This French Life

Guide to driving in France

HIDDEN away on the Sécurité Routière website is an English language flyer that may prove useful when driving in France.

The document offers advice on road speeds and the correct use of seat belts for children, as well as information on drink driving levels and the penalties you face.

Additional flight between Southampton and Angers

REGIONAL airline Eastern Airways is to add an additional flight to its service between Southampton Airport and Angers Loire.

A Friday service will operate from June 6 for the summer season and joins the existing Monday, Tuesday and Thursday flights, which leave the UK at 12 noon, landing in Angers Loire at 2.25pm local time. With the return flight departing France at 2.55pm, arriving in Southampton at 3.20pm.

Winners of Ryanair flights to Bergerac

There could only be two winners and the entries picked out by the random number generator were from Sharon and Barria, so I hope they have a great time during their trip to France.

Bringing together Riviera women

DURING her time as a DJ and radio journalist Anna Fill deftly linked between music tracks and news events.

Now Anna has brought those same skills to the online world with the creation of The Riviera Woman website, which looks to offer ways for people on the Mediterranean coast to link up, share ideas and network.

Beaches gain Pavillon Bleu awards

THE names of the cleanest beaches and marinas in France have been announced, giving them the right to display the internationally recognised Pavillon Bleu award at their facilities.

A total of 242 beaches have been recognised from the Nord-Pas de Calais region down to beaches in the Pyrénées-Orientales, each of which has passed a series of stringent tests.

BA increase fuel surcharge

THE cost of taking a flight to France with British Airways is set to rise next week as the airline has announced an increase in it fuel surcharge.

The surcharge for short haul flights will increase by £3 per flight to £16, or £32 for a return ticket, coming into effect on all tickets sold from June 3.

Long haul flights of less than nine hours will see an increase of £15 to £78 per flight, for journeys of more than nine hours an increase of £30 per flight will be put in place, meaning an additional fee of £109 per flight is payable.

Explore Google Earth in your browser

THE wonder of Google Earth is popular amongst many readers of the site as it lets you travel over familiar places around France from a 3D perspective.

Travel safe and secure this summer

IF you are preparing to travel to France over the coming months to take a holiday or stay with friends for a few weeks make sure you have those oh so important travel documents in place.

The first is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which replaced the old E111, and is free of charge, lasts five years and provides emergency hospital cover.

Drop in on the Landscape Juice Network

I HAVE been helping a pal of mine, Phil Voice, with a community driven website aimed at those who have an interest in landscaping, gardens and vegetable growing.

The Landscape Juice Network provides a forum where advice is freely available, but also gives individuals their own blog, as well as tools to upload photographs, videos and ways to connect with others on the site.

Considering how many people in France look to start property management and landscaping businesses, and the popularity of smallholdings, I thought it might be worth pointing you across.

Economic impact of Bergerac Airport

A STUDY of the economic impact of Bergerac Airport found that 95 per cent of people passing through the facilities were from the UK.

The research by the Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de la Dordogne (CCID), who have responsibility for the airport, also found that one in five passengers lived in the region, covering the Dordogne, Lot et Garonne, Charente and the Lot.