ist trip to spain

[chris_374301714]

can anyone advise me which route to take from calais to roses (northern spain).

I wish to avoid paris and also keep off toll roads

i have nearly three days to drive to destination so no rush

my outfit is a 2 litre petrol 4x4 ford maverick so i am limited

on power need to avoid mountains and steep hills as much as possible

also their are five of us travelling and dont wont to use campsites on route, was thinking of using cheap hotels for overnight stays on route, will outfit be safe in carparks of these hotels any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks chris.

 

[Le Chant]

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[ValA.]

We've used two main routes - the first avoids tolls almost completely - we go Calais, St Omer, Douai, Cambrai, St Quentin, Soissons, Chateau Thierry, Montbard, Beaune, then down the Rhone Valley on the N road, similarly into Spain (see below for exception - Beziers). However, if we get fed up, want to 'motor' a bit, then we might hop on to the toll road at the next appropriate junction, and get a bit of mileage under our belts. This route was first planned, using a ruler to draw a straight line, and then sticking to the nearest roads, whatever the classification, and has served us well.

The second is Calais, St Quentin, then down the autoroute to the outskirts of Paris, (Senlis) skirt around Paris on the Francilienne (E104) - which avoids any heavy traffic, and is an easy route to follow, then Montargis, Moulins, Nevers, Gannat, Clermont Ferrand, stay overnight at La Grange Fort, then the A75 (free autoroute)south via the Millau viaduct. We usually stay down on the mediterranean for a day or two to chill out. We then either do autoroute into Spain, or follow the N road, except for the bit between Beziers and Narbonne which is tricky on the N road.

There are no major problems with hills - we have a Ford Mondeo and have no problems. The Rhone valley seems to be 'downhill all the way' after Burgundy (I know it can't actually be). The A75 has sweeping hills, and the Col de la Fageole on the top is 1114m above sea level - but it doesn't feel like it. We've used cheap hotels on route - sometimes with the caravan in tow - and always found somewhere to park.

If you want to explore other routes, then a good map (Michelin book is great) in conjunction with mappy.com or viamichelin is very useful.

 

[paul_5132583]

We've used two main routes - the first avoids tolls almost completely - we go Calais, St Omer, Douai, Cambrai, St Quentin, Soissons, Chateau Thierry, Montbard, Beaune, then down the Rhone Valley on the N road, similarly into Spain (see below for exception - Beziers). However, if we get fed up, want to 'motor' a bit, then we might hop on to the toll road at the next appropriate junction, and get a bit of mileage under our belts. This route was first planned, using a ruler to draw a straight line, and then sticking to the nearest roads, whatever the classification, and has served us well.

The second is Calais, St Quentin, then down the autoroute to the outskirts of Paris, (Senlis) skirt around Paris on the Francilienne (E104) - which avoids any heavy traffic, and is an easy route to follow, then Montargis, Moulins, Nevers, Gannat, Clermont Ferrand, stay overnight at La Grange Fort, then the A75 (free autoroute)south via the Millau viaduct. We usually stay down on the mediterranean for a day or two to chill out. We then either do autoroute into Spain, or follow the N road, except for the bit between Beziers and Narbonne which is tricky on the N road.

There are no major problems with hills - we have a Ford Mondeo and have no problems. The Rhone valley seems to be 'downhill all the way' after Burgundy (I know it can't actually be). The A75 has sweeping hills, and the Col de la Fageole on the top is 1114m above sea level - but it doesn't feel like it. We've used cheap hotels on route - sometimes with the caravan in tow - and always found somewhere to park.

If you want to explore other routes, then a good map (Michelin book is great) in conjunction with mappy.com or viamichelin is very useful.

Hi, i have driven down to the south on 6 occasions, the first time without a caravan in tow, and following local french advice with regards to non toll road directions, from memory the route consisted of some serious inclines towards the bottom end of France, so much so that i have always used the toll roads since, while they still go up and down, this is achieved over long gradual inclines. you will also find the service stations for your overnight stops are more populated and generally safer to use, however personnally i have used campsites and the odd formula one .

If this is your first run south i would stick to the tolls, budget about