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MG MGA - Northern europe tour

Hi
Not really a specific MGA question so I hope it is ok to post this here.
We fancy going on a short break with the MGA in europe. Nothing too ambitious, probably just around Northern France. But in the past, in our daily driver, we have had problems with car break-ins in France. So I need to find hotels where the MGA will be safe over night.
Has anyone done a similar trip who can recommend routes and/or hotels.
Thanks, Graham
g Victors

Hello Graham,if you book your overnight stops in advance of your trip you can find hotels and b&bs that offer parking on site or secure parking, in the past i have used "booking.com" for almost all my stop overs, when you find a hotel on the site that you fancy you can scroll down the page and see what there arrangments are, but be aware that there will sometimes be a cost for parking, still great fun! Vin
Vin Rafter

Hi
I have been driving europe for many a year and organising Club tours.
Campanile & Kyriad Hotels / Motels are usually a little way outside town. They have on site restaurants, and fairly secure parking.
You will see links to two of this years European tours on our website including a write up of our last Le Mans Classic Tour.
Alan
www.masckent.org
Alan Anstead

Hi Graham

I have used the Logis group of hotels, Sawdays recommended guest houses and the odd Campanile hotel.

On the Logis website you can often select a lock-up garage option at an extra charge. Both Logis and Sawdays give information on parking, Campanile usually just have open parking places.

The main thing is to pick a hotel in a smaller town or, even better, a village off the beaten track. They are usually much safer places to park your car than busy city centres, unless the city centre hotel can guarantee secure parking.

Surprisingly, the Campanile hotel I stayed in last year on the return journey from the Alps provided the most amazing quality and best choice of food although the room was basic and clean but with a hint of mildew!

Hope you have a great tour.

Colyn



Colyn Firth

I can't remember which hotel groups I used, although one or two had secure parking. There was one in Honfleur that arranged a lockable garage for me at no extra cost. I can check out the name if you are going over that way. Picturesque town, well worth a visit.

That all said, I never left anything of value in the car. I have a lockable boot and battery isolators. I also took my steering wheel and dizzy rotor off each night, keeping them in my hotel room.

Steve
Steve Gyles

The only problem i can see with Steve’s idea of removing the steering wheel and dizzy is that you could forget them in the morning, who knows how far you might get before you remembered and had to make a return trip........seriously though that’s not a bad idea if you are concerned, our cars are an easy steel
Vin Rafter

Steve
I'll second that about Honfleur. Lovely place with a harbour. Did a Battlefield tour there but on the second day most just wanted to sit around the harbour in the many cafes and restaurants watching the boats.Approach over the superb bridge. Maybe stop of en route at Montreuil for a walk around the Ramparts. Near to Honfleur there is Bayeau for the Tapestry and D.Day beaches with many associate Museums and monuments.
There is a Campanile just walking distance and also a Kyriad.
Alan Anstead

The road bridge at Honfleur that Alan refers to - Pont de Normandie.

I took this during the MGCC MGA 50th anniversary trip to Le Mans. About 20 MGAs in convoy. One hand on the steering wheel (prior to removal) and one holding the camera!

Steve

Steve Gyles

Graham

We use our MGA (5-speed box) almost only for travel in Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, Italy), and one of our MG TCs (5-speed and supercharged) for trips in northern France.

Two suggested hotels for your first trip, both in easy reach from the channel tunnel, are:

1. Hotel de l'Universe in Arras. This has about 12 parking spaces in a secluded courtyard in front of the hotel entrance. We were happy to leave two MG TCs there. You must book the parking in advance and will be given a numbered spot on arrival.

2. Hotel de Normandie, Amiens. This has a closed garage at street level able to take about four cars.

I recommend that whether Hotel or B&B you book direct with the hotel or B&B and get confirmation of the parking. Take care of booking web sites that say parking is available at a hotel - it may turn out to be in a public car park. Check direct with the hotel and get a hotel reply.

In France and Italy we have happily parked our MGs in B&Bs where parking is a space behind the house or farm, and out of sight of the road. Security is easy to check if you use Google street view or use satellite images. In two cases owners moved their own cars out of garages to give us undercover MG parking, but this is of course the exception.

I use a simple steering wheel lock only, for security.

If your MGA has 5-speeds then the A16, A25, A26 for example will get you away from the channel tunnel quickly, but make sure to use ear plugs on Autoroutes. The little orange plastic ones with a connecting cord between the two are convenient and available on eBay.

Otherwise use N and D roads in France and enjoy real MG motoring.

Your GPS navigator may be hard to see with the hood down, as we always do. In the MGA I mount our GPS on a small bracket just forward of the gearstick on the transmission tunnel. It still receives the satellite signals OK, but is in a darker area out of direct sunlight and so is easy to see. We carry maps also of course.

I think I still have D-road MG routes from Calais to Amiens and also to Arras if you wish to have them. Please contact me off line. However they are on my home PC and I am presently in St Germain en Laye, where I spend part of each month, until 5 May so can't access them until then.

Regards
Mike Card
M D Card

Thanks. Lots of very useful information. We will start planning a route.
Incidentally i have now found a small farmhouse/hotel owned by Classic car owners that even offer a service whereby if you break down they will come and get you and let you use their garage to work on it(though hope we wont need it). We will go there for sure, and I will report back on what it was like (and check out for Steve if steering wheels are allowed upstairs!)

Appreciate the help

Graham
g Victors

Hi Steve
We have toured a lot over the past 10 years in the A and always use ( ETAP ) hotels when we can clean simple value and always secure parking , find them on line now through ( IBIS or ACCOR )
Cheers Colin
c daly

Hi Colin

I think Etap have been rebranded to Ibis Budget. They are very good I use them when I come to UK and generally in Europe. Suprisingly a lot of budget hotels Formule1, Premier Class etc usually offer keycode gate secure parking. I suppose because a lot of them are on the outskirts of town in quieter areas.

Barry
B Bridgens

Steve, you've been watching too much Mr Bean!
Art Pearse

This thread was discussed between 14/04/2013 and 22/04/2013

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