driving through france

[chris_374301714]

hi all i am driving through france from calais to northern spain,

i am looking for a route preferbly with no tolls and my tow car runs on lpg can anyone tell me a good route to take where i will find plenty of garages selling lpg.

i am travelling on a sunday however only for about an hour till i can find a suitable site to stay overnight as my ferry gets to calais at 7.30pm local time.

any info would be appreciated.

 

[chris_374301714]

also does anyone know the price of lpg in france/spain

 

[ValA.]

Try this website for information about LPG availability. http://www.day-tripper.net/drivefuellpg.html. It's about 60 centimes a litre at present. All service areas on the autoroutes (many are toll routes) do LPG - but this should show you the non-autoroute options. Fuel is cheaper off the autoroutes, and at supermarkets, but if you're trying to get somewhere in a hurry then the autoroute option is quicker.

What route are you taking? Do you intend to do toll-roads, or non-toll - and are you towing? Try viamichelin, or mappy.com to work out a route.

 

[ValA.]

I don't think it's as easy to get LPG in Spain - this list is a couple of years old, but will give you an idea http://www.motorhome-list.org.uk/spain.htm#lpg - how far are you going in Spain? Would obviously be a good idea to fill up at the border, and try to obtain more up to date information, perhaps from the Spanish Tourist Office, before you set off.

 

[ValA.]

Sorry, didn't read your first message properly, and see you're looking for a non-toll route. Where in Spain are you heading for? (Mediterranean side, or Atlantic side). We often do the route down to the med, as much as possible on non-toll roads, but haven't ventured to the Atlantic side of Spain. I can give you our route, if you're going that way, and you can see what you think.

Don't worry about the journey, I know in your other posting you've mentioned tagging along - but after half an hour driving you'll feel as if you've done it all your life. Traffic is less in France, and driving conditions are therefore much easier, even going through towns. You'll find the signposting a little strange at first - major towns are signposted - and you tend to follow a route from one major town to another. A bit like if you were going from London to Leeds - you might actually follow the Edinburgh signpost from London - until you got to a signpost which read 'Leeds' - and then take that route instead. Signs are also actually on the junction, pointing in the actual direction you should go - can be confusing at roundabouts at first but after the first one you'll get used to it. There's a good thread on another forum (UKCS) for first-timers, which contains loads of great information.

 

[chris_374301714]

thanks valerie for ur comments, yes i would like the route u take as i am going to camping l,amfora nr roses on the med side

 

[ValA.]

Will get back to you later today - just going out now!

 

[Rioja]

Valerie, do you have a link for UKCS please !

 

[ValA.]

Here's the link - direct to the First timers thread.

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=7&TopicID=82183&PagePosition=1

 

[ValA.]

Here's the route we use:

N43 (Green sign - signposted Paris) from Calais towards St Omer, Douai, then Lens, then N 17 down to Compeigne, Senlis, then across to Ermenonville on the yellow road, back towards Paris on the N2 for a couple of junctions, then take the E104 (or A104) around Paris, following Marne La Vallee signs, then keep on the E104 until you reach junction 32. Take the A6 a couple of junctions (toll only a couple of Euros) until you reach junction 15. Then take the N7 down to Cosne sur Loire, where it becomes N7 auto route. Might be a couple of very small tolls, then the N7 agaom dpwm to Nevers, Moulins, then head on the N9 towards St Pourcain sur Sioule, Grannat then the auto route to Clermont Ferrand (couple of euros again) and down the A75 to Beziers.

From Beziers continue on the N9, around Narbonne, then take the D6009 along the coast until it turns into the D900, follow this through Perpignan (not at all difficult, very well signposted) through to Le Boulou, and so on down into Spain. Keep on the non-toll road in Spain (haven't a map covering this handy) and you'll see the signposts, not that far, for Rosas/Emporias.

Have a great trip. Get a good map book (Michelin is good) and a sheet map for northern and southern France (Recto-Verso - from Michelin). Highlight the route in pink on the sheet map, and use this for main town to town navigation, and then the detailed Michelin for the bits around the towns.

It sounds much more complicated than it is! Basically remember that Motorways are always signposted in blue, and if you have to pay it will have 'Peage' at the side. Non-toll N roads are signposted in green (sometimes both options appear on the same sign holder - follow the green signs).

 

[RayS]

You can work out your own toll-free routes using www.viamichelin.com or www.mappy.fr Not all autoproutes are toll - if you have Michelin maps, the distances on the toll free sections are shown in blue those on the toll sections in red.

It is sometimes worth taking a short toll section - say a couple of junctions if the alternative is traversing a big city.

 

[Pixie1]

Hi I have just read your message re route through France to Southern Spain. I will be doing this journey starting on 10 February, and would be very interested to have your route.

 

[JasonR_374341560]

Driving through France not using toll roads is not that easy at times. The following are not un-common, poor road surfaces, rattle over train line crossings, struggle with the quirks of French road signs, find garages closed for lunch and by early evening and access can be a problem.

Bumping and lurching along French free to use roads can take it toll on travel time and driver and passengers humour as well as big hit on fuel economy.

Mainly free flowing Autoroutes compared to roads with French rural grannies in their two seat eco diesel putt putt cars that are hard to pass with a caravan outfit. French mopeds, trucks, twin tanker outfits and farm vehicles can be a real pain when towing and trying to make economical steady progress at reasonable speed.

For Calais to the Spanish border allow half to double the time compared to Autoroute travel and dont expect to save a lot of money.

Cities and towns have been mentioned, do seriousl consider hopping on and off toll roads.

 

[anotherDavid]

Hi Chris

I spend several months each year in France and I must say I dont recognise the descriptions of the non motorway routes in some of the posts. I try to avoid tolls when it does not make life difficult to do so. The major route Nationals or N roads are largely good and oten run adjacent to the toll roads. I have just looked at the route from Calais to the Spanish border on the Autoroutes web site and you will be looking at a minimum of 100 euros to stick with the motorway and that includes quite long stretchs that are free ie the 100 euros is for only part of the journey. If you are not too stuck for time I would just use the autoroute to clear northern france as the initial stretch away from Calais is very slow going and probably worth paying to avoid and then certainly from the south of Paris use the RN7 to Clermont Ferrand and its free from there to the coast.

I would check the road conditions in that area before travelling in Feb as it is quite high and I would think possibly prone to snow. If so the safer option would be Lyon and down the Rhone valley.

Dave

 

[TonySharon]

hi Chris we went to L'Amfora last summer ,dover calais crossing and we used toll roads all the way which came 79.60 euros and we did notice that most of the fuel stations on route did sell lpg. We were checking for lpg as my brother in law uses lpg and was considering coming with us this year.

Anthony

 

[DeliDave]

re Jasons post went to Montpellier on motorcycle and thought it would be nice to see rural France offmotorways,got to hotel at Midnight,got on Motorway and paid our money got to Haven site midafternoon,tolls well worth it to me

 

[Happy-Lappy]

As Deli Dave says, if time is not on your side then the Toll roads are the only option. If the journey took that long off motorway on a motorcycle, then I dread to think what it would have been towing a caravan.

I always use Toll roads as I find them stress free,

best regards, Martin

 

[JasonR_374341560]

Years back we went cross country towards Vannes and seemed to meet an army of veteran cyclists replicating the Tour de France on the main A roads. Another time approaching Tours we were stopped about ten cars back from a Level Crossing and had to wait over twenty minutes whilst the longest slowest moving goods train trundled by at less than walikng pace, after moving off with dozens of cars behind us they all wanted to pass the caravan and we had another un planned stop to let many past and got to our site very very late.

No doubt some regulars to France will have encountered the very large twin tanker lorry combo's that trundle slowly along the autoroutes. Find one on the "N" road routes and journey times can become overly long.

When touring in France we had some great trips off autoroute, but missing the turning to the A10 the trip we'd done solo a day or two earlier in about an hour on the autoroute took over two hours off autoroute with the caravan.

You may not meet any hold ups off the autoroutes, if you have plenty of time and can be flexible with stop overs non toll roads can be fine.

Deli Daves motorcycling summary is akin to some experiences we've had, I was just advising that off toll travel can be a false economy, it can be quite quick and it can also be painfully slow and uncomfortable at times as it can be in the UK.

With just over 700 miles from Calais to the Spanish border exchanging stress free autoroute average towing times of 50mph plus with averages that can be nearer or under 30 mph off toll a good alternative plan or route is a good idea.

 

[Michael_374337465]

Three weeks ago we went from Calais to Costa del Sol. The route we chose came from www.viamichelin.com and if you select options you can specify towing caravan which came up with a great route bypassing Paris, going to Rouen, Le Mans then Bordeaux. Mainly toll roads but well worth the hastle free motoring, what you save in fuel consumption goes towards fuel costs. The distance was 2100km which we did in a comfortable three days but as it was minus 2 degrees in France we stopped at a hotel and again a hotel in central Spain!! We do like a little comfort. I also recommend a sat. nav. which gives you peace of mind and the wife can relax without the need to constanly refer to route maps. My total tolls came to 85 euros. Viamichelin will give you the toll and fuel costs....Safe journey.

 

[emmitdb]

Hi Chris,

I'm no lover of putting my hand in my pocket to pay for tolls (Scottish mother, Yorkshire Father Ouch!) BUT

having done a couple of long holidays in "La Belle" and being lucky enough to have a car with on board computer, I can tell you authoritatively that by using N and D roads your average MPH will work out at about 38mph. No matter how many trips I made the computer came back with that as an average.

Add to that the higher cost of fuel in accelerating and decelerating from;

1. Traffic lights that automatically turn to red on the approach of a vehicle in any given village,

2. Road humps ( again in every village) that cannot be taken at more than 15mph and

3. Roundabouts in profusion that you have to stop at because our gaullic cousins have yet to discover how to indicate their intention to perform any manouvre,

and you will see that it really doesn't make sense to stick blindly away from the tolls. Sure you can use there excellent system of non toll dual carriageways but unless you want to spend forever to get to wherever than toll roads are best.

 

[ValA.]

We nearly always use non-toll roads - and find that towing it doesn't make that much difference to timings or distances we can travel. It may do driving solo, where you can up your speed to 90 or so on the motorways, but towing you have to stick to around 60 even on an autoroute, and can do that speed on many N (and even D)roads.

We've done Calais to Dijon or to just north of Clermont Ferrand areas, on non-toll roads, (around 360 miles) in a day - at a good average speed. Sure, there are some urban areas where you have slower stretches, but many towns and villages have by-passes these days. I've just looked on mappy.com - and the French cost of tolls to Cambrils Park in Spain (for instance) would be 95 euros or almost