Our 4-night historic Normandy Road trip overview

Our 4-night historic Normandy Road trip overview

Hi and welcome to the overview
of our Normandy Road trip. It’s something a little different
and a little longer than usual. We’re going to start on the M20
as the approach to the Channel Tunnel. In the next 30 minutes plus are packing
as much useful information as possible. They’ll be extra heavy content
as this is our first international trip, In the Polestar two, This is our final piece from the trip, and we covered a lot of the tour
in other videos in this series, and I’ll pop that playlist up at the end. If you’ve followed the series so far,
you’ll know the inspiration for this trip was a visit to the British Normandy
War Memorial, just outside by Bayeux And we then chose Dives-sur-Mer
as our second destination for its links to William the Conqueror,
taking the scenic route between the two. Then we finally headed along the coast
for a quick peek at Deauville coastline before arriving back in Calais. Anyway,
without further ado, let’s hit the road. So our journey starts like any other,
heading along the M20 towards Folkestone,
although yesterday was different. Rather than head
to the local petrol station that’s five minutes away
and fill up the car for the journey. I just clicked on the app. The car normally sits at recommended 90% but for our trip,
I use the max range. I guess that saved me 25 minutes
and the inconvenience. I’ll talk more about range
a little later in the video, so if you’re interested,
hang fire for that. Also, whilst planning the trip,
I’ve checked the RAC website for the latest travel requirements
for France. The high-vis jackets are in the car
and I also have my Crit Aire. The little admission sticker
that is mandatory for all vehicles and is a little green one. You need to sort this out a month
before you plan to visit. They only cost €5
and last the entire life of the car. I’d like links to all the sites
I mentioned in the description, so check them out
if they of interest to you. Anyway, so this is the 15th of July. So to help us acclimatise to driving
on the right, Kent County Council has instigated Operation Brock,
the big car park on the motorway. I hang up from Brexit, so this will slow
us down for the next 13 miles or so. If it is an accident, it can be painful. Anyway, we’re in luck and we’re heading off at junction 11A. And the check in process was painless. But I should add, we’re here
a little early, at around about 6:45 in the morning. We made this crossing many times
over the years, and each time something seems to change. For those with EVs,
there’s plenty of charging facilities, but there’s not a petrol station In the terminal building. there’s a couple of eateries, stationers and an AA store, in case you’ve missed anything, we rarely stop here and make our way to the holding car park in the hope
that we can get an earlier shuttle. I don’t need to make use of the restrooms as Janis has made sure I went before I left home
and that was only 35 miles ago. I seem to think I’m 57 now. We have passport control, customs
and security checks. Again, this can be slow,
but you just need to be patient. And don’t worry,
you’ve picked the slowest queue. Once you’ve cleared this,
then it’s onto the holding carpark. And if you’re lucky, you’re boarding
shortly after that, the 35 minutes crossing time doesn’t take long to pass,
but we don’t have kids in the car popping out the other side. And from checking point to here,
it’s taken around about an hour and a half and we’re on our way. Now, as we head to the A16,
we do something a little different. We normally stick to the right lanes
and head east towards the A26 south or Dunkirk for Belgium and Germany. Rarely do we head west. We settle in for the 233 mile drive from Calais to Bayeux at that, the 35 miles we’ve already done
and those 270 miles, which should be easy for a car
with a WLTP range of 350 miles. Right? Err, no The real world range
of our Polestar two is probably closer to 250 miles at motorway
speeds, maybe less with luggage. If you want to check out the real world
range of any EV, then follow the link to the electric vehicle database,
which I’ll put in the description. So we plan to stop at the Aire de la Baie de Somme, some 65 miles from Calais. We should arrive there around about 10:15
local time. Don’t forget, we’ve move forward to now. When we entered France. That will be three hours after leaving
home and it’ll be time for a comfort break. A leg stretch and this Aire
has a deli, Starbucks, a viewing platform over the Somme, and a bank of ultra rapid Ionity chargers. According to the app,
there’s a couple free. So let’s see how we get on. It’s also a bank of Tesla charges,
but they’re not open for other brands. Anyhow, we find a free charger
and I slowly get parked up. It takes a minute or two to authenticate
my Electroverse card and we’re ready to head in. In future,
plug and charge will make it even easier. It’s now available on our Polestar two yet,. it may come as a future software
update, or it might not. So we head in, refresh ourselves,
grab a coffee and a French patisserie while we take in the views over the landscape,
all while the car happily charges away. Now we’re ready to hit the road again. After taking on a little over
30 kilowatt hours of charge at a cost of £14.42. That’s around 47p per kilowatt hour. Very reasonable compared to UK prices. And to give you a true comparison
based on our figures. That’s a cost of about 15 per mile. So we now rejoin the A16 as we continue our journey south. I had a little poll on the channel a while back, asking opinions on whether I should speed up
the footage or not. It was a mixed response,
but I guess the consensus was it’s okay. So here we go. And a little word about speeding. And this one goes out of my friend Brad Now generally I keep the speed limit. In past days
I may have stretched them a little, but these days
I keep well within them to help the range. Traveling at 130km/h,
which is a little over 80mph as a disproportionately larger impact
than, say, 110. So I tend to stick to about 120. Anyway, back to Brad, earlier this year when he travels down to Antibes
on the French Riviera tested a widely held belief
that the speed limits were indicative and maybe the tolls increase
if you arrive too early. On day one, he passed an unmarked police
car at speed and was quickly joined by two further gendarmes on motorcycles,
who escorted him off the autoroute and promptly issued him with an on-the-spot
fine, card machine in hand. A lesson learned for the rest of the trip, we have witnessed speed traps set up in laybys. So they do exist, he just might be easy
to keep to the speed limit. And as we take the turn for the A26, there’s the other cost, tolls. On our way to Bayeux. We had five totaling in little under €30. But the benefits are
that the toll sections of the Autoroute are generally quite clear. If you want to avoid the tolls, it’s easy enough,
but it will be much slower going. Most routing software will have
the option, although there are some tolls you cannot avoid,
and we’ll see a couple of those later. Now, a word of warning
you need to think ahead. You can pay by cash or card. And then there’s the Telepeage
and we come to that later. Some toll gates
just need to collect a ticket. If you’re like us, you can use a normal
gate where the machine is on the left and Janis collects
the ticket whilst I try to get as close as possible
without damaging the alloys. There are some, normally on the right of the
booths, that have a machine on the right. For those of us
with right hand drive cars, and then on the far
left is a Telepeage booth and a T above you collect your ticket here and pay like we did the last booth. Or if you exit
the autoroute at an earlier junction, we picked us up 42 miles or 68km earlier and paid the €9.20. However, there are some
where there’s just a fee when paying there’s three options I mentioned. However, you need to make sure you’re
in the correct lane. The Telepeage
with the T, credit cards with the symbol looks like a credit card,
and the other one, which I guess looks like a symbol of coins
being chucked into the collection scoop. Please
make sure you arrive at the correct one. If you cause a delay,
you’ll be as popular as a plague carrier. Now, have you noticed
how the weather has changed? Go to those blue skies. Remember, when it rains, the speed limit on the autoroute
drops 130km an hour to 110. A little over 80 miles
an hour to just under 70. Anyway, let’s talk about Telepeage As you can see, we don’t have one. But we will. It’s a convenience thing. We’re traveling to France later this year
and again at least once in 2026, possibly twice. The gastronomy of Burgundy is calling. Anyway, the Telepeage, and a breakdown of the costs. There’s a €10 application fee, a €10 annual account fee a €20 refundable security tag deposit and a €7 fee for each month you used it. capped at €14 (two months.) That comes in at €47 plus UK VAT. But look for offers because we got to our
for €37 with Le Shuttle The good news is that from year
two onwards, you only pay the account fee and the monthly fee,
which is either €17 or €24. You don’t get a discount, but you do get
a pass swiftly through the tolls. And if you want to see how we get on,
make sure you subscribe and hit that notification bell, because we’re going to be posting
future trips with the Telepeage And if you like this video,
and if I’ve packed as much info in as I can, then want to give us
a like, we’d appreciate it. The weather was taking a turn for the worse,
as you can clearly see. Which is a shame because we’re approaching
the Pont de Normandie and now, despite the fact that the traffic
is starting to back up. This brings back
fond memories of trips to Le Mans 24 hour race in the mid-nineties. Our ferry docked at Le Havre
and we set off in the white transit minibus
to the famous Circuit de la Sarthe and the only toll we paid
was the Pont de Normandie. The rest of the journey was on N roads I mentioned in our blog. That’s OurWorldforYou.com. If you didn’t know that this is where
my love affair with France began. I think it was the relaxed attitude
and the celebration at speed. So I’ve got all misty eyed. So I mentioned that you can avoid tolls, most routing software, and navigation aids will allow you to turn them off,
but your journey will take longer. If you want to make an informed decision,
then consider the Via Michelin site as this gives you a breakdown
of the toll costs and options to reduce that if you wish, there
be a link in the description, of course, and an app available for your mobile is one of our tools of choice
when planning a trip through France. Although it really is global,
maybe give it a try and some really useful features
like stopover ideas and amenities en route. Anyway, we now have rain roadworks
and it looks like another toll. This is one of those
where you don’t collect a ticket first. Now I know I have one more toll before we reach our turn off on the autoroute and I’m planning to have another recharge. I really don’t need it,
but we are being overly cautious. This is our first trip. We didn’t choose accommodation with
charging, but that shouldn’t be a problem. We do want to head out tomorrow
for a little road trip, so it’ll be nice to have a decent range. We now reach our final toll of the day, and the total for this trip has come out
€29.60. We’re coming up to the City of Caen and the A13 will morph into the N814. What this means is
the traffic will build up. You generally see this
as you approach cities and this a bypass has been created again
that will cost. It’s worth bearing this in mind
if you go the way of the toll free routes. So we’re looking for our next charger. And the car is a little over 40%
or just under half a tank in old money. 40% will give me a range of up
and 100 miles, and it’s 22 miles to the hotel. Tomorrow’s
journey is going to be around 60 miles, but I want to make sure
we have plenty of range in hand, parked up and charging. And this is a bit of a wasted stop. We’re running through our plans
once we get to Bayeux. Not much else. We take on a little over
32 kilowatt hours of charge in 20 minutes, which is added around 37% or a little over
100 miles of range, giving us a total of 190 miles of range compared to our previous car. The Audi S3, we probably would have seen a range of around 350 miles,
so would have made it all the way to the hotel
without needing a refill. There you go. Just being honest rather than showing you more traffic. Let’s jump ahead a little to us. Arriving in Bayeux But I do need to include a few transitions because otherwise
you’re not going to believe this weather and no time at all. We’re heading off the N13. We’re going to negotiate
a few roundabouts, pass an industrial estate
or two into the leafy suburbs of Bayeux And then something I want to show you on our left, up to 22 kilowatt AC chargers. There’s a few in town
and a couple of 160 kilowatt chargers. And the Carrefour But for me, it’s
now time to park up the car in our hotel. And let’s go and explore Bayeux So I’m
not going to show you Bayeux again. You’ll have to pick that up
in the playlist at the end, but trust me, a visit to Bayeux is absolutely worth it. And if you want to know more,
be sure to check that out. Likewise, I’m not gonna repeat
the road trip we took to the British Normandy War Memorial
and the other destinations we squeezed in. But I will look at the destination
chargers we used and how that is the secret
to a successful road trip with an EV So we’re going to head out of the hotel. I’ll give you a summary of my thinking. So the journey is around 60 miles and I really want to get back
by mid afternoon. We’re leaving the hotel with around 75% and the indicated range
is about 190 miles. But I’ve learned this is quite flexible as it’s
based on the previous driving style. This should be more sedate,
some more range. If I put my destinations
into Google Maps in the car, it’ll give me an estimated state
of charge. Each location. The simple
truth is, I don’t need to charge at all. However, if I’m going to visit a location
there is available charging nearby, then why not? Destination charging or slower is also cheaper, so that makes sense. Sadly, at the British Normandy War Memorial
there is no EV charging. In my mind,
this is an oversight for a memorial that was opened in 2021 with a car
park this big. After a slight hiccup,
we returned to the hotel and then head back to our next destination
of Port au Bessin and we have a charter
available in a car park. So after a wander around and a spot of lunch,
we parked up for a little under an hour and a half and taken on around 16kW for £6.62. That’s cost us £0.42 per kilowatt hour as opposed to 51 at the Caen charge
point yesterday. I need to mention charging losses. The amount you are charged
is the amount you draw in the process of delivering it to the battery. There are small losses and if, like me,
you’re calculating the numbers, you do need to take that into account. There’s something else I also need to mention,
and that’s car parking charges. Quite often, despite the fact you’re charging,
you still need to pay the parking charges. Check the signage. That car park was free. Then there’s idle fees. If you’re connected but not drawing a charge,
then some providers will have an idle fee. Tesla being one, but there many others. Once again, just check In our video of this full road trip. We head to the Les Braves Memorial. But here we’re going to make our way
to the last stop over of Arromanches to show you something. Two chargers in use. Our advice here is obvious
don’t rely on them. Use them for your convenience. Arriving back at the hotel
for our last night in Bayeux we have a choice of a 33 mile
route to our next destination. And even if you didn’t
see our video on Bayeux to Dives-sur-Mer you’ll know
I’m going to take the most scenic route. That’s what we did. It came in at 113 miles taking. in Cerisy-la-Forêt, Clécy Falaise of course I’m not going to repeat that. But I will show you
the charging stops, failures and all, costs, and a little mystery too. After adding nearly 16kW yesterday, and consuming just under 14. So we’re about 85% and a range of 270 miles. The plan for today’s to pop into a few destinations,
maybe grab a coffee and a patisserie. a spot of lunch at Clécy could be nice. Falaise is a must really as the birthplace of William the Conqueror. We would love to be at a hotel between 3
and 5 to give us time to explore Carbourg. If we grab a charge en route,
that would be great. We know there won’t be any
at the Abbaye Saint-Vigor. in Cerisy-la-Forêt, however Villers Bocage seems an option
and looks a pretty little Norman town. But that’s where
the plans start to unfold. Our first attempt at this fast charger can authenticate
with our Electroverse card. It was a 50 kilowatt charger, I noticed. Now it looks like
it’s been upgraded to 100kW and it’s free. So not perturbed,
we head to the next chargers which are near the tourist office. And to be honest, we don’t have any luck there. and I was disappointed it meant I was going to skip Villers Bocage Yes, I might be having a tizzy, but surely I can find another village
with a charger and a cafe en route. So off we set. Let me explain the difference
between AC and DC chargers. If you don’t know, the 50 kilowatt
and above are normally DC, that’s direct current
and the same as the battery takes. So the power goes through the battery
management system and straight into the battery,
and the cable is attached to the machine with AC or alternating current. The car converts the AC to DC before
going into the battery management system. A lot of either use maxed out at 11kW, so even though the charger says 22kW,
all I can pull is 11kW. With AC chargers, you only need to use
one cable, so it’s a bit more of a faff. Anyway, back on the route
and the next challenge is at Les Monts d’Aunay
and they’re easy enough to find. But we have competition parked up and plugged in. We set off to explore. However, in our haste to locate a charger,
which we really didn’t need, we may not have chose the best location. Nothing really jumped out us
as someone would like to stop and it was getting closer to lunch. It’s just gone 11, so a coffee stop
and patisserie went by the wayside. We stopped for a total of 18 minutes
plus faff time and drew 3.14kW. And it costs a £1.31 Still, a charge is a charge, I suppose. And next location was going to be Clécy
where we planned to have lunch. It was only 15 miles away. And yes, there’s a charger there. So as if by magic, we’ve arrived and it looks a charming little place, like so much of rural France. Although the location of the charger
surprised me, I almost felt like I was parking
on someone’s private parking space. Google tells me it’s a minute
to the boulangerie and the tourist office for the Suisse Normande region of Normandy we’re in We stopped for a little over an hour
and drew just over 12kWh of charge for £5.19, again a cost of 42 per kilowatt hour. Now it’s time for our next destination
of Felice and our little mystery. Once again,
I’m going to wave my magic wand and we will arrive at Falaise. So we found our charging spot,
plug the car in and spent an hour exploring Falaise. On returning,
we unplugged and set off on our way again. Normally what happens within a couple
of minutes of unplugging we get a receipt, but to this day we haven’t been charged for this charge and we did get one. I just don’t know how much. As we make our way to the destination for the next couple of days
Dives-sur-Mer I’ll explain how I have so much detail
about the journey. The Polestar two has an app available
called The Journey Look, and it sort of does
what it says on the tin. It looks the start and stop times, address,
latitude for each leg of a journey, along with the distance, consumption,
start and stop odometer readings. And in the latest version,
the start and stop state of charge. You can export this via email
into a CSV file. I do that and process
it, store the data in a database and pull the information
I need into Excel. The app should run in the background, but it can be a bit flaky,
not necessarily recording each leg. What I do is launch app each time
in the car and then it seems to work fine. If you didn’t think I was a geek
before, you surely do now. So now we’re at Dives-sur-Mer crossing the River Dives
and take note of the Lidl on our left. When we booked our accommodation
it didn’t have EV charging, but that was an issue because the Lidl did
and it had 120 kilowatt charger. And I had a plan. Tomorrow morning
I was going to slip the car on charge. while we popped into Lidl
to pick up a few local delicacies. you don’t see at home,
and maybe a few items that go clink. In the time it took us to complete
that little shopping trip, we added 26.24kW,
a little over half an hour for a cost of £8.75 That’s a very reasonable 33p
per kilowatt hour. Now, final day is a 250 mile journey home. As usual,
we booked the late afternoon shuttle. Just a little point of note The day we arrived, a bank of EV
chargers would be installed. If you check now you have six 22 kilowatt charge points
costing 40p per kilowatt hour, plus a €2 connection fee,
significantly more than the Lidl. Is this the new minibar? The price of convenience. Anyway, we get one last look at Normandy and a place we’ve not seen on
any other video in the series. We’re going to take the coastal road
to Deauville, another of those Belle Epoque resorts and its famous beach. And I have no idea why. I just did this U-turn, am i being a sheep? But let’s head to the beach and have you seen these beach huts? They’re famous for the dividers
featuring the names of, let’s say, Hollywood stars,
not all in front of the screen. These go on for so long and time is not our friend,
but they are a must see. But it’s not just the beach huts. Look at the golden sands. Everything looks quite organized. I bet there’s a cost. to getting sun kissed. When you look around, there is a sense
of the golden age of Hollywood, and it’s one of the things I find France good at, retaining a sense of the past, whatever era that may be. It’s no surprise
that this stretch of coast is known as the Parisian Riviera. We don’t plan to stay here too long. It’s just to get a sense of the place
and see those beach huts. The journey look tells me it’s 40 minutes, but that’s enough time
to taking what we want. I think Deauville might be a stopover
for future adventure. What’s your thoughts? Doesn’t look too bad, does it? Let us know what you think in the comments
below. Actually, we stayed here briefly,
but that was back in 2001 and that was a last minute stopover. And now back to the car. And I really am left
wondering why I did that U-turn when I have to do another one
to get us back on track. But it does give us one last
look at Deauville, and is is she pretty? It’s a little over eight miles to the A30 and 27 to the Pont de Normandie. And today’s crossing
should be a little clearer. So obviously
I’m going to compress this section and show you my little mistake. Even with all the tech
available in the Polestar I still need to listen to instructions and I should be heading towards Rouen. Oops, it looks like we’re going via Caen Hopefully we don’t pass through a toll My name is one junction
and then turn off and return. It turns
out listening to instructions is important and something Janis tells me
I’m not very good at all. Whatever. Anyway, here’s the next junction No tolls. So it’s just a few minutes
added to our journey and a few extra miles. So a little more about route
planning versus impromptu freestyling. It is possible in the Polestar,
as in many other EVs, to just pump in the destination
to the navigation system and drive. It will calculate charge points as you need them
and prepare the battery for the charge. However, this will probably mean
you’ll be waiting services a little more until time in the Polestar,
but it is frustrating if you just want
to get on your way I’ve charged charge eight times. Not including the ones at home compared
to, say, three without petrol car. And as I mentioned,
right at the very beginning, if you remember back that far,
one of them was the night before. So for frequency of stops, the old school win out On the planning front well that’s me, in my working life I like to plan. Sure, I was flexible enough
to handle surprises, but never, no plans. Before I continue, though,
I have the first glimpse of the Pont de Normandie and today’s crossing
should be more pleasant. So back to the planning
for the framework for trip. I use Google MyMaps. I believe you need a Google account
and login, but that’s easy enough to set up
and it’s free. In it I create different layers
for route stopovers, points of interest. And there’s a link for this trip
in the description below. I’ve used it for years on many trips. Once I’ve completed the trip,
I had the actual route I’ve taken on another layer along with photos
of the destinations I have little USB, GPS data logger I used to capture the actual route we’ve taken. I can also mark points of interest
along the route for later reference. Google maps
is great for planning at a high level, and I can export the routes
as a KML or KMZ file. But what is frustrating
that I can’t import that into Google Maps or any other routing software for that matter. If you now have a solution that works
and let me know in the comments below. Another bugbear of mine with all routing
software I’ve come across is that you can set the route criteria, like avoid motorways
and tolls at a top level, but you can’t do it at a segment level. An example here would be
if I wanted to drive from Calais to le Havre. With motorways and tolls turned on
and then take the route, avoiding them to Bayeux, I can’t Not on a single trip. I need to create two plans while I’m at it. Another moan, about the routes
that you can plan All of the sotware I know allows you to add stopovers, but not necessarily waypoints. So in the south of France,
I want to take the D2 through the scenic landscape of La Grande Roche (the Great Rocks.) It’s more challenging
than it really needs to be. However,
when it comes into the routing software, it wants to take me from A
to B as quickly as possible. I want to get the scenic route. Anyway, our journey continues. The ease of this journey is striking. And just so you know, this is a Friday and
the return journey contains less tolls. As we passed Caen via
the scenic route on our way to Dives-sur-Mer, but the cost is still creeping up and I will give a full breakdown
of our transit costs at the end. We’re closing in on our charging stop. Well,
actually, it’s more of a comfort break. We left the summer at 8:30 and it’s now
closing on 1:00, and the scenario happens that everyone says it’s all too frequent
and that’s all the bays are occupied. Still, I need a comfort break. So we find a regular space and park out. We already have a plan B,
we still have plenty of range and it’s touch and go,
but I can still get home if I want to. Anyway, we complete the necessaries and return to our car and notice
there are few bays free. We complete a lap and get a little charger
with a certain sense of deja vu. See, I’ve slipped in a little French. We had a back in, picked up a coffee
and a pastry or two. Our last true French ones
for a couple of months. By the time we’ve woofed those down,
we picked up 50kW of charge in 24 minutes at a cost of £19.24. That works out of 48p per kilowatt hour. But in truth, we’ve overcharged. Let me be clear. You can’t actually overcharge an EV,
but I’ll get home with over 50% charge, and then I can top up for 7p per kilowatt hour. So not the most cost effective. Now, back to route planning is one piece of software
that is really good for EV drivers, and that’s ‘A Better Route
Planner’ or ABRP There’s a free standard version
and a premium version. I have the paid version
and it’s a €50 annual fee. This gives you a bunch of extra features,
including real time traffic and weather, as well as readings
of the state of charge from the car. There is also a version for our Polestar
but I don’t use it because the routing software is not presented on the cockpit
display, only on the tablet in the center. There’s a lot of benefits to the software,
especially around planning, and you can add waypoints. You can also share them with Google Maps
and your phone and send them to your car. However, it’s not perfect
and the destinations don’t carry forward the names. This seems to be a solution
to my problems. I just need to wait until the software
evolves. Anyway, let me give you a glimpse of ABRP. If you have an EV and you haven’t
tried it, then why not give it a go? It might be helpful. I’ve included two views, one with the route details
and one with the overview of the settings. It’s pretty comprehensive. One thing I would say is it’s cautious. Or maybe it’s our driving style. We arrived
with more charge than predicted. So as we pass through the last of the tails,
let’s have a look at the costs. Firstly,
the tolls as this applies to everyone, I’ve broken it
into outbound and homebound, so the total cost was a little under 50 pounds sterling. Now let’s look at the fuel costs for this trip. We’ve charged the car ten times,
including the free one at Falaise and twice at home. Once you drop it up to 100%,
and once when we returned, I’ve broken it into public and home. The total charges for this
trip were £75.05 for the 688 miles we covered, looking at 11
per mile, I’m happy with that as we arrive at the shuttle. It’s quieter than it normally is We’re here at 2:30
and this is a bit of a shocker. So now it’s time for me to wrap this up. If you’ve made it this far, thank you
and leave me a comment. I’d love to know what you thought of it. Anyway, time to say goodbye. Thanks so much for watching. Stay safe, stay well, and happy travels.

Join us on our Normandy Road Trip adventure, exploring the beautiful French countryside, historic towns, and the scenic coastline of Normandy — all while travelling in our Polestar 2 electric car (EV). From the Eurotunnel crossing into France to Bayeux and Dives-sur-Mer (with a sneak peek at Deauville a little later), we share practical tips, EV charging stops, and hidden gems along the way.

This travel vlog captures the best of northern France, including the British Normandy Memorial, historic Bayeux, and the famous Deauville coastline. We also cover useful information for all drivers, such as Crit’Air requirements, French driving regulations, and for EV drivers, the charging networks. Whether you’re planning your first international EV trip or looking for travel inspiration in France, this video offers history, culture, and practical advice in one scenic journey.

If you love road trips in France, EV adventures, and discovering historic destinations, don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more travel vlogs and guides.

🚘 Throughout the trip, we share insights on EV travel in France, including:

Charging stops and costs 💡

Real-world range performance ⚡

Tips for EV road trips abroad 🌍

⏱️Timestamps⏱️
00:00 The introduction to our Normandy Road Trip
00:10 What was our route to Normandy, and where did we visit
01:01 The start on the M20 in Kent
02:27 Arriving at Le Shuttle
03:42 Boarding the shuttle
03:54 Arriving in France
04:19 Joining the A16, and the Autoroute network
05:02 Stopping at the Aire de la Baie de Some (& first Charge)
06:00 First charge details
07:52 Arriving at the Péage de Abbeville
09:20 Collect a ticket at
09:56 The rain arrives
10:27 Gare de Péage Romain-de-Colbosc
11:42 Crossing the Pont De Normandie in the rain
12:36 Gare de Peage de Quetteville
13:14 The Gare de Péage de Dozulé
13:59 A charge in Caen with all the details
15:07 Arriving in Bayeux
15:46 Our mini-day trip from Bayeux
17:11 A destination charge at Port au Bessin
18:20 Occupied chargers at Arromanches
18:30 The drive from Bayeux to Dives-sur-Mer
19:48 The first failed charge at Viller Bocage
20:34 The second failed charge at Viller Bocage
21:17 The pointless charge at Les Monts d’Aunay
22:05 Lunch at Clécy and a charge
22:46 The mystery of the Falaise charge
24:09 Arriving at Dives-sur-Mer
24:40 The charge at Lidl
25:48 A look at Deauville
27:15 Leaving Deauville
28:49 The Gare de Peage de Quetteville
29:10 The Pont de Normandy, in the sun
30:29 Collect a ticket at Gare de Péage Romain-de-Colbosc
30:57 The toll at Romain-de-Colbosc
31:18 Collect a ticket at the Péage de Abbeville
33:40 A look at ABRP
33:59 The Gare de Peage de Herquelingue
34:13 The costs for the trip
34:49 Arriving at the shuttle and the end

🔗 Useful Links & Resources

British Normandy Memorial → https://www.britishnormandymemorial.org
Crit’Air Vignette (official French site) → https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr
RAC France Travel Advice → https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/driving-in-france
Bayeux Tourism → https://bayeux-bessin-tourisme.com/en/
British Normandy Memorial → https://www.britishnormandymemorial.org
Dives-sur-Mer Tourism → https://www.dives-sur-mer-tourisme.fr
Via Michelin → https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/
A Better Route Planner → https://abetterrouteplanner.com/
Google MyMaps → https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=19TbHv4CpfmoMoHnGyZQlcABrceDqV8k&usp=sharing
Electroverse → https://electroverse.octopus.energy/sign-up/magic?referralCode=ice-fly-10124
(Use my link to sign up to Octopus Electroverse & we both get charging credit!)

📝 For more information, check out our post ‘Inspiration to visit the lovely region of Normandy’ 📝
🔗 https://ourworldforyou.com/inspiration-to-visit-the-lovely-region-of-normandy/

🎬 You may also be interested in our playlist on Normandy 2024 – A 4 night journey through time
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwaSkfP77ubZlezQ3PDXR7RzkWZpoglg1

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