Can anyone suggest any good places to stop on the way down to the french med coast? prob looking for somewhere around the half way mark to spend a day/night... but any other suggestions 'on route' would be welcome!
Post last edited on 06/08/2005 12:45:31
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Half way point would be Dijon. Perhaps someone can suggest some campsites around there or you could stop on an aire but make sure it is one with a petrol station and a restaurant. DON'T stop overnight on a quiet one.
------------- Regards,
Aileen
"Mouths closed and maths books open, please!"
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ok , we did this route last year , came in at calais then headed for an area near Beziers so you will probably go a similar route to us. We didnt use toll roads, just N roads and the free sections of autoroute. we went via Rouen, Chartres and Orleans and stopped the first night in the Loire at a place called St Pere Sur Loire. it was approx 300 miles to here from Calais . there are several sites in this area.
from there we headed for Nevers, Clermont Ferrand and stopped a second night near Millau. we could have probably got to our destination in 2 days if we hadnt slept in til 11am , but we did another 300 miles from the Loire to Millau and did the final 150 miles the next day.
it all depends which route you take, the A75 is a great piece of road with some superb scenery and i would go this route again.
whichever way you decide to go there are plenty of sites signposted of the main roads.
you dont say if you are vanning or tenting. we went with the caravan .
we're aiming to catch the ferry late fri night so anothetr option is to drive through the night non-stop, taking it in turns sleeping + driving.... want to maximise time on the coast as only have a week. would you say this is advisable or is it better to get ferry sat morn, drive til late sat pm, stop then aim to get down to coast on sunday afternoon / evening??
Looking at the viamichelin routeplanner, they give the distance from Calais to Agde(on the med coast) as 650mls, 627 on motorway, at a toll cost of 55.5€ for a car. They give an estimated driving time of 9hours 27min, which presumably doesn't include any stops. Or any holdups! So theoretically, with a late night Friday crossing, you could be in SOF by Sat evening. You may well then be knackered for a couple of days!
We did it in 12 hours years ago, from St Tropez, using the A7, A6 route through Lyon (nightmare). Two driving a car, no trailer, short stops every 2 hours.
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When we go down to the Med we tend to go down the A26 and beyond via Lyon. If you follow ithis link it gives a useful list of campsites near the Autoroute with maps. Unfortunately it does not have site reports but it does have links to campsite websites. http://users.pandora.be/leo.huybrechts/00frame.htm
Did you want to stop and camp orB&B. We catch the 8am ferry Dover/dunkirk then are driving all day and stopping at a budget hotel"Etap" at Clermont Ferrand. The next day we drive to Narbonne. In reverse we will drive up to Orleans and stay in their Etap. We booked everything online.
i should think i will be knackered for a few days but at least I can sleep on the beach!! the only alternative would be to catch an early morn ferry on the sat, but given the time we would have to leave to get to dover (from midlands) i would be lucky to get a couple of hours kip anyway....
by the way, we're tenting so will be able to cover the miles a bit quicker...
If you haven't already booked a site, try not to arrive on the Med too late, or you may have to look at a couple of sites before you find a pitch, if you want to be right on the coast. Or are you pitching on the beach and getting your head down?!
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You will find sites still busy, mainly with migrating British and Dutch older couples(thats us!) using Camping Cheques which are usually accepted from the first week in September but the sites will not be full and you should have no problem getting a pitch.
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: Suggested stops on way to French Med?
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