Route to Toulouse??

[Teasy2007]

Hi,

Does anyone know a good route down to Toulouse from Dunkerque. We dont want to go down fast, and Mike wants to avoid Paris at all costs - he is still getting used to driving the motorhome and the thought of Paris is very scary.

We have Tom Tom One, which gives the route through Paris, but will this go on a ring road type of road, or will it just go through the middle??

We are setting off on Saturday and spending the night at a CL in Dover. We think/hope we have planned for everything - except the route!!!!

Any advice would be very appreciated :thumb:

Ginny and Mike

 

[highwayman]

Hi Teasey
Firstly tell hubby not to fear Paris, you go around the periferique (check spelling)
and as long as you drive confidently you'll be fine. The traffic is normally heavy at
most times of the day but it normally only takes us about 40 mins before we're clear. The alternatives are numerous but unfortunately all are a fair bit longer.
You could go Riems-Dijon or Rouen-le-mans either will avoid Paris but both will add miles, to be honest i'd go through Paris. The first time we did-it we only had
instructions we'd printed off of autoroute and we got through no-worrys, last year we had good-old tomtom = piece of cake. We even had an artic driver telling me to be more forcefull, this was after he'd let me-out and before he carried-on down the hard-shoulder!!!!!
Oh and tell tomtom to avoid toll roads or you'll be paying about £50ish to get to Toulouse

Whatever you do ENJOY the trip, i'll be doing the same in june

Regards...nige

 

[Teasy2007]

Thanks for the advice Nige, I think we might try the Rouen route, we are in no hurry and want to see a bit of France, but not a conjested bit! if you know what I mean. I am sure by the time we have finished this holiday we will be more confident and willing to take on anything, hopefully.

Ginny

 

[olley]

Hi the Paris périphérique (I googled the spelling ) is not like the M25, its a series of different motorways which you join as you go around, so lane changing is common.

We been round it a few times now first with a map and now with a tomtom, its not to bad but you have to keep alert, not only for being in the right lane, but for cars crossing lanes in front of you without warning. I would go via rouen until you feel a bit more confident. Coming back from Portugal this year we hit it at 18.00, it took 2 hours until we got through to the otherside. oh:

Just looked at the distances, the Rouen-Le mans route is about an extra 100miles.

Olley

 

[pappajohn]

hi Ginny,
we went round the périphérique a couple of years ago............NEVER,NEVER again.
the périphérique is, in itself, no problem bearing in mind you must exit right to get to the exit/motorway you want which means heading towards the center of paris albeit for a very short distance. this is where the trouble started.

roads numbers evade me but we turned off at the correct exit ramp upto a roundabout, multiple lanes and ,of-coarse, we were on the 'outside' lane.

we needed to go across the roundabout but the onion sellers were having none of that :Sad:. i was literally forced to take the first exit, as that was the one they were all taking from the roundabout, and ended up in a paris suburb.

now. navman tried to turn me round but as there were no side roads off the urban dual carriageway big enough for the m/h :Angry: i had to continue 'til eventually i found a roundabout.

coming back the way we came sounds easy but........road closed.oh:

2.5 hours later we found the motorway we wanted.

my wife was threatening divorce, my blood pressure was measured by P.S.I. and all frenchmen were fatherless sons of whores.(probably get thread deleted for that comment but those were my thoughts at the time).

i love france but i avoid cities like the plague now.

john

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[Teasy2007]

Thanks John, I think you have summed up all Michael's fears, we certainly will be going nowhere near Paris!

We have 7 weeks, so we will take it easy, and try to 'chill to the bone', where ever we end up.

It was really great meeting you at Newark it is much nicer chatting to someone you can put a face to.

Ginny and Mike

 

[Rapide561]

Toulouse

Hi

My advice would be not to worry about the Boulevard Peripherique. I have been round there humpteen times - but maybe people shift out of the way of a 12 tonne bus.

Avoid the BP between 0700 - 1000 and 1600 - 1900 though for traffic reasons.

You could also try from Dunkerque, heading for Lille and then the A1 to Paris. Close to Charles de Gaule airport, follow the signs on the road to Evry - I think it is the A104 or the N104. It is a bit like an out ring road east of Paris. From the Evry direction, follow the N20 dual carriageway, heading towards Orleans, on then towards the A71 and the A20.

Are you happy with tolls by the way, or do would you consider a longer amble on toll free roads?

Russell

 

[vanessa]

The problem with the BP is the sheer weight of traffic. At all hours. Oh, and accidents! We've done that route maybe half a dozen times, and have sworn NEVER to do it again. It's not difficult as in finding your way around, it's just a flaming nightmare of WAY too many cars in a small space that I'd prefer to avoid!!

The "outer ring" is the one that's made up of numerous different motorways / dual carriageways, and that can be a nightmare to navigate on the western side. The eastern side that goes right past CDG airport isn't so difficult to navigate.

Personally, we go via Rouen, Evreux, Dreux, Chartres and Orleans. If you're meandering down, there's LOADS to see in some of these places (Rouen, Chartres and Orleans). After Orleans, you have a choice of motorways or the "old" roads that follow pretty-much the same route.

The A20 from its start at Vierzon is toll-free until you get down south of Brive la Gaillarde, so a good long stretch.:thumb: