Height-aware SatNav - France

IronGiant

I'm not sure what crossing you are using, but you will probably be charged extra for a trailer. On the other hand there may also be a height limit. I don't know if they charge extra but you have to let EuroTunnel know if your vehicle is over 1.85m tall so they can put you in a taller carriage (if they don't already for your bus )

IronGiant

I took a quick look at the Eurotunnel site for Sunday and an over height vehicle doesn't cost any more than one under 1.85m, but towing a trailer adds between £122 and £273 extra depending on whether you go for the lowest fare or the Flexipass ticket (that's for a one way trip). The cheapest return ticket was £196 for a car and £440 for a car plus trailer .

AMc

Navmii (was NavFree) has vehicle options under route options for Car/Bicycle/RV/Lorry/Transport truck/Delivery truck.  I imagine that takes care of height and weight restrictions.
Mapping is offline so you don't need data connections (though thanks to the EU that's less of an issue these days).
First time we went to France and Belgium I installed the local versions as separate apps.
Next time we did France and Spain and I installed the paid maps into the UK version for full long distance route planning.
Last time I used it all over France.

Looks like the EU maps are now a free upgrade too

Try it on a local route you know with a low bridge to see how it works, then a French route you're considering and expect to be trouble.

imightbewrong

We are 2m high   roofbox - from memory we don't pay extra but we do have to go in the single-story high carriages with the coaches.

IronGiant

That's what I just found out   and that it costs more than twice as much if you have a trailer

Dony

I used to work in France and got a call one day from my boss asking me to go to Lille train station and 'rescue' his car. He had to abandon it while he ran for his train.
When I got there, he had managed to wedge his Renault Espace in the entrance of the car park as he'd forgotten about the roof box on it, blocking one of the main car park entrances.

By the time I had got there with the spare keys (he took the originals when he ran for his train), there was about 30 very irate French people. In my best broken French I tried to explain that it wasn't my car blah blah but they were having none of it. It was only when I shouted in English that 'it's not my fudgeing car' that they seemed to get the message!

Dony

Top tip if this ever happens....don't let a mob of Frenchmen try to push your vehicle and cause more damage, simply let down the tyres and get the mob to push you out.


(they thought I was a genius )

nvingo

I worked at one factory/warehouse; loaded curtainsider lorry reversed in the doorway, forklift unloaded about 20x1tonne pallets. Lorry went to pull out, trailer was too high for the doorway!
had to slip it down the fifth wheel and use a straps to pull it.
if you let down tyres make sure you have the means to reinflate them

imightbewrong

I had a look at this - you can pick 'RV' as a vehicle type.  Can't see any bridge heights on the map - not sure how to work out if they actually have bridge data.  The only low bridges I actually know are the ones in Paris, but really struggling to find any info of their existance at all anywhere

nvingo

Main road bridges on the continent are lower than the UK hence their articulated lorries aren't as tall, as I was told by a British driver who'd had close calls with his vehicles over there.
But I can't imagine a car/SUV   roofbox would come close; save for on non-HGV country lanes.
Measure it unladen, in metric. That should give you a margin when holiday luggage and passengers are aboard.