lilwashu Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 A few road trip threads have appeared recently so I thought I would add mine, which me and the Mrs enjoyed very much indeed. 3000 miles round trip over 2 weeks - Calais, Verdun, Kientzheim (Alsace), Beaune (Burgundy), Le Touvet (French Alps, 5 days with the in laws), Carcassonne (Languedoc-Rousillon), Fromental (Limousin), Azay le Rideau (Loire), Saint-Seans (Normandy) and back to Calais (I may have some of the department names wrong!). Did 2947 miles all in at 29.4MPG which was pretty surprising, and petrol is nowhere near as expensive as the BBC reported the week before I left at about £1.38 per litre for 98RON. Alsace/Vosges was the highlight and I will definitely go back, the bit in the Alps was also great fun and I finally got what all the fuss about mountain passes is about with a bit of power under the right foot, the gravel tended to kick the traction control in quite a lot however. Only got to see a bit of the Pyrenees before clouds descended. Saw a total of 3 Zeds, one 370 in the hotel car park on the first night, then black and orange 350s in the south. The French don't seem to go much on performance cars and kept staring at mine as if it were some kind of alien craft. The Abarth cars, planes, tractors, fire engines and bikes pictured below were all in one chateau and its grounds owned by an eccentric and loaded chap, which also made some very good wine (it was as if someone asked Jeremy Clarkson to design a museum apart from the being in France part). Vosges/Alsace: Mad museum: Rotary bike! French Alps Med: Pyrenees: Carcassonne: Limousin: Nice castle at Chenanceaux: Some very beautiful scenery and the Z makes a very effective tourer with loads of power when needed and nice comfy seats and cruise control. I was pleasantly surprised by the range when on the long motorway drives with the decent fuel economy (33MPG on the motorways @ 75MPH) and big fuel tank. To anyone doing similar and with plans of doing it again, I would strongly recommend investing in a Telepeage device which deals with all of the toll booths automatically and bills you at the end of the month via direct debit. I think it cost me about £20 and no monthly fees etc. Saves much hassle with tickets/scuffed alloys/annoyed spouses etc. I got this one but there may be better ones now, many forums etc dedicated to it: http://www.aprr.fr/fr/souscrire_telepeage_liber_t We managed to fit a good amount in the boot with some extra stuff put in with the spare wheel, and the bit between tonneau and front was handy for cool bags/jackets/random stuff. Only annoying bit was the road noise but it wasn't too bad, going through their tiny narrow villages with the windows down really does show up how much racket the transmission makes however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 excellent report and great pictures too thanks for sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Beautiful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
x.laura.x Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 That looked great road trip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Great pictures. You can't beat a Road trip around europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SidewysJay Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 How many times did you have to fill up all in all? Im interested as i am doing the same sort of thing in a weeks time. Also i was looking at those Telepeage device but not speaking french (being an issue) means figuring out how to get one is hassle! Any tips? J- Great pics btw! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Thanks for sharing - great pics my kind of road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 How many times did you have to fill up all in all? Im interested as i am doing the same sort of thing in a weeks time. Also i was looking at those Telepeage device but not speaking french (being an issue) means figuring out how to get one is hassle! Any tips? J- Great pics btw! Great pics! I would imagine at 33mpg aveage, you were easy doing over 400 miles between fill ups? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilwashu Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 How many times did you have to fill up all in all? Im interested as i am doing the same sort of thing in a weeks time. Also i was looking at those Telepeage device but not speaking french (being an issue) means figuring out how to get one is hassle! Any tips? J- Great pics btw! Great pics! I would imagine at 33mpg aveage, you were easy doing over 400 miles between fill ups? I tended to fill up when the tank got below about a third full/when I was near a cheap petrol station, but I would have easily got over 500 miles to the tank going by the DTE meter. Basically ensuring that I would never have to fill up on the motorway (1.69 EUR + for Super). For the Telepeage I have a French speaking wife so it was pretty easy However there are guides on various forums on how to apply for one via the website so you don't need to understand the language completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 What a road trip! Really cool museum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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