got a gite near Gaillac (Tarn et Garonne) in a couple of weeks and looking for the best route down with an overnight stop somewhere nice in the tent. what i DO NOT want to do is get stuck going round the Paris Peripherique so a route that goes west of Paris to Rouen or similar.

Any suggestions?

Rouen, Evreux, Chartres then on to N20 via the N154 isn’t too bad

Which ferry/crossing are you taking??

If as I suspect that it’s Calais area then Rouen does take you out of the way, I always used to get through Paris and stop at Orleans, there is a fantastic municipal campsite next to the Loiret with table tennis tables and used to be very god value.

Here’s a quick link to the one I think it is.

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=8414

There’s cycle paths into Orleans from the site too 😉

what i DO NOT want to do is get stuck going round the Paris Peripherique

The Periph has an undeserved reputation IME – never got stuck on it except on “red” days.

I agree with DrJ, with modern sat navs I very rarely have a problem round it, Brussels half a ring is far far worse!

Why not get the overnight ferry to St Malo from Portsmouth, then it’s just Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux. There are loads of campsites in Vendee (about half way down) or you could just push on and make the drive in a (fairly long) day as you’d hopefully have had a decent nights rest on the ferry ride over.

Brussels half a ring is far far worse!

Got to Brussels and the battery on my GPS died. I sometimes think it’s a miracle I escaped! Couldn’t ask directions as nobody spoke English and nobody would reply in French-

I came through Paris on Monday at 17:30, so I guess a busy period, and I thought it was very civilised, busy, but not a problem with Satnav.
I also spent a night in Bordeaux at a campsite called Le Village du Lac off junction4a on tha A630, very easy to find, very clean and tidy, maybe a bit expensive though, 1 person, 1 tent, 1 night for only €31,00.

The Periph has an undeserved reputation IME

+1

I left Northampton on Saturday at 4.50, got the 8am ferry to Calais (70 quid return with Seafrance)and was at Aramits (Atlantic Pyrenees) by ten at night. Easy, just avoid Paris and try to avoid the French holiday days (c. 1st Aug then 14 days later). Very civilised but fast driving too.

La périphérique in summer is pretty quiet hors chassés croisés (busy holiday weekens which it won’t be). We usually travel at night. Under 10mins on a bike:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH1-tieh9rA&feature=related[/video]

You should look at a ferry crossing further West. Saves a lot of driving.

I tend to pick up the 104 by Charlie DeGualle airport right around to the A10

I tend to pick up the 104 by Charlie DeGualle airport right around to the A10

Gosh – that’s a long detour!! If you insist on avoiding the Periph, then the A86 is a better option, IME.

My wife checked the return prices of various crossings with a van and three people before booking last year. 550e Britany Ferries Caen-Portsmouth, just over 100e by the tunnel. 450e to save 600km. I don’t know how much the OP earns per hour but… .

Gosh – that’s a long detour!!

about 12 miles longer but IME usually quicker

tunnel just makes more sense financially, ferry prices are silly in comparison.

thanks for the suggestions, my experience of the peripherique has been awful, maybe i’ve just been unlucky.

Rouen isn’t a massive detour, you just miss out on a bit of motorway so it will take a little longer (it’s only 50km longer)

seriously, look at the 104
It’s dual carriageway/motorway all the way around to the A10/11

Usually takes me about an hour from the airport to the A10 at Evry

Usually takes me about an hour from the airport to the A10 at Evry

A10 or A6 ? Google gives the periph route CDG to A6 Evry as about 45 mins

(I have now turned into my dad 🙁 )

I was interested by what people came up with but if you want the best routes just use http://www.viamichelin.fr

Which from calais to Gaillac takes you via Paris. Journey times are fairly accurate using a car and repsecting speed limits (+ speedo error).

When we used to cross when I was a kid the extra cost of the ferry crossings was balanced out by the savings in petrol/tolls. However that was pre-Eurotunnel so a long time ago. Not investigated since.

edukator – thanks, that link confirms Rouen as the best alternative route. just need to decide where to stop for the night

Sorry – yeah

It’s not Evry, I go past that just before the A10

an hour to the A10 it is

Whilst planning my route home from Munich I noticed that Google takes you through Germany or Belgium and Luxembourg, whereas ViaMichelin takes you predictably through France. I wonder why? 🙂

Because Google geeks are cheapskates happy to tramline their way along Belgian autoroutes and sit in trafic jams on the autobahns rather than pay tolls for non-stop 130kmh on French autoroutes?

I’m committed to going through France now. It’s well worth 70 euros if you ask me 🙂

However, having the ‘van this time I’m tempted to have a look at the Bison Fute.

In the van I go via Germany as it’s unbearable over 110kmh and about 50% more on the autoroute tolls.

I don’t want to be on the Autobahn with the caravan any more than I have to. Actually I don’t want to be on the Autobahn at all any more than I have to – I hate it.

Looks like going via N roads through France only adds another 30k or so.

You’ll be well off your route if you go on the autobahn, they’re in Germany.

I won’t be off my route at all 🙂