Devon → France
Removals from Devon to France.
The one European move where Devon has an advantage. A load bound for Brittany can go out of Plymouth rather than driving the length of England first — and for everywhere else, the tunnel route is well worn.
France is the most straightforward of the four countries we cover and the one people move to most casually — a second home that becomes permanent, a renovation project, a retirement that started as a long holiday. It is also the only destination where leaving from Devon actually helps.
The route, and the Plymouth option
There are two ways out. The default is overland: up the M5, across on the M4 or the A303 to the M25, round to the M20 and into Folkestone for the Eurotunnel shuttle or Dover for the ferry. From there the French autoroute network does the rest — the A16 and A28 down the western side, the A26 and A6 if you are heading south-east.
The alternative, and it is a real one from this county, is the Plymouth–Roscoff crossing. For a move to Brittany that removes the entire domestic leg. Whether it works out depends on sailing frequency, the size of your load and where in France you are actually going. We will price both where both are viable rather than defaulting to the one that suits our schedule.
Where people actually go
Brittany
The big one from the South West. Côtes-d'Armor, Morbihan, the area around Dinan and Josselin, the inland countryside rather than the coast in most cases. Stone houses, longères, and a good deal of renovation. Access is often a village street or a farm track — the same problem you have just left behind on Dartmoor.
Normandy
Calvados, Manche and Orne. Slightly closer by the tunnel route, similar property, and popular with people who want to stay within an easy drive of a ferry port for trips back.
The south-west and Occitanie
The Dordogne, Lot-et-Garonne, Charente, and down towards Toulouse. A long overland run and almost always groupage. Larger houses, more land, and more furniture than anybody expected when they started.
Cities and the Alps
Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lyon and Paris are different again — apartment moves with restricted streets, entry codes and sometimes a lift that will not take a wardrobe. We ask for the floor, the stair width and whether there is a courtyard before we size the vehicle.
What customs needs now
A UK export declaration, a French import entry, and a detailed inventory — room by room, described properly. If you are genuinely moving your residence rather than furnishing a holiday house, transfer-of-residence relief applies, and that needs evidence you are relocating: the property documents, proof you are leaving the UK address, and an inventory that matches what is actually on the lorry.
Second homes are handled differently and do not get the relief. Neither route is difficult; both punish a vague inventory.
Getting it quoted
Tell us the destination department, whether it is permanent or a second home, roughly the volume, and what the access looks like at the far end. We will come back with the method, the route, and a written figure. The hub page explains groupage against dedicated transport, and if part of your move is staying in the UK, storage covers the rest.
Devon to France — questions
Can we sail from Plymouth instead of driving to Dover?
For Brittany, often yes, and it is one of the few genuine advantages of moving from this county. The Plymouth–Roscoff crossing puts a load into north-west France without the length of England first. Whether it is the right call depends on your destination, the sailing schedule and the volume — for the south of France the overland route through the tunnel usually still wins.
Is Brittany really that popular?
From the South West, very. The crossing is short, property is cheaper than most of England, and there is an established British presence around places like Dinan, Josselin and the Côtes-d'Armor. Normandy is much the same story a little further east.
Do we need a French address before the move?
For transfer-of-residence relief you will need documentation tying you to the new address, so in practice yes. If you are moving into a rental first while you buy, that still works — tell us which so the paperwork matches reality.
What about a second home rather than a permanent move?
Furniture going to a maison secondaire is treated differently from a household relocation and does not attract the same relief. It is still perfectly straightforward, it just gets declared correctly. Say at enquiry which it is.
Will the lorry get down our lane in rural France?
Same question as Devon, same answer. Rural French approaches can be as tight as a Dartmoor lane, and some village streets were built for carts. Send photos of the approach and we will size the vehicle or plan a shuttle.
Can you move a few rooms rather than a house?
Yes — part loads to France are the most common thing we send. Groupage exists precisely so that half a houseful does not have to pay for a whole lorry.
Moving to France from Devon?
Send us the two addresses and roughly what's going. We'll come back with a written quote once we've had a proper look at it.