Next Summer we are planning to drive down to the Perpignon area from the channel ports. We know to avoid the first week in August as all of France is on the road then.
If was looking for advice on the following points :-
1) I estimate it is about 750-800 miles, is this feasible to do in 2 days, given that I have to think of my wife and 9 year old ?
2) What is the best channel port to go to, ie is it better to do Dover/Chunnel or cross from Portsmouth which is fairly close to us ? Would we be adding distance to our journey if we land at Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg etc ?
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2 days should be very comfortable - at 400 miles per day.
If you live near Portmouth then Caen should be pretty good - the Cherbourg crossing is shorter but you then have to drive down the pennisular to compensate.
You don't say whether you have driven in France before - if not, IMO driving there is on balance less stressful the UK as the roads tend to be less congested. The accident/casualty rate is apparently much worse than UK although on each occaision we have been there we have fortunately not even had a close one. The only thing I found 'ackward' for some reason was turning left out of a junction into a main road.
Good lick
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Sorry - I meant Good luck! although I,m sure you will have an ice cream or two!
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Thanks for the advice, I already have a good bit of France driving experience from the Vendee run, but I just wasn't sure if it was shorter to go from Calais down to Perpignon...
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Portsmouth-Caen is good. LD lines ( www.aferry.to/LD-Lines-ferry-ferries.htm ) are launching Portsmouth-Le Havre, which connects quite well on the French side to some new additions to their road network.
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Not normally a problem in the first week of Aug. It's the 15th of July and August (in fact the weekends closest to those dates, Sat/Sun 15/16 July and 12/13th August in 2006) that's really bad.
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Not normally a problem in the first week of Aug. It's the 15th of July and August (in fact the weekends closest to those dates, Sat/Sun 15/16 July and 12/13th August in 2006) that's really bad.
The weekend falling halfway between those dates can be grim as well. Friends travelling on 30 July this year encountered UK type jams on the A6.
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This year we went to the South of France and found the trip very enjoyable. departed on sunday 24th July from Essex and used the Channel Tunnel. Stopped over at Valence and then continued the next day to the Cote d'azur.
I found driving in France stress-free and upon the return to the UK re-discovered the stress within 5 mins of leaving the Channel tunnel.
Noticed that there were fewer lorries on the road on the Sunday - could just be a co-incidence...
Going back again next year, but this time second week in August and a mid-week departure - I expect it will be different....
John
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Go over the Milau bridge whatever you do. Unbelievable piece of engineering.
And pack an absolute minimum of stuff, leaving space for wine on the way back!!!
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Choice of crossing depends on a balance between cost (some cheap crossings Dover Calais, but quite a lot more expensive to Cherbourg/Caen etc) and driving time. You are probably talking about an extra 4-5 hours driving from Calais than Cherb/Caen.
Yes, you should do it in a couple of days but will need long hours in car - if you have the time, take longer and stop off somewhere on way down - French hotels are cheap compared to UK ones.
First week of August (or the weekend of that week) is (IMHO) the very busy weekend - Paris - and Parisian driving habits!!-migrates to the coast but, no trucks on French motorways Sat/Sunday except for those carrying perishables.
Also, except for some real "hotspots" like Bordeaux by-pass, the French busy roads are still better than the M25 at any time of any day and certainly better than British motorways on any evening 4pm to 6pm.
This site is excellent with regard to road conditions
www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/
For good value accommodation try
www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/index.htm
or the hotel/motel chains
www.ibishotel.com/ibis/index.html
www.etaphotel.com/etaphotel/index.html
www.hotel-bb.com/index.phtml?NumLangue=2
Enjoy!
Phil
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You can do it in a day. I have several times - usually travel down overnight which, given the steady flow of traffic, a number of drivers also seem to prefer. Whilst night travel is tiring for you, it is a good deal less dull for passengers. Also far less issue with hold-ups. Take an afternoon passage through the chunnel, hit Paris about 9pm, and keep going, taking sensible breaks as you go, and lots of caffeine...
Splodgeface
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My comments may well be totally irelevant to your personal circumstances, in which case I apologise! You perhaps regard the drive as part of your holiday? However, the door to door mileage at say 50p a mile, plus the channel crossing, motorway tolls and one night each way in a hotel is going to turn into a serious sum of money! You could park at Stansted for £6 a day, fly with Mr O'Leary for £30 each return if you book early, and hire a family size car for about £200 a week. The sum left over will fill you with olives, frogs legs and vino collapso for a long time! Good luck and much enjoyment however you decide to travel!
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"vino collapso for a long time!"
Dont think so, Tony O'leary wont let you bring it back on his airplane.
I vote for the Portsmmouth Caen route. Brittany Ferries.
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Splodge,RF and AS are all right - but it depends on your hols - if you only have a week then you need to get there as quickly as poss. But, if you have longer then you can treat the journey as part of the holiday. 800 miles is a long way and there are some fantastic parts of France that you will pass through. If you have the time, take the time, stop for a day on the beach for the youngster, stop for a night at a hotel and have a nice meal and wine (children v. welcome in French restaurants). Sample a chateau, just stop at a cafe and watch the world go by. Go to a wine tasting place. Wander round a mediaeval village? How long do you have available?
Phil
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...and a move by French authorities to impose lower speed limits on autoroutes to 115kph to save fuel...
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>...and a move by French authorities to impose lower speed limits >on autoroutes to 115kph to save fuel...
Not a problem in my 47 bhp bay window VW camper this year...:-), but just wait 'til it's had the engine upgrade and has 110 on tap....
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Dont think so, Tony O'leary wont let you bring it back on his airplane.
don't you mean Michael O'Leary?
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Noticed that there were fewer lorries on the road on the Sunday - could just be a co-incidence...
No, there is a weekend driving ban in France that does not end until sunday nights, also applies to various other European countries.
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I would do Condor ferries to Saint Malo (Cheaper and faster).
The most toll free route:
N137 to Nantes
Go past the N165 turn left onto N 249
At Cholet turn south to get onto N149
Via Parthenay to Poitiers.
N147 to Limoges & Spend the night near here
A20 to Montauban (Toll road),N20,A20,A62 (toll) Toulouse,
A61 (ring road), A61 (toll) to A9(toll) to Perpignan
OR if money is no problem go the toll route from Nantes:
From Nantes A83 South (toll) Exit Fontenay - Le-Comte
N148 Sth East to Niort Keep south ring road, N11, N150
A10(toll) junction 'larochelle niort' South
Spend the night in the Bordeaux area (possibly near Mirambeau)
Bordeaux A62 (toll) to Toulouse,
A61 (ring road), A61 (toll) to A9(toll) to Perpignan
*both these routes are shorter than Calais - Perpignan
and both shorter than from Caen, Le havre or Cherbourg.
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Armitage has a good point though
www.ryanair.com/site/EN/dests.php?flash=yes
Since you are near Bournemouth You could fly Bournemouth - Girona on RyanAir Though I can't see any scheduled flights!
Or
Easy jet
Gatwick - Toulouse
Bristol - Barcelona
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Don´t worry about Girona being in Spain, it´s a short motorway run up to Perpignan. Dead easy. Although, as previously mentioned, Ryanair will cut back on your wine options.
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"we are planning to drive down to the Perpignan area "
So how do you do that via Ryanair??
And of course, your car is wrong - much better to use a Mondeo TDCi. And, don't take the kid or the wife.
Phil
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Fair point Phil. But it´s surprising sometimes how, in this age of budget airlines, the fly/drive option can change your plans, particularly for a trip as long as the run down to Perpignan. Whenever threads come up regarding pan-European travel, people mention Ryanair/Easyjet etc. Seems valid to me.
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Fair point, b-man. Sorry if my reply was a bit terse - smilies should have been added!!!
Phil
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Flybe.com
fly Southhampton to Perpignan! Again they do not show what times they will be flying next year. They are flying there this month that's all they say.
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