I'm doing it in June. It's around 650 miles from Calais to Beziers using motorway all the way. Bit further for you, not much. I'm budgetting that the tolls will be around £100 each way hopefully a little less.

I'm leaving after work on a Thursday, staying at Premier Inn at the Eurotunnel port and getting an early start and aiming to do 400 steady miles (7 hours with stops) which will put me somewhere near Clermont Ferrand with an easier 250 mile drive the next day.

I've done it in a day before but I was much younger and way more stubborn. I'd recommend a sleepover in a town, nice meal, couple of beers as part of the holiday otherwse you'll spend 2 days recovering from the slog of doing it in one day.

Enjoy!

If you don't like traffic holdups I would favour Bromptonaut's route via Rouen and Chartres. It is not an obvious choice from looking at a map but I have done it several times when driving in a car that I would rather not have stuck on the Périferique in Paris. It is not all motorway below Rouen but still pretty fast. If you want to go round Paris then be aware there are roadworks on the eastern side all summer which might push some extra traffic out to the Francilienne which is an outer ring on the east. This is normally a good choice and toll-free but can be hard to follow as a first timer. Some sat-navs will allow you to programme it in but the French often have short exits and the sat-nav may not keep up if you are travelling quickly. Info on the Francilienne at tinyurl.com/yap7z9y

It is not worth going out of your way to avoid tolls which are going to take a substantial chunk of your holiday money - say £160 return for a car to Perpignan, but I can't say how the toll attendants will treat a converted camper. On the return I would suggest coming off the motorway before Millau and dropping won into the town on the old road to take in the view and, if you must, a coffee and wi-fi stop at MacDonalds on the edge of town where you have a bridge view as well.

Carrefour in Argèles is excellent (wi-fi there and in MacD opposite) but there is a huge Auchan next to the exit road from Perpignan (bypass the entrance tunnel or you will have a topless camper!). The multiplex cinema on the south side of Perpignan where you turn off on to the dual carriageway to Argèles has major films in English most weeks.

Edited by Harmattan on 29/03/2010 at 13:27

Hi bigtree, how long is a piece of string? Take advice and take your time. If time is not an issue make the journey part of the holiday. France is a beautiful country with lots to see, so don't hurry, take your time, stop where and when you fancy. Recommend a new copy of the Logis de France hotel guide, get off the road about 3.30 to 4pm and pitch up and get a room. You may need the equivalent camp site guide. We generally take three days/two overnight stops to Narbonne area sometimes three overnights if we fancy. Calais to Narbonne is 700 miles ish, so Perpignan will be another 40 miles or so. Take trip over into Spain, only 10 miles to the border. Visit Rosas, very pretty. We take the free motorway across to Riems and then onto the D roads and overnight in Vertus, very nice village. Then stick to the D roads heading south overnight in Chalon area. Keep on D road until Lyon then join peage through Lyon for about 10 miles( a couple of Euros) then back onto D and N roads. Overnight sometimes in Orange area. All very good, leisurely and stress free. Traffic as always quite light and free flowing. Save a fortune on tolls too. Fill up at supermarkets i.e Leclerc. Intermarche. Geant. Casino etc. Avoid August at all costs. Relax and enjoy. Good luck. Concrete

One more thing, we use the Riems route to get away from Calais quickly and totally avoid the Peripherique in Paris. Unless going to Paris give it wide berth. Concrete