French Roads and Roundabouts

One of the very best things about living in France is the French roads. They are smooth-surfaced, regularly maintained and renewed, and offer excellent signage. They are more or less empty. Major roads have two lanes. Once a car has overtaken, it religiously gets straight back in to the inside lane. There are places where traffic on the main thoroughfare must give way to those coming out of a side road. At first, we thought this was madness, but it works!

However, the French drive in a different way to the British. It's something we have to get used to. They all nearly always drive precisely at the speed limit. They drive extremely close to one another; at first, I thought I was witnessing lots of towing going on, but no. If you are travelling a little slower than the speed limit, they will drive on the centre line about ten centimetres from your back bumper. But there is no road rage or aggressive hand signing. It is the way. And that is that. Since being out here, I have never seen an accident. Or a rude hand signal. Or a cross face.

There are thousands of pretty lay-bys with picnic tables on French roads. If it is between midday and two, everyone stops and eats. Lunch is very important. I love to see families sitting there with their hampers out. We sometimes receive puzzled looks from the lunchers as we drive past, probably not understanding what on earth we are doing driving and not stopping to eat. Then they see the English registration plate and know.

What the French do with their roundabouts is so sweet! They try to give the roundabout centre a local theme, thus, the one near us and the Tintignac archaeological site has been designed thus:

Now, that's cute, isn't it? Bless them!