Tips on taking BrazBay to Europe?

Hi, after hiring a BrazBay for a holiday trip to Scotland via the Lake District last year we decided to commit and buy one! Now the proud owner of a 2009 Danbury we want to take her to Florence in April/May...well thats the theory! I am a bit apprehensive as a novice owner but part of the reason for buying as new as possible was to hopefully avoid the problems of older vans and breakdowns. Of course I know that this can happen to new vans too and want to be as prepared as possible in that event, i do have some limited mechanical knowledge and of course I am getting European Breakdown cover but if something fairly basic goes wrong would attempt to put it right myself. Can you offer any tips on what I should be taking as spares beyond light bulbs that I should be keeping on board? I am sure that a lot of new bay owners would like some help with this and maybe a checklist of essentials for Euro travel could be posted...apologies if there is one that I haven't found.

Also has anyone driven along the coast from Cannes to Savona - is this a BrazBay friendly drive...it looks fairly straightforward without hairpins on my road atlas?

It's been done see Road Trip

In addition to above in road trip, self amalgamating pipe repair tape, assortment of jubilee clips, spare wiper blades and arm, (only time -so far- Ive had to be trailered home was when wipers broke), and self inflating tyre repair kit (then at least you can get off the hard shoulder at the next exit to change a tyre.
I think it is also law abroad to carry a red triangle and hi viz tabards for all occupants, but stand to be corrected.

I have sarched and cannot find a specific thread for 'Road Trip'? I have looked through all other topics re Euro travel which have been great and offered some useful help but no reference re spares that should be kept on board. Apologies as I am a forum newby and maybe just not looking in the right place.
Thanks Dizzy for the other considerations.

Hi Bileos, if you hover your mouse pointer over Road Trip in Skytigers reply above, it will underline. Ciick on it and it will take you to the topic.

Fantastic Dizzy, it is exactly what I was looking for thanks!

Sorry should have added in previous relply I still hope someone out there might have driven from Cannes to Savona? The missus is not too keen on hairpin bends and very long drops so want to try and avoid if possible on our trip to Florence...this may be impossible of course but the fewer clenched fists the better.

HI Bileos

We have driven along the Autoroutes 8 and 10 a few times. The drive is ok not to taxing but can be windy especially on the pull up cagnes sur mare to the back side of Nice over the viaduct du var them up the long incline along the Var. There are also great views to be had form the aire de service near the peage at Monaco

Once you cross the border into italy then driving becomes italian and quite windding with lots of tunnels and high sped italian driving the french border to Genoa is my least favourite bit of autoroute in europe but it is only a fairly short section of about 30 minutes

Thanks for the tip Belgiumbay, as I am not in any hurry to get to Florence I was considering the coast roads N7 and SP1? They run more or less parallel to the autoroutes, have you any experience of these or am I barmy going this way?

We have been on and off the coast National 7 along there - but we tend to use the A8 to get between Aix e P and either the italian border or up around chamoix and that area

Like most Route National the 7 is good where it is not "en ville" and if you are looking at not getting caught up in the traffic I would use the A8 around Nice even then that is a slow road just like all french periphery roads but certainly much faster than british orbitals .. Also its a pretty nice road in its own right some good views from it and within the periphery is I still think sans peage (no toll)

If you are heading down through central and the dura to get to the south of F there is a briliiant camp site at Draguignan north of St Tropez called Les Cigales its an ecofriendly site and if you happen to be there on the right friday nights the entertainment is a pretty good singer from Sheffield who live is holland and drives down to the south of france to gig every weekend in the season. But beside that it is one of the most chilled sites we have ever been on anywhere

http://www.les-cigales.com/ there is also a les cigales just outside of cannes but its nowhere near as good

One tip is to check if you have a tow loop/hook on the front of your bus.

If not and I haven’t seen a Brazi bay with a loop as yet, you might want to carry a large shackle that will fit through the chassis (there is a large hole near the front) or have one fitted. We broke down in France last summer and had terrible (very stressful) problems getting repatriated as P&O would not tow our Bus onto the ferry without a fixed tow loop

Its a long story, one for over a beer!!!

[quote="Kev"]One tip is to check if you have a tow loop/hook on the front of your bus. quote]

With the AA versus RAC debate in another post, does anyone have a tow hook?

Has anyone had the unfortunate experience of having to be towed or trailered, and if so where did they fix the tow rope/bar or winch hook to?

Haven't had a proper look yet, but it looks as though anything attached to the front beam axle,will foul the front bumper, bodywork and lowering components, so Kev's answer seems the only option with a hook in front of the axle etc, and lower than the bodywork.

We keep an 11mm bow shackle with a 4.8T load with our tools and spares when we travel in europe. Not a member of AA or RAC but do have a membership of ADAC (which anyone in europe can join there is an English section on their website). They will tow without a tow hook as they use lifter platform but you have to inform them if you call them.

One thing that does seem certain having lived on the channel islands for a while as well as crossing over via both Dunkerke and Calais around 6 or 7 times a year is that all the ferry companies hate lowered vehicles if they have to be towed on or off. Have even seen a very lowered split refused a sailing at St malo as it was loading on high tide and couldnt clear the angle that the load ramp was at.

With a tow entrance the ferry load marshals will insist that the tow line must not foul the ramp