# French Alps - Roads too narrow for camper ?



## nomadichobbit (Sep 29, 2018)

6.2 m long & 2.1m wide Renault Master.  Planing to drive through the French alps next week towards Provence. I’m a good driver but are the roads single track ? I doubt I’ll be able to reverse the camper through long winding roads for an oncoming vehicle. 

Any good sites for planning a doable route. With campsites & aires along the way. 

Thanks


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## jagmanx (Sep 29, 2018)

*Yes you need to investigate*

Plan a route and then use Google Streetview to check it out.
This usually identifies
a) the general width of the roads
b) whether or not lorries use it
c) sometimes you will see other Motorhomes as well
d) is it a bus route
etc etc

One you have identified a particular pass then ask specifically about that section of road

As an example I identified the Route 
Google Maps
as being suitable and indeed it was


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## Canalsman (Sep 29, 2018)

Google Maps shows bus stops.

If there are bus stops you should be fine.

Another option is to use this website:

Route planner: driving directions and walking route planner - ViaMichelin

The routing options allow you to select caravan. I presume this filters out routes unsuitable for such ...


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## Canalsman (Sep 29, 2018)

Tried the route given by jagmanx and it showed the same route ...


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## mark61 (Sep 29, 2018)

Most of the main roads you'll use to cross the Alps won't be single track, I think you'll come across more single track roads exploring Provence than crossing alps. 
Rarely do you come across a single track without plenty of passing spaces.


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## witzend (Sep 29, 2018)

POI Admin said:


> If there are bus stops you should be fine.
> ...



Unless you meet one coming towards you :lol-053:


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## yeoblade (Sep 29, 2018)

I'd be more worried about single track roads in the UK than crossing the Alps. I'm sure you'll be fine.

Sent from my mobile using Tapatalk


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## nomadichobbit (Sep 29, 2018)

Thank you all. Particularly Jagmanx for the route link. Just arrived in France. Heading towards the alps in three days so if you don’t hear from me I’ve driven off the edge. 

As I’ll hurtle down I’ll post a hasty POI


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## jagmanx (Sep 29, 2018)

*Careful*



nomadichobbit said:


> Thank you all. Particularly Jagmanx for the route link. Just arrived in France. Heading towards the alps in three days so if you don’t hear from me I’ve driven off the edge.
> 
> As I’ll hurtle down I’ll post a hasty POI



In Switzerland
NO SWISS ROLLING 
:goodluck:  :lol-049:  :danger:


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## jagmanx (Sep 29, 2018)

*I am now driving on a narrow mountain road*

It is foggy !
The road surface is poor.
It is icy
I am looking at my phone..AAARGH !

Slip Sliding away !


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## barge1914 (Sep 29, 2018)

*French Alps*

​
We’ve driven extensively through the French Alps, most of the passes along the Grande Route des Alps. We have a 6m coachbuilt, so wider than you, never had a problem on width...but you need to be happy driving close to some fairly vertiginous edges!


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## jagmanx (Sep 29, 2018)

*Agreed*



barge1914 said:


> ​
> We’ve driven extensively through the French Alps, most of the passes along the Grande Route des Alps. We have a 6m coachbuilt, so wider than you, never had a problem on width...but you need to be happy driving close to some fairly vertiginous edges!



We do not like verticals !
Hence I checkout as described.
Plenty of good routes without being too "Hairy-Scary"


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## rugbyken (Sep 29, 2018)

we were going to the aire in erreteria northern spain last week it’s a picnic spot up in the hills been twice before so know it’s a little rural, this time we followed the damn tom tom along a concreted track not too bad for the first mile then it started getting silly steep & winding on one occasion the rear bottomed as we hit a steep slope when tom tom was showing 400 yds to go the track finished in a farm yard , we were watched by bemused locals as i did a 27 point turn backtracked a mile or so then took a compass bearing onto google maps and after a further mile found ourselves on a tarmaced road it may have only been 12’ wide but it felt like a motorway,


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## nomadichobbit (Sep 29, 2018)

barge1914 said:


> ​
> We’ve driven extensively through the French Alps, most of the passes along the Grande Route des Alps. We have a 6m coachbuilt, so wider than you, never had a problem on width...but you need to be happy driving close to some fairly vertiginous edges!



I wouldn’t quite say happy with vertical drops, but if it’s one that’s logistically doable, and a short distance then sure. However, the other half will probably get out and walk behind me, that way she’ll make a few bob from the YouTube video of me hurtling downwards.


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## WildThingsKev (Sep 29, 2018)

Don't worry about single track roads.

Do worry about cars coming around blind bends halfway over your side of of the road!


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## barryd (Sep 29, 2018)

Piece of cake!  Been all over the alps in a 7.5m coach built.  Just look at the size of that bus at the end of the Italian Job.  Oh hang on. :drive:

Just go for it.


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## Harleyboygaz3 (Sep 29, 2018)

WildThingsKev said:


> Don't worry about single track roads.
> 
> Do worry about cars coming around blind bends halfway over your side of of the road!



Agree 100% what's the worst that can happen !! A bit of shunting around , all in a day's work :lol-053:


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## mark61 (Sep 29, 2018)

Italian Job escape road is virtually a motorway. 
It's a dead end too, :lol-049:
Well worth the drive though, stunning at the top. 
Any excuse


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## mark61 (Sep 29, 2018)

Bit of dashcam from the road. 
Utube removed sound.

[video=youtube_share;40YTqR4Bgkg]https://youtu.be/40YTqR4Bgkg[/video]


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## nomadichobbit (Sep 29, 2018)

mark61 said:


> Bit of dashcam from the road.
> Utube removed sound.
> 
> [video=youtube_share;40YTqR4Bgkg]https://youtu.be/40YTqR4Bgkg[/video]



Wow, those roads are narrow and bendy. But the views are stunning. How big was your van & did you frequently encounter other vehicles from the opposite direction? And did you ever have to reverse around a bend ?! 
Thanks


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## mark61 (Sep 29, 2018)

nomadichobbit said:


> Wow, those roads are narrow and bendy. But the views are stunning. How big was your van & did you frequently encounter other vehicles from the opposite direction? And did you ever have to reverse around a bend ?!
> Thanks



MWB Sprinter, about 6M long 2m wide. Often encounter other vehicles, yes you have to reverse sometimes, but not that many. Can't remember if I've ever had to reverse round  corner though. Nothing comes to mind, so couldn't have been anything worth remembering. I do go looking for intersting roads though.


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## nomadichobbit (Sep 29, 2018)

mark61 said:


> MWB Sprinter, about 6M long 2m wide. Often encounter other vehicles, yes you have to reverse sometimes, but not that many. Can't remember if I've ever had to reverse round  corner though. Nothing comes to mind, so couldn't have been anything worth remembering. I do go looking for intersting roads though.



Sprinters have the added advantage of bieng a few inches narrower & RWD which helps. Mines 6.2m Renault Master, a few inches wider and FWD. But I guess should be fine. I wanted the Sorinter but I also wanted to fit a 6 foot bed sideways  which I just about managed in the master.  Compromises compromises. 

Thanks for posting the video.


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## barryd (Sep 30, 2018)

A road on a dash cam video often looks narrower than it is, same effect on Google Streetview.  nothing wrong with that road although the main routes through the Alps are much wider.  I would have no hesitation in taking a 7.5 metre coach built up that.  It might not look like it but you could probably squeeze two vehicles past each other on it.

The only time I ever came unstuck was in the Pyrenees we where were actually leaving the big mountains to head for the lower mountains towards the Atlantic coast and I took my eye off the ball and just followed the Sat nav blindly without checking the map before setting off. Ended up on proper goat track that was about 15 miles of single track around the side of a mountain.  Virtually no cars until I met a French car coming the other way who just refused to reverse the 15 yards back to a small passing point.  Just wouldnt budge so I ended up reversing about 250 or so to another one which put him in more of a flap as it meant he had to pass me with inches to spare on the cliff edge side. 

If you can survive driving round our mountain roads there is nothing in the Alps or the Pyrenees to worry about.  Some of ours are much steeper and narrower just not as long.  Its rare to encounter much over 10% out in Europe.  Just go and enjoy them, they are simply fantastic.


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## shaunr68 (Sep 30, 2018)

barryd said:


> The only time I ever came unstuck was in the Pyrenees we where were actually leaving the big mountains to head for the lower mountains towards the Atlantic coast and I took my eye off the ball and just followed the Sat nav blindly without checking the map before setting off. Ended up on proper goat track that was about 15 miles of single track around the side of a mountain.  Virtually no cars until I met a French car coming the other way who just refused to reverse the 15 yards back to a small passing point.  Just wouldnt budge so I ended up reversing about 250 or so to another one which put him in more of a flap as it meant he had to pass me with inches to spare on the cliff edge side.



I had a similar experience in Greece, the sat nav directed us onto an unpaved road and like an idiot I complied, thinking it was just a shortcut between two main roads.  Two miles of narrow rocky path hanging off the side of a mountain, with a 200m drop into the sea just inches from the offside wheels.  Fun and games!!


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