cherbourg. I think it was a 9pm sailing and we didn't dock in Cherbourg until 4.3pm local time on the Wednesday, it felt like we were on the boat for 3 days!! This year we are going on a Tuesday as well, but with Irish Ferries, on the same route and we leave at 4.30pm I think and dock at 11am the following morning, so there won't be much time to kill before we dock

average_runner

Yeah I agree there, getting the overnight ferry is great

westgolf

average_runner wrote: »

Yeah I agree there, getting the overnight ferry is great

This is why I like going cork-roscoff. You board around 4.30/5.00, sail around 7.30. Off in Roscoff next morning at about 8.00 and the day is long to get anywhere. Was in St Jean De Monts last year and heading to same area again this year but different site, bout 30 mins further south.

cjmc11

Hey all,
Going to France in June for 2 weeks for the euros, have flights and most of the accommodation booked, just wondering what have been peoples experiences of driving on the other side of the road for the first time, as will be hiring a car more than likely.
Thanks

mightyreds

cjmc11 wrote: »

Hey all,
Going to France in June for 2 weeks for the euros, have flights and most of the accommodation booked, just wondering what have been peoples experiences of driving on the other side of the road for the first time, as will be hiring a car more than likely.
Thanks

Handbrake on the opposite side was the main distraction, only other trouble was merging and stuff on bigger roads, that go out to 3/4 lanes and coming off them getting in the correct lane.

Antar Bolaeisk

Just be really careful when starting your journey on empty roads that you drive on the correct side. I've lost track of the times I've accidentally driven miles on the wrong side of the road.

You will get in to the car and wonder where the steering wheel has gone.

Shifting gears takes a little bit of practice as you'll be using the wrong hand.

Del2005

You'll scare any front seat passengers by passing other vehicles way too close, as our natural tendency is to drive to the right of the lane and there's is drive to the left. I didn't realise how bad it looked till I was in the passenger seat.

Be careful on back roads as unless there is a yellow diamond on your road vehicles from the right have right of way regardless of how big the side road is.

Del2005

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

You will get in to the car and wonder where the steering wheel has gone.

It's worst when you try to sit on the taxi driver.

Into The Blue

After a couple of hours, you'll be used to it..

ECO_Mental

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Just be really careful when starting your journey on empty roads that you drive on the correct side. I've lost track of the times I've accidentally driven miles on the wrong side of the road.
.

Seriously dude if you are driving miles on the wrong side of the road then you should not be driving in the continent for everybody's lives. That is shocking,

I actually found it's when you back to Ireland that you need to be careful as your brain seems to relax and not to concentrate for the first couple of hours and your habit is to drive on the opposite side. Oh major thing to concentrate on is your first couple of roundabouts is look LEFT not right.

vienne86

mightyreds wrote: »

Handbrake on the opposite side was the main distraction, only other trouble was merging and stuff on bigger roads, that go out to 3/4 lanes and coming off them getting in the correct lane.

I have driven a lot in France. Driving in a French car, with steering on the left is way easier than in a right had drive car. You are far less likely to make a mistake. You might occasionally root in the door pocket for the gear stick, but the main error is returning to a parked car and heading to the wrong side!

Westernyelp

I am staying in a mobile home/chalet in near bordeaux for a week or so. First time in this type of accommodation. Just wondering if anyone has experience around what is usually supplied re bed linen Towels etc. Should we be packing duvet cover and pillow cases, stuff like that?

westgolf

Westernyelp wrote: »

I am staying in a mobile home/chalet in near bordeaux for a week or so. First time in this type of accommodation. Just wondering if anyone has experience around what is usually supplied re bed linen Towels etc. Should we be packing duvet cover and pillow cases, stuff like that?

who are you booked with ? Linen pack and towel packs supplied when we went with kelair to st jean de monts last summer.

average_runner

Westernyelp wrote: »

I am staying in a mobile home/chalet in near bordeaux for a week or so. First time in this type of accommodation. Just wondering if anyone has experience around what is usually supplied re bed linen Towels etc. Should we be packing duvet cover and pillow cases, stuff like that?

Send them a email and ask?

eezipc

ECO_Mental wrote: »

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Just be really careful when starting your journey on empty roads that you drive on the correct side. I've lost track of the times I've accidentally driven miles on the wrong side of the road.
.

Seriously dude if you are driving miles on the wrong side of the road then you should not be driving in the continent for everybody's lives. That is shocking,

I actually found it's when you back to Ireland that you need to be careful as your brain seems to relax and not to concentrate for the first couple of hours and your habit is to drive on the opposite side. Oh major thing to concentrate on is your first couple of roundabouts is look LEFT not right.

Agreed. I find driving on the other side of the road is easier in many ways as you are more aware of your surroundings and you concentrate more. The problem I always have is when I get back to my car, I get in the wrong side. Also, I just returned from Italy on Saturday and the first thing I did was to go around the first roundabout the wrong way. Luckily, it was 1am and there was no traffic around in Dublin at the time.

Westernyelp

westgolf wrote: »

who are you booked with ? Linen pack and towel packs supplied when we went with kelair to st jean de monts last summer.

cheers. I am actually booked directly with the owner of the cabin, within the large campsite. I actually found my answer when I pushed the limits of my leaving cert french reading the contract!

Roger Hassenforder

peeps,
going to France end of June.
Do I need to do something to my headlights?