French Alps - Roads too narrow for camper ?

nomadichobbit

Guest
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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 :)
 
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 :)
Click to expand...

In Switzerland
NO SWISS ROLLING
:goodluck: :lol-049: :danger:
 
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 !
 
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!
 
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!
Click to expand...

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

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.
 
Don't worry about single track roads.

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

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Bit of dashcam from the road. :)
Utube removed sound.

[video=youtube_share;40YTqR4Bgkg]https://youtu.be/40YTqR4Bgkg[/video]
 
mark61 said:
Bit of dashcam from the road. :)
Utube removed sound.

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

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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