From Cornwall to the Italian Lakes (1 Viewer)

[HymerB544]

It's our 25th anniversary next year and we are taking the motorhome to Italy for a couple of months, May and June. Our friends who also live in Cornwall are going too, but they have a dog and have decided to make the long trek up to the Chunnel then head south from there. We will cross from Plymouth to Roscoff and make our way across. Two questions:
1) has anyone done that journey from down this way? We've been to most parts of France over the years and I could work out a route with stops on the way, but would like to hear about good or favourite routes.
2) Best place to cross into Italy, and meet up with our friends? They want to see the Matterhorn on the way down, we are not so bothered about that and I was thinking somewhere around Lake Como might be good.
Cheers, Gary

 

[DBK]

We've crossed Plymouth/Roscoff several times with our dog and it is painless. Choose an overnight crossing and you will board about 22:00 and disembark at 07:00 UK time. The dog stays in the vehicle and snoozes the night away. The return boards at around 09:00 and arrives around 13:00 and again ours just sleeps away the morning in typical dog fashion.

We'll be heading for Italy next month and the route will be something like:

Roscoff
St Brieuc
Rennes
Angers
Poitiers
Limoges
Clermont Ferrand
St Etienne
Valence
Gap
Briancon
Col de Mongenevre (great aire there, Hannibal used it )
Turin

Alternatively, from St Etienne we might head for Chambéry then St Jean de Maurienne and cross over into Italy by the Col du Mont Cenis east of the Frejus tunnel.

You could go east from Chambéry towards Moutiers then head for Aosta crossing over on the Col du Petit St Bernard. If you are crossing over in May you will find snow but the roads should be open and you can always use the Frejus tunnel.

We will avoid toll roads and generally use aires with the odd campsite for laundry. We won't be in a hurry and it will take us at least a week to reach the Italian border.

 

[HymerB544]

@DBK thanks for this. Totally agree with your reasoning and we have tried to persuade them to take our usual route across with us - even the offer of using our BF Voyage number didn't tempt them - so meeting up later in the journey is probably what will happen. I was reckoning on a week to get the too; never been one for the quick blast option, the journey is part of the holiday! Gary

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[HymerB544]

@DBK just been looking on the map at your suggested route and realised That Sue and I were in the Queyras, backpacking in 1990 when we first got together, camping up in the mountains above Guillestre and one of the books I took with me on that trip - and still have - was Hannibal's Footsteps by Bernard Levin. Great read and a great, memorable holiday, which cost us the princely sum of £300 for 3 weeks including travel by train to Guillestre. So that clinches it, it will bring back memories. Gary

 

[DBK]

@DBK just been looking on the map at your suggested route and realised That Sue and I were in the Queyras, backpacking in 1990 when we first got together, camping up in the mountains above Guillestre and one of the books I took with me on that trip - and still have - was Hannibal's Footsteps by Bernard Levin. Great read and a great, memorable holiday, which cost us the princely sum of £300 for 3 weeks including travel by train to Guillestre. So that clinches it, it will bring back memories. Gary

I've been plotting our route in more detail and I think we are now going to cross over into Italy on the Col du Petit St Bernard for no particular reason other than it is somewhere new and apparently there are some little glaciers up there. This will be in early September or the very end of August - progress will depend any distractions on the route and how hot Sicily is - if hot we will dawdle.

On the return we will probably us Montgenevre and stay at the aire on the top, this will be in mid October - probably.

 

[HymerB544]

@DBK Well, here we are in Italy and now at the end of week three with four still to go. We crossed using the Frejus tunnel after a leisurely 5 day traverse from Roscoff down to Lake Annecy. Used Acsi all the way and the two best sites were near Ploermel and on Annecy. Our friends took part of our advice and booked a dog cabin from Portsmouth then blasted through to Annecy with just one overnight stay en route. They crossed using Col Du Mont Cenis staying up there for the night. Then we met up at Lake Maggiore and again at Lake Garda. Of the two we preferred Garda but the place was very busy - half term for Germany!
We split and headed down the Adriatic coast and we are now at Peschici on the Gargano Peninsula. Very nice, not too busy, and very hot but we have managed some road bike rides.
On Saturday we head for Pompeii and Herculaneum before moving on to Sorrento for a week, then Cinque Terre then Mont Ventoux on the bikes then Home on 27th June. Anyone used Camping Spartacus? And do they still crucify gladiators there? Gary

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[Bailey 15]

Great bit in information guys I would luv to do this trip so thanks for info

 

[Tykatem]

We're heading off to Italy next Tues and if we end up around Lake Iseo then it will be a bonus, otherwise we will have found somewhere else on route that takes our fancy. Plan is for 3 weeks or so in Italy and 4 weeks in Germany on the way back. (but that's also subject to change)

Pete