We have just comeback from 2 weeks in France (I am waiting for my site reviews to be published).
We always go in/out of Dieppe and when we go south we always go via Chartres etc. But this trip I found it very tiresome going through Saint-Rémy-sur-Avre and Dreux.
Can anyone recommend another route possibly from Nonacourt to Orleans
Thanks in advance
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Heading south from Rouen to Chartres ? Alternative is via Le Neubourg, Conches en Ouche, Verneuil sur Avre, & Chateauneuf en Thymerais . Use road atlas to look at it.
A good 25 years ago, back in the days when Rouen only had signs for Paris and Le Havre and the rest appeared to be a job lot they'd bought and placed at random junctions so it was a good idea to avoid it - this is the route I recall (car not m/h);
Dieppe to Gournay en Bray then Gisors by the D915 - then head to cross the Seine at Mantes le Jolie - head towards Rambouillet picking up N10 N of the town, then at Ablis take the N191 to pick up the A10 to Orleans.
All done using the Michelin road atlas.
Recall very little traffic (August) except round Rambouillet and then just a couple of roundabouts - unavoidable most anywhere in France.
Good luck!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
We love staying at Lyon la Foret, so use that as a stop coming and going thereby avoiding Rouen. However for the next stop at Chartres, it is difficult to avoid Dreux without quite a lengthy detour, and we have tried most of them.
This holiday we used the satnav going south and it sent us to Pont de L'Arche and southwards as the quickest route.
Coming back north from Chartres, we set satnav for Rambouillet then Lyon la Foret, and the route was not too bad, I think we crossed at Mantes.
Quote: Originally posted by longcol on 26/6/2025
A good 25 years ago, back in the days when Rouen only had signs for Paris and Le Havre and the rest appeared to be a job lot they'd bought and placed at random junctions so it was a good idea to avoid it - this is the route I recall (car not m/h);
That made me laugh and brought back memories of driving through Rouen myself, with my now ex, sister and bro-in-law en route to Biarritz in, ooh, 1987ish. Such an apt description... I recall the road signs being plonked in strange places and angled as if indicating the direction as if waving vaguely 'over there somewhere'. It was very stresful!
I'm so glad the roads/route has been updated and clarified. Since then, we've not had an issue going through Rouen (OK, not been since 2016 but did several times to and from). We enjoyed the right hand side of the river (or left if going south) as it's quieter and more scenic.
Thanks for making me smile and also recalling the long, flat, slow drive towards Chartres via Dreux, and onto Aubenas in the Ardeche. Our last French camping holiday (OH has gone off it, but I miss the 'controlled adventure' of taking a tent).
Apologies for hijacking the OP's post.
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
Quote: Originally posted by Motor homers on 26/6/2025
Oooooooooooh
That is what I had in mind :-)
have you had any experience on this route (we are a 7m motorhome)?
Or am I cutting my nose off just for 30 minutes of stop/start gear changing
We have done that route several times, in each direction, with a caravan. There are one or two tightish bends, and market or Fete days can be an issue... but Hey Ho, that's rural France.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Is there a route avoiding Dreux ?
