Removals from Somerset to France
France is the move the West Country makes most — near enough for a road trip, far enough to feel like a fresh start. Here’s how we get a household from Somerset to Normandy, the Dordogne or the Riviera, paperwork and all.
Of all the routes we run, France is the one people picture most easily — the Channel, an autoroute, a stone house with shutters. It’s also the one where a good plan matters, because “near” lulls people into treating it like a domestic move when there’s still a border, a language and a set of forms in between. We move households from Somerset to France by road, surveyed and quoted here, with the customs side prepared before we leave.
Who moves from Somerset to France
It’s a real mix. Families swapping a Taunton house for space in the French countryside; couples buying a place in the Dordogne or the Lot they’ve holidayed in for years; professionals posted to Paris; and a good number retiring to Provence or the Languedoc for the light and the slower pace. Each move has a different rhythm, which is why we survey first.
The route to France
We load in Somerset and run up the M5 to the M4, then round the M25 and down the M20 to the Kent coast — the Eurotunnel shuttle from Folkestone or a ferry from Dover to Calais. For Normandy, Brittany and the west, a direct Portsmouth crossing can be the tidier route. Once in France the roads split by destination: the A13 and A1 for Paris and the north, the long run south-west on the A10 and A62 towards Bordeaux and Toulouse, and the Rhône valley on the A7 down to Provence and the Mediterranean. On the through-routes your things stay on one lorry.
Customs and paperwork since Brexit
This is the part people dread, and the part we quietly take care of. A household move to France now needs a full inventory and the transit and customs documents that go with moving personal effects into the EU. We prepare them, file them, and keep them travelling with your goods so nothing is held up for want of a form. There are no day counts we’d promise for the border — timing depends on the route and the paperwork — but the work itself is done for you, and it’s set out in your quote.
What we move
Whole houses or part-loads, furniture and boxes, the awkward things that make a home. We pack as much as you want, protect it for a long road, and rebuild at the French end. If your dates don’t line up, we can store on the Somerset side until you’re ready. Heading somewhere other than France? See the rest of our European routes.
Somerset to France — common questions
How do my things get from Somerset to France?
By road. We load in Somerset, run up the M5 to the M4 and M25, then down to the Kent coast to cross by Eurotunnel shuttle or ferry to Calais. For the west of France a Portsmouth crossing can suit better. From the French side it’s the autoroutes — the A1 to Paris, the A10 and A62 to the south-west, or the A6 towards the east.
Do you go to the south of France as well as Paris?
Yes. Paris and the north are common for work moves, but a lot of our France work heads south — the Dordogne, the Lot, Provence and the Côte d’Azur for people buying or retiring. The route is longer but it’s the same through-loaded lorry.
What paperwork do I need to move to France?
A detailed inventory and the transit and customs documents a household move now needs post-Brexit. We prepare and file them for you. You’ll need your own ID and proof of your move; we’ll tell you exactly what to have ready.
Can you handle a part-load to France?
If you’re not filling a lorry — a cottage rather than a farmhouse, or just what you’re taking now — a shared load can make sense, with your goods consolidated alongside other moves on the same route. We’ll say honestly whether that suits your move.
Planning a move to France?
Send us where in France you’re headed and what needs to travel. We’ll pick the right crossing and come back with a clear, itemised quote.