Wizzer

Thanks Zeb, they are full too.

I am planning to take a few days following Le Tour next year but am having trouble finding any accommodation in Bagneres de Luchon. I am after two twin rooms for the 19th and maybe the 18th of July 2010 - can anyone please help? Many thanks. Richard.  

I've now found a hotel in Alpe d'Huez but I'm still struggling for one in Gap - any ideas anyone?  

Miki - could you possibly let me have details of the hotel in Alpe'D'Huez? I am riding the Etape du Tour which means next year we will be doing the stage from Gap to the Alpe on Monday 10th and I can't find any accommodation at either end - it's all seems to be booked already by the big tour companies. Has anyone else got any contacts in the area? Thanks.

Does anyone have any details of B&Bs in these towns please? I am riding a stage of the Tour de France in July 06 and am looking for some accommodation in both of the above (between the 8th and 10th). All the hotels seem to booked already. Thanks.

I tried both Front Page and Dreamweaver but found the latter too complicated and advanced for me. Therefore my first proper version has been written on Front Page but I may try Dreamweaver again after attending some evening classes. Incidentally. I purchased my first domain name through oneandone, who were absolutely useless and sold my name without asking my permission! After threats of legal action, I finally got my money back but my domain name (which I had already used in printed brochures) was long gone and there was nothing I could do. Their customer service was also dreadful, so I would advise anyone to stay well away from them. I now use 123reg and webfusion, who have been excellent.  

Yes, still here but very busy winterising the house and getting firewood in - not forgetting collecting mushrooms and having a bottle of red on the terrace now and again! Back with you now though....  

Hi Clair Have a look at this: http://www.swoptics.co.uk/view.asp?KEY=1076 It's a Phillips Planisphere - a simple plastic disc that rotates to show you roughly what is in any direction, at any time of night. I found it very easy to use which is more than I can say for my telescope!  

Can anyone advise if a Sky box can be connected to a TV through an aerial socket or must it go through a Scart socket?  If it can it may be worth trying my old TV before I buy a newer one. I know that some equipment like Playstations, will work through an adaptor (could be an RF adaptor?) so is there a similar thing for Sky boxes or would I just plug straight from the sky box with a standard co-ax (aerial) cable?      

I would like to add my best wishes to those returning to the UK to start another chapter and to say thanks for opening this up as a most interesting thread. Our new chapter begins when we move to France next year but we would like to think we are being realistic in our approach to it. The plan is to take a 'year out', leaving our house in the UK as a base for any return trips (my other half has a few weeks work lined up in th UK anyway). If at the end of our planned time in France, we decide it isn't for us, we still have a lovely holiday home in France but we will return to the UK find another job and off we go. If. as I suspect, the French countryside, culture, weather and most importantly the B&B venture proves to be a stronger pull than a return to the UK, we will re-asses, plan our next course of action and try to increase the business. I have read with interest, the comments regarding boredom, missing the English language, missing family etc. Surprisingly, many have written of missing children but no-one has mentioned elderly parents, which is my only concern. Still, I suppose it's still a case of we only get one life and have to live it to the full. Roll on next year and to taking things as they come.  

We are in the Auvergne and as you rightly say, the winters can be harsh - that's why we have some good ski-ing here. Summers can be VERY hot but that's when we get most of the rainfall, so it can be almost tropical with regular short thunder storms - very nice to freshen things up. We are within the Puy-de-Dome National Park, where properties can be difficult to find - there seem to be a lot available further east and west but because of the local geography, not much comes up for sale through the middle, following the line of mountains and volcanoes. Up until now, I believe the Auvergne has been mainly ignored by Brits, who may have just stopped on the way through to the south coast, but little by little, the area is gaining more publicity and therefore more interest. The holidaying French, Dutch and Belgians discovered it long ago! The majority come for the variety of outdoor activities in the un-spoilt landscape, walking, cycling, sailing and of course snow shoeing, downhill and cross-country skiing in the winter. We are opening our B&B and Gite next Spring, so hopefully we have got a foot on the rung at the right time - if the Brits don't come, I'm sure other enlightened people will!  

Coco, we could come and be your ideal guests - quiet, house trained and happy to be out all day! I just hope that when our place opens next year, we attract guests like you and me too....  

Does anyone actually operate a no children policy and if so, how do you word it in your advertising? Stating 'Adults Only' may give the wrong impression !!!!

This is interesting and I do feel sorry for you - I thought it was just me that believed parental control was a thing of the past. We aim to have our B & B up and running for Easter next year but my biggest concern is exactly this problem. I was thinking of not allowing children but wondered if it would alienate too many prospective guests. I hope that because of our location (63) most of our guests will be genuine outdoor sports enthusiasts and therefore there may not be too many kids in tow - but I may be just being a little naive! I would be interested to know how many of the regular contributors to this thread do not allow children and if so, how much custom you think you may lose because of it. I've not seen any such restrictions on any websites but I'm sure there must be others thinking along similar lines.  

It depends on your point of view and your desire to save money. I regularly book with Speedferries and with their latest offer, you could change the sailings for any other, at no extra cost. Whilst I appreciate that the Speedferries call centre is slow and I believe this is their only failing, if I ring P & O, they want to charge me at least £10 for every booking change and the web site booking page never seems to work. I have booked 4 Speedferries trips for next year - total cost £200. A normal return with P & O in high season will cost more than this, so Speedferries prices (unlike the customer service) are not in doubt. Oh and by the way, I'm a P & O shareholder who doesn't use them anymore, purely because of their high prices.    

Thanks for the replies. Re our current TV in France - it's an old Hitachi CBS288 if that means anything to anyone. There are no Scart sockets or anything similar, just an aerial in socket.  

Hmmmm, that's a  bit out of my price range! I'm looking to buy something in the UK to take out to France - the best I've seen is the following at £150 but I want to check it it's compatable..... http://www.electricshop.com/invt/4066sam109094a&source=kelkoo It obviously isn't a combi but at that price if it works, I could add a separate unit within my budget. 

Could anyone please advise me regarding Multi Standard TVs? As I understand it, I need a PAL TV to receive UK programmes through a satellite receiver or a SECAM TV to receive French programmes through the aerial and one will not receive the other. I therefore believe that if I get a Multi Standard TV, it will receive both of the above. If this is correct, can anyone suggest a cheapish model and is there a combi version with built-in video? As I only have an old SECAM TV in France, I would like to buy something to receive Sky satellite progs, but don't want to buy a new TV and find it won't work. Any advice gratefully received - thanks.    

I believe 'Le Tour' is like no other show on earth, and as a keen cyclist, it's the highlight of my year and I'm as passionate about is as any French follower. Having spectated on it for many years, I obviously understand the passion and enthusiasm of all the spectators but jumping out in front of the riders and running along side (often waving the Stars and Stripes or dressed like a prat in a Superman outfit) is IMO completely stupid and unnecessary. To truly understand the race however, I believe you have to ride up the Cols (mountains) yourself to see what the competitors are going through. I've ridden across the Pyrenees a couple of times and I compete in the UK, so I think I can appreciate what is involved - the last thing any of the pro-riders want is one of the aforementioned numpties jumping out in front of them! Fortunately, Armstrong has now gone, so not only will the Tour be a more competitive race next year but I believe a lot of his rather vocal and extravert followers will disappear too.  

The deal finishes at the weekend. I've booked 4 anytime returns for next year for less than the price P&O quoted for 1 x return trip in August. There is also no amendment fee should you want to change the dates you travel.  

I contacted Zurich (who were very helpful) and they offered unlimited comprehensive cover throughout the year, for no extra charge. The only drawback was that although you can make as many trips as you like, the maximum stay each time is 2 months. So in theory, you could stay for 2 months, return to the UK for a day, then back to France for 2 months. Only in the event of a claim would you need to prove that the car had not been in France for more than 60 days. Most other companies would only offer 30 day cover at any one time, but more importantly, the annual cover was only for 60 or 90 days in total. Incidentally, the AA offered a fully comprehensive policy, irrespective of when and where the car was used, so (in theory) it could be kept in France for 12 months, but they wanted another £500 for this! Finally, unlike many other insurance companies, Zurich don't need to be contacted before any journey, so you are free to come and go as required.  

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but can anyone suggest the best UK insurance companies for 'mid-term' cover in France. The scenario will be that we would want the car in France between March and November next year but during that time it will go back to the UK. Norwich Union say they will cover a UK registered car in France for a maximum of 180 days in the year, for an additional payment of £21, which seems quite good. The AA gave me a quote for an 'overseas' policy where the car could be kept in France all year but the additional sum was about £550. What I need is something between 180 days and 12 months, to allow me to make frequent trips, but the car won't stay in France long enough to warrant re-registering it. Does anyone have any experience of this and any ideas who may give a sensible quote for say 8 - 9 months cover?

It would be great for me too. I've looked at the C-F airport website and searched through the internet for any references to new budget airlines but have drawn a blank. Was there no further information in L F magazine?  

If they are not bothering you, why not leave them alone and let nature take it's course? I arrived at the house two weeks ago having not been there for 3 months, to find two nests behind the shutters - they wern't doing any harm so I left them, only for the magpies to come and destroy them a week later. Rather sad as they are a masterpiece of building work.

I started using St Etienne instead of Limoges (as we are in 63 we can use either) but these prices seems to have started going up too - still usually much cheaper than Limoges though. Incidentally, I've been looking for flights to Brive as I'm sure there used to be a low fares carrier going there - does anyone have any info on this?