It depends what are your priorities. These days ours is always budget - so we use the short crossings, and recently have only paid £58.00 for return crossings with car and caravan (using a code issued by DFDS at the Caravan Show - and possibly to be repeated at the France Show in a week or so???). The shorter crossings can still be had for a very reasonable price though, with the Caravan Club, or Camping Cheques. There's probably a couple of hundred kilometres difference in the distance once you get to France. We use the Abbeville, Rouen, Chartres, Orleans, Vierzon route - also for budget reasons, as we can do most of it non-toll. On our way to the Dordogne in recent years we have stayed at either Salbris (nice little site alongside a lake) or Vatan (another nice little site, easy access off the A20 to both north and south). Both these sites are within walking distance of the village, a supermarket is nearby, and the facilities on both are fine for overnight stops.