# Route up through West France, recommendations



## spigot (May 23, 2017)

Will be leaving Spain shortly from Irun to drive to Calais.
I'm sick of driving on that dreadful, flat, boring & lorry-laden N10. Which has now gained autoroute status & now one has to pay to be bored.
I can't see any D roads running near to it & always thought there had to be a alternative main road before they introduce tolls. Seems they tore the rule book up on this one.
Anyone have any suggestions on a n alternative route?


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## Hondaboy (May 23, 2017)

When I used to do removals we done Urun, Bordeaux, Angouleme, Poitiers, Tours, Chartres, Dreux, Evreux, Rouen, Abbeville, Calais all toll free.


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## vwalan (May 23, 2017)

just follow the sea take the ferry across to royan . not cheap but an experiance and then coast again untill nantes then take what ever road is your fancy
not n roads but capable of any m,home . and good fun . 
mind i always liked going over the st nazaire suspension bridge . as well . mind i,m only a kid at heart.


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## bartman (May 23, 2017)

I don't know whether this site is still any good, it might be hopelessly out of date now - worth a look perhaps.


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## redhand (May 23, 2017)

Hondaboy said:


> When I used to do removals we done Urun, Bordeaux, Angouleme, Poitiers, Tours, Chartres, Dreux, Evreux, Rouen, Abbeville, Calais all toll free.



We did this on the way down and are now returning, the only toll was last bit approaching bayonne €5.40 x 2 .
avoided paying on return but hassle wasnt worth it


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## spigot (May 24, 2017)

Hondaboy said:


> When I used to do removals we done Urun, Bordeaux, Angouleme, Poitiers, Tours, Chartres, Dreux, Evreux, Rouen, Abbeville, Calais all toll free.



Irun to Bordeaux is now Toll, approx 26 quid.


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## spigot (May 24, 2017)

vwalan said:


> just follow the sea take the ferry across to royan . not cheap but an experiance and then coast again untill nantes then take what ever road is your fancy
> not n roads but capable of any m,home . and good fun .
> mind i always liked going over the st nazaire suspension bridge . as well . Wmind i,m only a kid at heart.



Was thinking along similar lines, but getting the ferry further south at Lamarque over to Blaye, where I always try to stop if over this side of France.
But looking at the map, the coastal route is a zig-zag of minor roads which will take ages & I've got to get home to see if my house is still there.


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## jennyp19 (May 24, 2017)

Sometimes it's just not worth the hassle of avoid tolls if you haven't a lot of time. You don't save much on fuel but you certainly gain some by not stopping and starting and travelling at a constant speed. 


As an example For anyone coming over the Pyrenees at Jonquera use the last junction to get on to motorway into France - costs 45cents. You can get off mway again over mountains and before French paege  and follow the side/main road which runs parallel with mway - unless of course you deliberately want to go the scenic route.

I can't believe we are probably going to beat you home Mike. Booked ferry for 2 June - have had to cut holiday short by a couple of weeks but all in a good cause. Ferry prices have risen to £75+ bit of a shock compared to when we came over £45.


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## Deleted user 48797 (May 24, 2017)

We've used St Emillion - *but don't drive up through the town*, Cognac, Saint, Nantes, St Nazaire, Redon, Fougers, Caen.  Plenty of places to stop and loads to see.


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## Canalsman (May 24, 2017)

I have made this exact trip recently.

I just left the sat nav with 'no tolls' selected and drove. Not a problem


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## Deleted user 48797 (May 24, 2017)

POI Admin said:


> I have made this exact trip recently.
> 
> I just left the sat nav with 'no tolls' selected and drove. Not a problem



Copycat.....


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## spigot (May 24, 2017)

POI Admin said:


> I have made this exact trip recently.
> 
> I just left the sat nav with 'no tolls' selected and drove. Not a problem



Daren't do that Chris, my satnag seems to specialise in farm tracks & unsurfaced roads.
I don't want to it put in the hands of Mrs Navigator, we'd never get anywhere.
No, I think another 2 days in the sunshine here in San Sebastián & then bite the bullet & head for that dreadful N10.


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## vwalan (May 24, 2017)

spigot said:


> Daren't do that Chris, my satnag seems to specialise in farm tracks & unsurfaced roads.
> I don't want to it put in the hands of Mrs Navigator, we'd never get anywhere.
> No, I think another 2 days in the sunshine here in San Sebastián & then bite the bullet & head for that dreadful N10.


come on you dont need a sadnav . just use a map. 
mind if you keep the sea on your left and just be on the closest road to the sea you will be alright.


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## Hondaboy (May 24, 2017)

spigot said:


> Daren't do that Chris, my satnag seems to specialise in farm tracks & unsurfaced roads.
> I don't want to it put in the hands of Mrs Navigator, we'd never get anywhere.
> No, I think another 2 days in the sunshine here in San Sebastián & then bite the bullet & head for that dreadful N10.



We done that last April, boy did we go down some hairy road, we tracks to be more precise. I will be consulting with the map more often now.


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## Hondaboy (May 24, 2017)

spigot said:


> Irun to Bordeaux is now Toll, approx 26 quid.



Cheeky French buggers, when did they change it to a peage?


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## Canalsman (May 24, 2017)

spigot said:


> Daren't do that Chris, my satnag seems to specialise in farm tracks & unsurfaced roads.



It did take me on the N10. But no small roads thankfully.

The point I was making is that despite reports to the contrary it is perfectly feasible to avoid tolls and still make reasonable time.


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## Livotlout (May 24, 2017)

*Bison-Fute*

Hi Mike,

As you know, Mary and I don't do tolls................and only plan for the day ahead and let the sat nav avoid tolls........this often results in following 'Bis' routes which are often free flowing country roads.....see :- Accueil - Bison Futé.


Alec


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## TJBi (May 26, 2017)

A number of possible routes, including:


Cross frontier near Le Boulou, D900/D6009 to Narbonne, D6113/D813 to Toulouse (stop at CR Montferrand and walk round the Canal du Midi infrastructure), D820 and the toll-free sections of A20 up to Limoges
As above, but D813 from just north of Toulouse and head for Bordeaux, then D137 up to Rennes, A84 to Caen
Head for the A75 between Beziers and Montpellier and head north on that; mainly toll-free (but toll on the Millau viaduct).

Tom


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## spigot (May 27, 2017)

Kicked off yesterday with best of intentions, we'll follow the coast.
But with the hot weather & the week end coming on, we soon ran into problems.
We experienced our first traffic jams in 5 months.
So, Hey-ho, back to the bloody N10.
Made good progress then, now at Blaye on the Gironde estuary where there is a fantastic Saturday market.
Now about to have a look at the oyster stalls!


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## TJBi (May 27, 2017)

spigot said:


> Kicked off yesterday with best of intentions, we'll follow the coast.
> But with the hot weather & the week end coming on, we soon ran into problems.
> We experienced our first traffic jams in 5 months.
> So, Hey-ho, back to the bloody N10.
> ...



If overnighting at Blaye, I would thoroughly recommend the AF, which is much more pleasant than the CU, provides free electricity and has a service point tucked away behind the buildings.

Tom


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## spigot (May 27, 2017)

TJBi said:


> If overnighting at Blaye, I would thoroughly recommend the AF, which is much more pleasant than the CU, provides free electricity and has a service point tucked away behind the buildings.
> Tom



We're up the hill tucked away near the back gate of the Citadel, nice &quiet & it's free!


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## TJBi (May 27, 2017)

spigot said:


> We're up the hill tucked away near the back gate of the Citadel, nice &quiet & it's free!



The AF is free ('F' = 'Free') and it's so much nicer!  But each to his/her own.


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## spigot (May 27, 2017)

TJBi said:


> The AF is free ('F' = 'Free') and it's so much nicer!  But each to his/her own.



Seen them down there, packed in like sardines. 
Up here at the moment, just 2 other vans.


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## shawbags (May 27, 2017)

Is it not worth getting the ferry from Spain , just out of interest , I know it works out a bit more expensive as i did it in 2003 going down and back up through France in 2004 after a once in a lifetime 12 month holiday


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## TJBi (May 27, 2017)

spigot said:


> Seen them down there, packed in like sardines.
> Up here at the moment, just 2 other vans.



What you are talking about, packed in like sardines, is the CU, not the AF.  The AF is individual pitches, on grass, palm trees for shade, a pond at the back (with a couple of black swans if they're still there, plus some ducks), free electricity and a proper service point as previously mentioned.  Tonight, the owners will probably be offering free aperitifs in the citadelle.  (The first time that I was there, because they were extremely busy preparing for visits the following day, the aperitifs were on-site; an unforgettable experience.)

Tom


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## spigot (May 27, 2017)

TJBi said:


> What you are talking about, packed in like sardines, is the CU, not the AF.  The AF is individual pitches, on grass, palm trees for shade, a pond at the back (with a couple of black swans if they're still there, plus some ducks), free electricity and a proper service point as previously mentioned.  Tonight, the owners will probably be offering free aperitifs in the citadelle.  (The first time that I was there, because they were extremely busy preparing for visits the following day, the aperitifs were on-site; an unforgettable experience.)
> Tom



Can't see an AF here in Blaye, if you mean a private aire at one of of the Chateaus you can hardly call it free as one is expected to buy wine.


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## TJBi (May 27, 2017)

spigot said:


> Can't see an AF here in Blaye, if you mean a private aire at one of of the Chateaus you can hardly call it free as one is expected to buy wine.



Certainly they hope that you will buy wine or book a tour, but there is no obligation.  The first time that I stayed there (for one night) I bought nothing but made a mental note to return for two nights following year for a tour of the winery and a déjeuner de vigneron, which I did and found very good value.  Perhaps you could pass on your location to POI Admin as an additional option in Blaye.


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## spigot (May 28, 2017)

spigot said:


> Kicked off yesterday with best of intentions, we'll follow the coast.
> But with the hot weather & the week end coming on, we soon ran into problems.
> We experienced our first traffic jams in 5 months.
> So, Hey-ho, back to the bloody N10.
> ...



Tumbled the reason for the traffic jams, last Thurs was a public holiday & most Frogs took a day out of annual leave for the Fri to make a long week end, this coupled with the current heat-wave is the reason for the road problems. 
We got as far as Poiters this afternoon when the jams started as Mr & Mrs France returned home from the beach. 
We pulled into the good aire alongside Futurscope where we are sitting out under trees with a slight breeze but the temp is still 32deg. 
I hope it's cooler in UK.


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## carol (May 28, 2017)

TJBi said:


> Certainly they hope that you will buy wine or book a tour, but there is no obligation.  The first time that I stayed there (for one night) I bought nothing but made a mental note to return for two nights following year for a tour of the winery and a déjeuner de vigneron, which I did and found very good value.  Perhaps you could pass on your location to POI Admin as an additional option in Blaye.



Sometimes it's worth paying a little more for the experience don't you think Mike?


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