Near the end of the month we will be making the trip back to the UK for a spell & its been many years since I have driven through France so your advice on my planned route would be appriciated, btw I will be in a car.
Intend crossing into France at Pau and the route I have looks to be reasonably quick (apart from going up via Lyon-Paris) and avoids paying to much in tolls.
Valencia … Teruel … Zaragoza Huesca… Pau.
Pau … Tarbes…Auch … Montauban … and onto the A20 heading north.
Limoges … Chateauroux … exit for Chartres … Druex … Evreux … Rouen.
Aberville … Boulogne … Calais.
Le Harve etc crossings look expensive at this time & Calais via P&O (etc) was around the £35.00 mark one way.
I guess the old rules still apply of eating in the big supermarkets/routiers/topping up the tank to keep the costs down assuming they are nearby.
BTW I do not have a Sat Nav and still just look at a map & get my waypoints written down as we all used to do, still one of these days ?
Not a bad route for a car and your right about filling up at the supermarkets, drastic price difference compared to the highway. I always come across and up by San Sabastian but I’m governed by availability and cost of overnight stabling as I can save up to €350 a night going that way.
Dodgy Permit:
Thanks for the input lads, but I believe that the motorway from Valencia - Barcelona & up to the border is quite pricey (hence my posted route)
The Millau bridge I read about is a toll jobbie as well ?, btw there is a good video about how it was constructed on YouTube that is worth a look.
The national road from Valencia up to tarragona is perfectly good enough, no need to use the toll.
Dodgy Permit:
Thanks for the input lads, but I believe that the motorway from Valencia - Barcelona & up to the border is quite pricey (hence my posted route)
The Millau bridge I read about is a toll jobbie as well ?, btw there is a good video about how it was constructed on YouTube that is worth a look.
The Spanish motorway is possibly expensive although the National road runs alongside it all of the way.
There is a toll on the Millau Viaduct, not sure how much for cars, it was 27 euros (I think) when I last went over it in a truck, which was a few years ago now. Apart from that and a little bit of peage further up, Orleans area and the bit approaching Abbeville, it’s toll free.
Worth paying the toll for the view of the viaduct, although I always think the southbound view is better than the northbound.!
Harry Monk:
Personally, I would go La Jonquera, Millau etc
And you can drop down into Millau town, then climb back up the other side instead of going over the viaduct.
You can, and there’s a decent supermarket there with parking right opposite but unless you need to go there, the viaduct probably cuts two hours from the journey time.
Harry Monk:
Personally, I would go La Jonquera, Millau etc
And you can drop down into Millau town, then climb back up the other side instead of going over the viaduct.
You can, and there’s a decent supermarket there with parking right opposite but unless you need to go there, the viaduct probably cuts two hours from the journey time.
As much as that ? (In a car?)
I’ve only used that route on one trip, before the viaduct was finished, I came back the same way. Then some idiot set his trailer brakes on fire dropping down into Millau, so we were banned from that route altogether . I was still experimenting with the alternatives when the job finished.
It’s N II from just North of Barcelona to just before La Jonquera btw. I’ve used that quite a few times.
You’ve said the Calais - Dover ferry was £35 one way. You have factored in the extra fuel getting to Calais and around London of course. What about what you’ll be doing once you arrive at your destination ? You won’t get much rest doing Calais - Dover, so you’ll be knackered when you get there. On any of the longer crossings you’ll get at least 4 hours with your feet up if not some kip and probably be more capable of doing things when you arrive. I prefer the longer crossings personally.
I did a trip to Alicante in 07, hadn’t been for 7 or 8yrs, thought it would be a piece of ■■■■, having done that run probably a hundred or more times, I never even took a map, oh dear, WRONG…new roads all over the place, old roads I couldn’t use anymore, every hundred yards in France there’s a roundabout
I had planned to visit the places I used to stop, but the only familiar place I found on the round trip was Vivonne and Castets, the rest had changed beyond recognition, some of the Spanish towns even had houses where they’d finished the second floor
calais abbeyville rouen maux dreux chartes tours exit n10 pottier sud anguleeme bordeux irun n121 sunbilla if you fill up at sun billa with cash you get 9 cents a litre rebate pamplona castajon zaragoza valencia less than 90 euro each way them people telling you to go millau must have 700hp trucks mine is only 530 any thing over 10 ton forget it the road from claremont fernand to sothern france is all hills i load 28 ton of tiles from valencia regularly trust me. bit of a drag from valencia to daroca turel after that its better than the tolouse to claremont fernand road trust me and that way thru la jonquera barcelona etc will cost about 300 euro with the millau bridge ouch fill up sunbilla on the way in and out cheapest derv in spain if you pay cash
Hi Keith.
Yes I’m sure I used the C/Ferrard route on a bike about 9 years ago & can remember that there where a lot of climbs with some preety foul weather at the time.
Where do you pick the tiles up from ? (Nr Canals by any chance)
Dodgy Permit. I would certainly use the route you have given. I do the Costa del Sol to UK a couple of times a year in a car and usually spend less than 20 euro on tolls. Your route will take you through the Tunnel de Somport which is a cracking drive. The road now on the spanish side is excellent, on the french side it’s a bit narrow for about 10 k’s down from the tunnel but after that it’s great. Take the time to have a look at the old station at Canfranc on the spanish side of the border, one of the most amazing old buildings you will ever see.
Ex Haulier:
Dodgy Permit. I would certainly use the route you have given. I do the Costa del Sol to UK a couple of times a year in a car and usually spend less than 20 euro on tolls. Your route will take you through the Tunnel de Somport which is a cracking drive. The road now on the spanish side is excellent, on the french side it’s a bit narrow for about 10 k’s down from the tunnel but after that it’s great. Take the time to have a look at the old station at Canfranc on the spanish side of the border, one of the most amazing old buildings you will ever see.
Cool & thanks for that as money is tight these days.
keith the thief:
calais abbeyville rouen maux dreux chartes tours exit n10 pottier sud anguleeme bordeux irun n121 sunbilla if you fill up at sun billa with cash you get 9 cents a litre rebate pamplona castajon zaragoza valencia less than 90 euro each way them people telling you to go millau must have 700hp trucks mine is only 530 any thing over 10 ton forget it the road from claremont fernand to sothern france is all hills i load 28 ton of tiles from valencia regularly trust me. bit of a drag from valencia to daroca turel after that its better than the tolouse to claremont fernand road trust me and that way thru la jonquera barcelona etc will cost about 300 euro with the millau bridge ouch fill up sunbilla on the way in and out cheapest derv in spain if you pay cash
I went down through Madrid, but came up that way Keefy, have to agree about Clermont Ferrand, very hilly round that way
keith the thief:
calais abbeyville rouen maux dreux chartes tours exit n10 pottier sud anguleeme bordeux irun n121 sunbilla if you fill up at sun billa with cash you get 9 cents a litre rebate pamplona castajon zaragoza valencia less than 90 euro each way them people telling you to go millau must have 700hp trucks mine is only 530 any thing over 10 ton forget it the road from claremont fernand to sothern france is all hills i load 28 ton of tiles from valencia regularly trust me. bit of a drag from valencia to daroca turel after that its better than the tolouse to claremont fernand road trust me and that way thru la jonquera barcelona etc will cost about 300 euro with the millau bridge ouch fill up sunbilla on the way in and out cheapest derv in spain if you pay cash
I went down through Madrid, but came up that way Keefy, have to agree about Clermont Ferrand, very hilly round that way
We were always ‘nailed to the floor’ both ways didn’t usually go Clermont Ferrand, except one time when I had to drop some parts off to a mate who’d broken down on his way back, deffo wouldn’t go that route at 40 ton again. (without an FH16 750!!)
Not a bad path for a car and your right about stuffing up at the markets, serious price change as opposed to freeway. I always come across and up by San Sabastian but I’m controlled by accessibility and price of instantaneously stabling as I can preserve up to €350 a evening going that way.
Dodgy Permit:
Hi Keith.
Yes I’m sure I used the C/Ferrard route on a bike about 9 years ago & can remember that there where a lot of climbs with some preety foul weather at the time.
Where do you pick the tiles up from ? (Nr Canals by any chance)
the tiles are from around the villa real castellon area 100s of factorys there
. I was still experimenting with the alternatives when the job finished.