BRITTANY: TRAVEL INFORMATION, HEALTH AND INTERNET ACCESS
CAR HIRE
Car hire is available at all the French airports but we recommend you book in advance from the UK. Locally you can hire a car at Europcar in Ploermel
DOCUMENTATION
You need to bring your Vehicle Registration, Insurance, MOT and Driving Licence. You may need a green card depending on your car insurer. It is advisable to take out European breakdown cover. You may need a warning triangle and a yellow jacket. Note: If in doubt please check with the AA, RAC or other reputable source before you travel
SPEED CAMERAS
Although there are not too many fixed cameras, they do exist, particularly on the motorways. You will see large white signs with black pictures of different vehicles followed by radar lines. Recently these warning signs have been giving way to LED signs showing your actual speed. Normally within three miles of passing one of these there will be a speed trap camera. Hand held speed traps are also used and normally an on the spot fine of ninety euros or more will be given
The speed limit on Brittany's motorways is 110 Km/h whereas the speed limit on the paid autoroutes plus some others (e.g from Caen to Calais is usually 130 Km/h. As of the first of July 2018 the 'national speed limit' (i.e where it is not indicated to the contrary) dropped from 90 km/h to 80 Km/h. In towns and villages it varies between 50 and 30 Km/h. Speed limits are constantly changing on many roads so please check the signs as you are drive along to be sure
PRIORITY TO THE RIGHT- Priorite a droite
Please be aware of the priority to the right, particularly on small local roads. The traffic from side roads to the right often has priority
PETROL STATIONS
Motorway and dual carriageway stations are normally manned twenty four hours. There is one about ten minutes away on the N24 at Ploermel. Supermarket and local petrol stations are usuually manned from nine in the morning until midday and from two until seven in the afternoon. Automated twenty-four hour pumps are available at all petrol stations and usually take UK credit and debit cards. All the large supermarkets have petrol stations - e.g Casino and Super U at Malestroit which are less than ten minutes drive from the gites. There is a small petrol station at Treal (less than two minutes from the gites) which is usually open all day and you can pay by card or cash
CHANGING MONEY
You can use British credit /debit cards in most cash machines in Brittany to obtain your Euros. Most banks have an cashpoint machine
INSURANCE
Check that you are insured to drive in France and that you have adequate European Breakdown Insurance. Also make sure that you have medical and travel insurance. Holiday cancellation insurance is also recommended. Normally a bank or home insurance company will be able to assist you with these policies. We do not offer any insurance at all so you will need to arrange this yourself. The UK governemnt is now offering a replacement to the E111 European Health Card and you should be able to find how to apply online or at your local Post Ofiice
HEALTH: Doctors, Dentists and Hospitals
Brittany is well served for its medical needs, having the highest percentage of doctors per head of population in France. It's important to know that there is somewhere you can get immediate treatment in an emergency so we have found a local doctor and dentist who both speak fluent English. Full details of both of these are included in the House Folder supplied in each gite. The doctor is in Ploermel, less than fifteen minutes away and you can see him six mornings per week by appointment (usually within less than 24 hours). The dentist is in Malestroit. The local A&E is also at Ploermel and is open 24/7. Many doctors speak English. Ploermel hospital is large, new and very efficient. There are huge hospitals in Vannes and Rennes as well- just over half an hour away
FREE Wi-Fi
There is free Wi-Fi at Maisons Bleue, Rose, Violet, Orange, Blanche and Crème and you will need to bring a tablet, laptop or smartphone with you if you'd like to use it
Please note that the internet speeds here in Brittany are not as fast as you may be used to in the UK (we have the highest available). It's fine for e mail, general internet use, social networking sites etc but we cannot guarantee its speed, reliability or functionality as we offer it as a FREE service. We are in the hands of France Telecom and Orange, and although it tends to be fine most of the time it does have hiccups occasionally
Many local cafe's and bars have a free Wi-Fi service as do most large supermarkets and restaurants. Mobile phone coverage is very good in most areas
BREXIT TRAVEL INFORMATION
The following is Brexit information (as of November 2021) as far as we can find out- we can't guarantee any of it unfortunately as things seem to change so please do check for yourself !
Brittany Ferries have said on their website. "Brittany Ferries will continue to operate all routes after the UK has withdrawn from the European Union. The fundamentals of travel by sea will not change regardless of the post-Brexit landscape, so please continue to book with confidence"
Passports: The Goverment advises that you should ensure that there are at least six months duration remaining on your passport from your date of arrival abroad. For the latest information, visit the government’s webpage on passports
EHIC Health Cards: EHIC cards are reported to be continuing to be valid as part of the 'Brexit Deal'.The EU have indicated (but not confirmed) that health care will continue to be given to all UK nationals traveliing in France in the future and vice versa.The UK governemnt is changing the name of the EHIC card, although it will apparently still look the same as the current card.. Don’t forget that an EHIC is never a complete replacement for travel insurance. It is always best to be fully covered when travelling abroad and ABTA recommends you take out a comprehensive travel policy before making any trip.
You need to verify with your car insurance company whether a green card is required for driving in France. We have heard that where it is required by the insurance company they will often provide it free of charge
All of the above travel, health and Brexit information is advisory only. If you would like more specific details then please speak to the French embassy in the UK or a travel organistion such as the AA or RAC. We carry no responsibility for the accuracy of this information
