South of France (1 Viewer)

[Simon Meadwell]

Is it comfortable for travel from Calais to the south of France with one stop over? Any suggestions for sites on/near beach in south of France, near enough to shops etc. Bike rides. Any good aires on the way down? Thanks

 

[EuroTrotters]

Nice site la terre rouge near Troyes and yes, you can do it in 2 days.

Or La Croix de vieux Pont

Some big overnight sites near Beaune too

 

[Mikeco]

If you can do around 350 mile in a day for 2 days then just about, We always seem to head for the western med area, Agde being our favourite area.

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[Clarky]

Is this a holiday or a long distance race?
Have been known to take a couple of weeks to get to the south.

I guess it all depends on how much time you have, but you do need to remember that France is a big place. Look at a map and it appears easy but it is almost 900 miles, depending on where you end up.
Remember a river a day to make it a comfortable and easy drive.
Day 1 to the Seine
Day 2 to the Loire
Day 3 to the Dordogne
Day 4 to the Med.

If you pay tolls it is a fair bit quicker but boring.

Richard.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Is this a holiday or a long distance race?
Have been known to take a couple of weeks to get to the south.

I guess it all depends on how much time you have, but you do need to remember that France is a big place. Look at a map and it appears easy but it is almost 900 miles, depending on where you end up.
Remember a river a day to make it a comfortable and easy drive.
Day 1 to the Seine
Day 2 to the Loire
Day 3 to the Dordogne
Day 4 to the Med.

If you pay tolls it is a fair bit quicker but boring.

Richard.

Unless heading St. Tropez way

 

[mitzimad]

doable on the tolls but hard work of them

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[suavecarve]

I would say yes but I like driving. I can make Limoges in a day if going that way (we have actually made Rocamadour but that was perhaps an hour too far even for me) or probably just short of Clermont the other. This is not using tolls and not killing myself.
It is quite slow to start with but once you hit the free motorways the map pages turn over quite frequently.
If you made Limoges its is only 300 miles the next day but we tend to slow right down then and take 3 or 4 days as France (IMHO) gets incredibly picturesque then.
Alternatively if you want to head to Alpes Maritime area it does take quite a bit longer even going through Belgium and then even Switzerland Italy and paying a cheaper toll

 

[mikebeaches]

Nice free aire next to a vineyard and with fine views at Vinzelles, close to the A6 Autoroute du Sud, just south of Macon. There is a WC in addition to free fresh water etc and black and grey dump. And only a short distance from a local Lidl if provisions are required. We also found cheap fuel nearby too.

Liked the stop so much on the way south, used it again on the way north, returning home.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.2...4!1snYKN901hMEO619lL6oLJqg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[Madcaravanner]

Is it comfortable for travel from Calais to the south of France with one stop over? Any suggestions for sites on/near beach in south of France, near enough to shops etc. Bike rides. Any good aires on the way down? Thanks

If you're young and foolish
you can do it but we took three days last year stopping a Chalon En Champagne , Macon , before we got to Cannes

some people only drive 100 miles some drive around 250 it's what you feel like doing

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[magicsurfbus]

Which bit of the South of France?

If you mean SE, we've done from Calais to the aire at Dijon (or Seurre, just south), and have been on the Med coast the next day.

In the Camargue there's Santes-Mairies-de-la-Mer with sites and aires near the beach. There's even an aire on the beach just down the road. Worth knowing if there's a planned Gypsy festival at Saintes-Mairies, as the place is a recognised shrine for travelling folk. Bike rides possible along the coast.

 

[Kool Kroozer]

My mate drives from Elstartit in spain to Calaise in one hit, has a few breaks along the way but no stop overs, so you should be able to do it... mind he does drink alot of Coffee

 

[Rapido925M]

On a recent episode of "A New Life in the Sun" (Ch4) an ex-policeman returned his hire truck to Cambridge from Competa, just outside Malaga, in less than 48h. That's a distance of approx 1500miles! Not what I would consider sensible driving practice.

Interestingly, on the way south, his wife hit an underpass in Rouen, losing their £1000 insurance excess by smashing a considerable hole into the Luton top!

So the answer is "yes" but do be careful - Gordon

EDIT: Just re-read the question and spotted "is it comfortable" so NO!!

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[denisejoe]

We have never made the med even with 6 weeks away

Joe

 

[Kevan]

depends how we feel some times loiter, last year did twin lakes from leaving home to sitting in Gary's bar exactly 24 hours. that was towing the car on a-frame, just one stop overnight.

 

[urban_biker]

I think its fairly reasonable to drive for 8-9 hours at a stint if you have to, but I wouldn't if I had a choice. 8 hours at an average of 60 mph gives you 480 miles. Lorry drivers are allowed to drive 10 hours a day.

You need to take appropriate breaks of course.

I'm planning on driving to Alicante at Easter. 2x 8 hours days and a 5 hour day. If i was retired of course, I'd do it over 6 weeks

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[Bognor Saint]

Which bit of the South of France?

If you mean SE, we've done from Calais to the aire at Dijon (or Seurre, just south), and have been on the Med coast the next day.

In the Camargue there's Santes-Mairies-de-la-Mer with sites and aires near the beach. There's even an aire on the beach just down the road. Worth knowing if there's a planned Gypsy festival at Saintes-Mairies, as the place is a recognised shrine for travelling folk. Bike rides possible along the coast.

We were there last September. We stayed on the site which was a little crowded but we opted for one of the service pitches. Very good bike rides through the waterways. Up close to the flamingos.

 

[Kevan]

If you know people who drink drive and use mobile phone when driving, then you should report them, I have read this thread and not thought anyone was bragging.

 

[Pia]

Well we have driven from Calais to Roses (just over the border in Spain, we have a flat there...and enroute to family in Barcelona) in a day.... 3 or 4 times a year...BUT....we were in our 40s & 50s.....2 of us were driving on Toll motorways AND in a 2 litre car.......we have usually taken 2 overnight stops to get to Barcelona towing the caravan.... in the days when time was an issue....so, yes, it is possible....is it enjoyable....well, in my view...not really, just the means to justify the end!!!! When time no longer mattered to us, then we liked to meander through France but that is a luxury not that many younger people can afford. All the best on your journey...we ALWAYS used to go through Clermont Ferrand because of the free motorway and it is the most scenic of the shorter routes, in my view.

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[FIDGET]

As Pia says, When I was a good bit younger , 40 , I drove my VW from Calais to south of Lyon about 600 miles in total ( young & foolish ) next day on the beach at Valras Plage just after lunch , we didn't see any of France. Now in my 70's we don't drive more than 180 miles a day & then stop at an aire & enjoy where we happen to be , for a few hours , then off we go the next day (but we are now retired) but still only able to go for 3 weeks at a time due to family commitments

 

[sedge]

Well my first husband drove the two of us from Cherbourg at 5pm to a campsite at Playa de Aro by the same time next day, with a few hours kip in a layby in the back of the mini-van we were in before motorways were built in France and the M1 was the only one we had, in 1976. Including a 2 hours stop at the side of the main road from La Junquera towards Gerona for torrential rain, where apparently the rain in Spain falls mainly into distributor caps and we BOTH had to wee into a bottle cos the flood water was above the sills and about 3 inches up the 'cab' doors which had sliding windows.

Would I ever try it again? Sex and Travel is the answer !!!

Pete and I did Agde in two days in 2009 - remainder of first one to just S of Rouen, free mway the rest of the way nearly, got there at teatime-ish next day. It is, simply, too far for either of us now and though we have done big mileages a few times in the car in the last 8 ish years before we retired, I can't say either of us has really enjoyed it, but getting there and getting back in the time available was necessary to have the time we wanted where we actually wanted to go at the time, so we accepted it.

Calais to eg Agde, we'd take 3 days now, even if going 'straight' there and using motorways. As we don't now, unless it's 'silly' not to (for instance, motorways that are actually 'ring roads' round certain cities, are free and so it's simply 'the main road' and easier to navigate) or it's just easier cos we already know the way and the 'local' roads we also already know are horrific - well - we might not even get that far as we might just fancy that somewhere else that looks interesting instead! No rush, Ethel !