Costs in France less than in UK

In reply to Mr Beyer I think he has got his sums wrong. I don't think much has changed in France since I was there in October and certainly hasn't since a friend went in January.

I think he has got his euros and his pounds mixed up. I know the pound has had a bit of a kicking against the euro lately but I always equate what it costs in the good old UK in pounds to the same amount in euros.

For example I put £50 of fuel in my car on the UK side to fill it and 50 euros on the French side to fill the same car which at the end of October equated to £35. If fuel had gone up that much since October I think the French would be out protesting.

As for the charges on toll roads where did you go from in Normandy? We drove from Boulogne to Martel - about 470 miles - and it didn't cost us a fraction of the £50 you paid.

Yes, things have got a little dearer over there in the past 12 months, but it has got a lot dearer on this side of the pond. The French don't pay road tax and their equivalent in community charge is a fraction of what we pay.

Martel is the size of Wellington and there is no charge for parking. In Cahors, which is a major town, there is a charge but it is free between noon and 2pm. The closer you get to the ferry ports the more you start to pay because they know people in the UK do like paying for things.

Adrian Spragg, Wellington