Hi all,
I’ve seen there are quite a few posts regarding routes to The Dordogne but the ones I’ve come across all originate from Calais/ ferry port. Does anybody have any experience of this route from the Beaches. I’ve looked on Via Michelin and it gives 3 options, is there a particular route that should be avoided.
We will be travelling from Les Sablons to Domaine de Soleil Plage. I’ve read some routes are pretty scary and I’d definitely like to avoid these if possible. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Also is this trip ok to do in one day? I was unsure as I know traffic levels can be quite high near Sarlat. We depart les Sablons on 04/08 and not booked in to Soleil until the 5th so we do have a spare night if needed. If it’s not needed we can book into site a day earlier.
Thanks
Post last edited on 18/02/2018 06:55:32
------------- 2017, New Forest, Camping Grubhof, Ardeche, DLP
2018, DLP, Dorset, Holland, France, Lapland
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It’s motorway most of the way. All but a few miles. From the campsite it’s a short way to A9 then just up to Toulouse then A20 north until you turn off last few miles to where you are going. Put the route into google maps. Take the route past Carcassonne Toulouse Montauban then stay on A20 until the shortest route on map to Soliel Plage.
Thanks for your reply. So no scary sections form this direction and doable in one day? I don’t mind stopping somewhere overnight if it means a more manageable journey for us all. Thanks
------------- 2017, New Forest, Camping Grubhof, Ardeche, DLP
2018, DLP, Dorset, Holland, France, Lapland
Absolutely nothing scary about the routes indicated by Viamichelin. It's completely straight-forward on any of the three suggested routes and I wonder where you've read that any of them are 'scary'? Of course there are many more choices of route should you prefer to just work out your own. We've done many of them over the years. We prefer to do cross-country, so use either the route via Millau, Rodez, and across to Figeac because we both prefer to drive off autoroute and see some scenery, or we go west before Rodez and across via Limogne and Villefranche de Rouergue. We've done a route parallel to the A61, via Castelnaudry and then used the autoroute around Toulouse and back on to the free A820 at Caussade, and followed the parallel road to the A20 all the way to Gourdon and then joined the A704 towards the Dordogne.
But we've also done the autoroute A61, A62, A20 and the only likely problem is traffic around Toulouse.
Anything is possible and none of them are scary at all. If you do decide to break the journey then a cross-country route will have plenty of options for an overnight stay. We've stayed at Martel, Figeac, Recoules-Previnquieres, Villefrance de Rouergue, Najac, and others!
The approach from the east on the D703 around the Cingle de Montfort could make some people apprehensive if in a motorhome or towing a caravan - there is a shortish narrow section with a wall on the river side and a rock face on the other - and it is possible to encounter a coach in the middle of the road coming round a bend in the opposite direction.
If coming from the South I'd tend to to leave the A20 about half way between Cahors and Soulliac and head for Gourdon then aim to cross the Dordogne at Cenac (next door to Domme).
ps the approach is described as "scary" by Nitnat in 2013 (top of 2nd most recent page of reviews) and a number of people comment about narrow approaches.
Have also noticed that if you specify Vitrac as you destination on via Michelin, for some strange reason for the last leg of all 3 routes it brings you in on the D50 from before Groljeac. If people know SP this is the road that runs past the rear of the bar on the opposite bank to SP beach. It is very narrow and has only a few passing places - it is quiet but I'd avoid it.
We took our caravan from along the D703 from Souillac - and I can't say that we noticed anything that would scare us, but then I suppose we'd been doing French narrow roads for about thirty years by the time we went to Soleil Plage. We carried on along the D703 and approached Soleil Plage along what's called on the map Route de Caudon.
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Quote: Originally posted by Val A on 18/2/2018
We took our caravan from along the D703 from Souillac - and I can't say that we noticed anything that would scare us, but then I suppose we'd been doing French narrow roads for about thirty years by the time we went to Soleil Plage. We carried on along the D703 and approached Soleil Plage along what's called on the map Route de Caudon.
There are a few places round the Cingle de Montfort that I've often thought I wouldn't like to drive anything bigger than a car - especially in July / August when the road can get very busy.
Unfortunately I think the link from streetview is too long for the software on this site - but if people want to "drive" on streetview on the D703 from a couple of hundred yards before the Falaises de Montfort down to the right turn for Sarlat they should get my drift - and note that the tendency of the french to drive that stretch in the middle of the road.
Maybe we were just lucky Longcol! Or we just don't mind cliffs - we have something much worse on the approach to our house. But again I can't link to it!
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Topic: Dordogne from Languedoc
