Hi Sarah, Good choice...... We were there 4 weeks ago. Route is fairly easy though you need a good 8 hours. Autoroute from Calais all the way to Rouen (watch for the very sharp right in the middle of the ring road system), then briefly onto Paris/Caen Autoroute then off onto the infamous N138. This road can be a pain if you get get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle and other drivers can also get impatient when stuck behind a caravan!!. However quite a few sections have been upgraded and by next year many of the new sections will be open to. Once down to Le Mans you have two choices depending on you destination in the Vendee (either Angers or Tours), both are very good.
This year we chose to take the 23:45hrs sailing out of Dover. This put us down at Brionne (south of Rouen) by 06:00hrs, there is a good large lay by as you pull up the hill out of the town. Here we stopped for a couple of hours sleep, then a good breakfast and back on our way to Beaumont sur Sarthe where there is an excellent Municipal site right by the river all for the princely sum of 6.84 Euro's, We arrived here at 14:15hrs and had the afternoon at leisure. Next morning we set off at 10:30hrs went via Tours and on down to Mervent in the Vendee where we arrived about 16:00hrs after a stop for lunch. Make sure you visit La Rochelle if you can and don't worry about taking your bikes as they are availble free!!.
Have fun
Graham F.
Awning rail on the house to help with drying air awning at home
Facebook
Twitter