First trip to France

[markh29]

Hello all

looking for a bit of help/advice
Looking to make my first journey across the channel for 4 of us (poss 3 )
and wanted to go around early september.
Does anyone know of any good deals including tackle so i can jump a plane coz the ferries look ridiculous cost wise and the drive is too long to spend with 3 sweaty monkeys in the van.
To be honest i dont need a venue with 60's etc in but with some decent fish
Hope you can help

Mark

[Wooly]

Originally Posted by markh29

Hello all

looking for a bit of help/advice
Looking to make my first journey across the channel for 4 of us (poss 3 )
and wanted to go around early september.
Does anyone know of any good deals including tackle so i can jump a plane coz the ferries look ridiculous cost wise and the drive is too long to spend with 3 sweaty monkeys in the van.
To be honest i dont need a venue with 60's etc in but with some decent fish
Hope you can help

Mark

Normally the best places are booked up well in advance, Oldfellah on this site may be able to help.
Ferries can be very cheap if you book a fair time in advance. If you are interested try Ferrysavers.com They often offer deals. I've just checked Dover to Dunkerque for Fri 5th Sept to Sat 13th. 2 in a car, return, £67. Doesn't sound too bad.
Etang De Vaumigny fishes well at that time of year and can normally be booked this late in the year. Loads of 20s, plenty of 30s and the odd 40 to go at.

[markh29]

Thanks mate

i was looking at crossings to get me within a sensible drive to normandy ways for a van and 4 of us and it was working out at about £400 which is way too much
i will look into the other place and also wait for the guy you mentioned to hopefully add to the post if he sees it

thanks

Mark

[Wooly]

Originally Posted by markh29

Thanks mate

i was looking at crossings to get me within a sensible drive to normandy ways for a van and 4 of us and it was working out at about £400 which is way too much
i will look into the other place and also wait for the guy you mentioned to hopefully add to the post if he sees it

thanks

Mark

There are usually no cheap crossings to Caen / Le Harve etc. I was advised by a French friend many years ago to always go for the quickest crossing from Dover. The other route takes 5 or more hours. The lake I suggested can be reached in less than 5 hours if you go at night. If worried about driving in France I would recommend travelling Friday night and arriving in the morning on the Saturday. Night crossings from Dover are usually the cheapest.
If you did want any help just PM me and I'll give you more details on routes etc. With experience it can be done quite cheaply, especially if you have 4 in a van and not 2 cars.

[markh29]

Thanks mate

in your opinion is it cheaper to hire the tackle and jump on ryanair or pile it in the van pay fuel ,crossings, van hire , and what have you?
Im really stuck on this lol

Mark

[Wooly]

Originally Posted by markh29

Thanks mate

in your opinion is it cheaper to hire the tackle and jump on ryanair or pile it in the van pay fuel ,crossings, van hire , and what have you?
Im really stuck on this lol

Mark

If you have to hire a van I think it would work out very expensive.

A typical drive and survive type trip to Vaumigny, with 2 in a car will cost about £450 each, depending on bait taken. This includes fishing, ferries, bait, tolls, petrol etc. This is based on a previous trip, the trip in question produced 43 fish to me and 32 to Mutley who was fishing with me, with several 30s, the catch report is somewhere on the foreign catch report from September 2006.
I suggest you get a price from some of the other types of trip and see how it compares. If you can find anywhere with spare places that is. Personally I do not think I would be comfortable using someone elses gear.

Fishing in France can be an expensive nightmare if you get it wrong, I recommend you make sure you do your homework before you make your mind up. Common mistakes when on a DIY trip include paying too much for ferries, fishing lakes with exaggerated fish stocks, getting lost, taking far too much and often the wrong type of bait, buying tackle for the trip in the mistaken belief that English tackle will not suffice.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Oldfellah]

It is now possible for around 25 pounds to take your rods with you when flying to France and if their are several of you going it is often possible to split the 9 rods into just 2 tubes thus reducing the cost further. We actually have the equipment and transport to pick 3 anglers at either Limoges or Tours airports and do so with regular customers who want a short notice break. The equipment on many venue's can be pretty poor but we have 3 sets of rods including N.g's,Dreammakers and Shimano's as well as bivvies and bedchairs, mats, nets,etc. The things to consider is that when flying you will be buying all bait on site so be sure to check if a quality bait is available before booking. Quite honestly the driving can be either a nightmare or an interesting part of your holiday depending on how you look upon it. Once off the ferry the roads are so good that it really makes little difference whether you are travelling 50 or 300 miles except for the time aspect. Be aware that siome venue's in places like Brittany can take as long to get to as venue's further south so be sure to check routes before deciding. I tend to travel on the Dover to Boulogne Speedferries route and find it cheap and quick. One thing to consider is the option of using on site bulky items of tackle and taking the car where you could then get 3 anglers in without problem.
If I can help further drop me a pm otherwise chose carefully and be sure to have a great time.

[HAWTHORN]

Transmanche Ferries or LD Ferries. Newhaven Dieppe, Portsmouth Le Harvre, is my advice for Normandy, or even western Loire.