Dunkerque to the Pyrenees

[Tim2]

Hi Folks

Nearly time for the "off" to France for our 5 weeks break, YIPPEE!!. We're booked on the 10.00am Norfolk Line boat on 23 July, back by the same route 26 August 8.00am. Just Cary and I - leaving the dog and big kids at home this year.

This year we're taking our Bailey Senator down to the Pyrenees (new Kia Sorento towcar should avoid breakdown problems of previous years). My sister has bought a house in Salies Du Salat/Aspet area and so we are planning on extend our limited experience of the central and southern parts of France. (We've visited the East enroute to Switzerland and driven down the western side to northern Spain but the central part is new to us)

We are planning on spending some time in the Pyrenees as it's a new one to us. We may then go on to Spain, either towards Barcelona or alternatively along the north coast past Bilbao. On the return journey I am hoping to travel over the Millau Bridge and stay for a while in the Tarn Gorge area. we may leave out the Spanish part of the trip. I've been looking at the Michelin France, CC Caravan Europe and Alan Rogers France and my Tom Tom but I always feel that personal recommendations are worth their weight in gold - so I'M ASKING!!

I would be grateful for recommendations for a route from Dunkerque to Aspet, (that's south of Toulouse) and campsites enroute. We're hoping to take it reasonably slowly this year, for a change, and stop off for a couple of days, or longer, at 2 or 3 places enroute.

I have sketched in plans of stopping at Versailles and Limoges. I have sketched in an autoroute of A25 to Lille, A1 to Paris, then A!0. A71 to Toulouse. I would be PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL for advice about the BEST way around Paris - as traffic and trouble free as possible. We could go around Paris on the west or East side, we don't have to stop at Versailles. I'd be interested in non-autoroute routes too.

Campsite recommendations for the whole outward route would be greatly appreciated too. We tend to drive for a maximum of 250 miles in one day. We don't book sites as we like to set our timetable by being able to stop longer at good places. I would, also, be interested in recommendations for route and campsites for the return journey, Millau and the Tarn. We like the quieter type of sites with good views and near lakes and rivers if possible.

THANKS IN ADVANCE for all help received.

(I'm posting this message on several caravanning website- you only need to reply one!!)

Best wishes

Tim

 

[Tim2]

BUMP

Anyone with any suggestion please?

Thanks

Tim

 

[ValA.]

Posted elsewhere - but copied here:

1st posting:

You can go around Paris, using the E104 (Francilienne) which is very easy to follow - off at the Senlis junction, head cross-country to Ermenonville, then back down the N2 until you see the 104 signs (avoids the congestion around CDG airport) or an alternative is via Boulogne/Abbeville/Rouen/Chartres, then A71/A20 - this is much more 'toll-free' and also quite a quick route.

A good overnight stop is the municipal site Camping de Sologne at Salbris - near to a small lake, very friendly management, small bar and restaurant, and some nice pitches around the lakeside. Toilet blocks a bit 'aged' but kept clean and nice hot showers. Further down you could try Domaine de la Faurie off junction 56 of the N20, which is a lovely quiet site at the top of a hill with very long-distance views - worth a longer stay in it's own right. It has been voted Camping Cheque 'Site of the Year' for 2005 and 2006 - I don't think the 2007 results have been announced yet.

We've been to the Tarn area lots of times - and usually stay in or around Millau itself - for scenery you can't beat Val de Cantobre at Nant, (off the La Cavalerie junction and cross-country). In Millau we usually choose Les Rivages, or just outside (via Aguessac) Les Peupliers at Riviere sur Tarn - both sites we like very much indeed. All these sites have spectacular scenery, and from Les Rivages you can see the Millau viaduct (see my gallery for a picture).

Your main problem is that you're going in fairly high season, so you may need to find a pitch early or ring ahead for some sites. Bear in mind that we've only used all the above mentioned sites in low season (May/early June or late August/early September) and sites can be 'different animals' in peak season.

2nd posting

Tim, just bringing this back to the top for you, so that you may get some other replies.

I can remember the first time we went without our sons! Like you, we thought YIPPEE! However, we did find that we couldn't eat the variety of food that we were used to, because we didn't have the gannets in the fridge 'snacking' all the time. Previously we'd been used to buying loads of types of cheese, two or three different varieties of lettuce, loads of other salad stuff, pates, and different meat and side dishes, and with just two of us we found we just weren't getting through it - OR were getting fed up of it! We said this to youngest son (now aged 22) this year - and now he's said that he and Tim (oldest son) are going to Geneva, and that it would save them money if they came with us! I should have kept my mouth shut!

3rd posting

Bumping this to the top again - see you've 'bumped' your post on another forum. I'm sure there must be others out there with some tips on your journey down the A71, A20 to the Pyrenees. Perhaps everyone is so busy getting ready for their 'off'.

Just looking at distances, and perhaps Salbris is a bit too far for your first day. We set off from the Aire de la Baie de Somme, near Abbeville, and arrived at Salbris earlyish in the afternoon - plenty of time to set up, enjoy the afternoon, and then wander around the lake into Salbris for some shopping, a tart from the patisserie (my weakness) and back to cook our evening meal.

The only campsite we've stayed, further north on your planned route, is at Pont de l'Arche just south of Rouen - at Camping Eure et Seine - down on the quayside, very centrally situated, and just off the road we use to get 'around' Rouen. We go through the Darnetal tunnel, and almost immediately at the end take a sliproad off to the N15 (I think it may be signposted Caen!!!), then an almost immediate sharp left turn, and along the bank of the Seine on the N15, through some 'warehousey' areas, stay on the N15 and cross the Eure, and the campsite is just on your right. However, this may be just a bit too near to Dunkerque for you.

I've posted on another thread that this year we stayed at Le Truffiere in the Lot - unfortunately we'd had heavy rain, (Cahors was flooded with water rushing across the road) and the campsite was very wet. Access to some pitches, including ours, was extremely difficult, because of slippy conditions, and the pitches were in quite dark woodland. The site manager was lovely, however, and the toilet block absolutely immaculate (even in the wet conditions). The pool looked nice, the bar and restaurant weren't open, but the menu suggestions were OK. The site would have been fantastic with about a third the number of trees, but was just a bit 'Lord of the Rings ish' for us. It was also a bit of a long drive from anywhere - although it's three or four kilometres in the other direction to St Cirq Lapopie, which is worth seeing, as is this area of the Lot in general.

Have a great holiday. Val

 

[onlyme]

Tim

Why use the Paris route have you considered going via Rouen. I used it about a month ago whilst travelling from the Eurotunnel to Blanes in Spain. Paid a total in tolls of 77 Euros which is cheaper than the Paris route. I found it quicker, much better scenery and none of the Paris holdups or agro.

If you scroll down and look at title "Rouen Route" written by GeorgeB he gives clear directions to navigate Rouen which are easy to follow & I can confirm or 100% correct.

John

 

[Woody3]

Tim

Why use the Paris route have you considered going via Rouen. I used it about a month ago whilst travelling from the Eurotunnel to Blanes in Spain. Paid a total in tolls of 77 Euros which is cheaper than the Paris route. I found it quicker, much better scenery and none of the Paris holdups or agro.

If you scroll down and look at title "Rouen Route" written by GeorgeB he gives clear directions to navigate Rouen which are easy to follow & I can confirm or 100% correct.

John

Well kept secret: go to www.autorutes.fr (a little French helps) and get it to plot you a route. It gives you the options of not using the Autoroutes (eh?) and that you are towing or not. It amy sometimes take you on short chargeable bits of urban autoroute but otherwise does agood job.

The municipal site at Bourges is a useful stop. It is clean with good facilities, mostly hard standing, and a 10 min or so walk from a very pleasant city centre.

 

[Tim2]

Hi folks

Thanks again for the advice. I'm writing this on the bench in front of the bar at Camping Sologne, Sarblis on a lovely sunny evening. Been here 2 nights on pitch 82 on lakeside - lovely!!!!! Thanks esp Val for recomendation.

We stopped 2 nights at le bec Helouin - got a bit lost in

Rouen, a diversion. Then on to here I had planned to go further but had migraine and decided earlier stop was necessary.

Onward tomorrow, Sunday - quiet roads too hopefully.

best wishes

Tim

 

[ValA.]

We thought it was lovely, too! We had a lakeside pitch (one down from the nearest to the entrance). We fed the coypu - there were some babies when we were there in May - and a lovely white duck with a limp! We stayed there on our way down - and again on the way back, which is unusual for us as we like to try out different sites en-route. It's nice being so near the town - we walked over the other side of the lake and down to the supermarket for some shopping.

We were there when the European Cup was on - France against Holland - and the manager was joking with us about it - and sat all the Dutch on one side of the bar, and all the French on the other. We had to choose which side, so we sat with the French. However, when the Dutch scored the first goal David (Mr Val A) took up his chair and moved to the Dutch side. This caused much hilarity, and we were bought a complimentary bottle of wine for adding good humour to the evening! Nice!

The valley of the Lot is lovely, and though crowded St Cirq Lapopie is definitely worth visiting, as is the Grotte de Pech Merle, which is nearby. We stayed at Domaine de La Faurie last year, which we really liked - especially the lovely flowers and trees around the site. We haven't 'done' further south towards Toulouse (or rather we haven't stayed anywhere on that bit) as we tend to stick to the route through Millau now, as we love it so much around there. This year we 'cross-country routed' from Cahors to Rodez and then down to Millau, and this is a nice route, through some lovely countryside. We're probably heading back that way, in four weeks when we go again!

We also did the cross-country route from Brioude to Aubenas, which is spectacular - some great views - so if you decided to come back a different way, these are both 'caravannable'.

Have a great holiday - and I hope you enjoy that part of France.