Driving down from Calais to Bordeaux (ish): What route / where should I stay?

[Mr Moofo]

Well, we are going to La Rochelle, whether you lot like it or not!

Hey, did you have the french text books?

It is nothing like that.

I did German at school. As a result France is still a land of mystery

[Saga Lout]

...We will stay with them Friday and leave Sunday.
We have a channel tunnel crossing on Wednesday and will come back the following Wednesday.
I have two nights before staying with them, and four nights after...

Sunday night
Monday night
Tuesday night
I make that three nights. Somebody can't count, is it me or you?

[Mr Moofo]

...We will stay with them Friday and leave Sunday.
We have a channel tunnel crossing on Wednesday and will come back the following Wednesday.
I have two nights before staying with them, and four nights after...

Sunday night
Monday night
Tuesday night
I make that three nights. Somebody can't count, is it me or you?

I can't count ...

[Sadlonelygit]

Well, we are going to La Rochelle, whether you lot like it or not!

Hey, did you have the french text books?

It is nothing like that.

I did German at school. As a result France is still a land of mystery

Not if you are ze germans!

[Mr Moofo]

I've only driven that full route a couple of times - it's a loooooong way even on the fairly clear autoroutes, so you'll need at least one overnight stop. I did it once at Le Mans but it's not exactly pretty.

Angers is ok, quite pretty - I ate at Bistrot des Ducs when I was there, really good. Blinding steak - and I don't eat steak that often because meh you get it everywhere in France.

I really like La Rochelle. You'll only be interested in the old town and it's small so always gives the appearance of being rammed, so I wouldn't spend more than a day there. But it's pretty enough down there for a wander and sitting by the port quaffing beers in the sunshine is lovely. My favourite hotels are Maison des Ambassadeurs and Le Champlain, both very centrally located, and properly old-school French hotels - there's a decent carpark closeby under the main square. If eating, everyone plumps for those massive plates of shellfish. I can't really recommend anywhere to have that because shellfish isn't really my thing - but I'm told Bar André on the port is the best for that. Personally I would go round the corner from that to a great Italian place Le Comptoir italien. For caffs, my favourite is Cafe Moliere (just down the street from Maison des Ambassadeurs) as it's properly French, but if you want the full on big ritzy french caff experience then you have to go to Cafe de la paix (a hundred yards the other way)

Ate at Bar André - a bit average
Old town lovely - but lots of street drinkers
Staying out side at a Sawday recommendation, which is very good

[DefTrap]

Ate at Bar André - a bit average
Old town lovely - but lots of street drinkers
Staying out side at a Sawday recommendation, which is very good

Yeah you should have gone to the Italian place.
I've never quite seen the interest in a pile of shellfish or oysters.

Have fun, but please take this rubbish weather with you.

[mangocrazy]

This is probably late to the party and smacks a bit of the old Irish joke 'if I was wanting to get to there I wouldn't be starting from here', but...

Have you considered giving Calais as your entry point a miss and instead driving down to Portsmouth and catching the ferry to Caen? Your route using Calais as a starting point means that you are exposed to the gravitational pull of Paris for nearly a third of the entire distance, plus you're driving through some fairly industrial and uninspiring places. If you enter at Caen you have a pretty much uninterrupted straight shot down to Bordeaux and journey time is reduced by over two hours. The scenery you pass through is also much more agreeable.

Caen (actually it's Ouistreham) is a much smaller port and you're out of it and onto dual carriageway in a few minutes. Caen/Ouistreham to La Rochelle is easily doable in under 5 hours and if you use the overnight crossing you're easily on your way by 8 a.m. with the whole day ahead of you.

We've used the Portsmouth-Caen route for the last 10 years of visting France (I tried Calais, Le Havre, Le Chunnel and even Zeebrugge) and it's comfortably the best for us and we live in Sheffield. YMMV, of course.

[Mr Moofo]

Ate at Bar André - a bit average
Old town lovely - but lots of street drinkers
Staying out side at a Sawday recommendation, which is very good

Yeah you should have gone to the Italian place.
I've never quite seen the interest in a pile of shellfish or oysters.

Have fun, but please take this rubbish weather with you.

It is unbelievably crap. Now in St Emillion and it is like a wet Sunday in Wales!

[Mr Moofo]

This is probably late to the party and smacks a bit of the old Irish joke 'if I was wanting to get to there I wouldn't be starting from here', but...

Have you considered giving Calais as your entry point a miss and instead driving down to Portsmouth and catching the ferry to Caen? Your route using Calais as a starting point means that you are exposed to the gravitational pull of Paris for nearly a third of the entire distance, plus you're driving through some fairly industrial and uninspiring places. If you enter at Caen you have a pretty much uninterrupted straight shot down to Bordeaux and journey time is reduced by over two hours. The scenery you pass through is also much more agreeable.

Caen (actually it's Ouistreham) is a much smaller port and you're out of it and onto dual carriageway in a few minutes. Caen/Ouistreham to La Rochelle is easily doable in under 5 hours and if you use the overnight crossing you're easily on your way by 8 a.m. with the whole day ahead of you.

We've used the Portsmouth-Caen route for the last 10 years of visting France (I tried Calais, Le Havre, Le Chunnel and even Zeebrugge) and it's comfortably the best for us and we live in Sheffield. YMMV, of course.

We would have gone Newhaven to Dieppe but I left it too late and the ferry would have cost us 450 quid! Hence the tunnel ( which when they change to rules in Oct is going to be a true fuck up )

[mangocrazy]

Ate at Bar André - a bit average
Old town lovely - but lots of street drinkers
Staying out side at a Sawday recommendation, which is very good

Yeah you should have gone to the Italian place.
I've never quite seen the interest in a pile of shellfish or oysters.

Have fun, but please take this rubbish weather with you.

It is unbelievably crap. Now in St Emillion and it is like a wet Sunday in Wales!

The first time I visited St Emilion it was just like that, but in August FFS. But it is very pretty and totally surrounded by vines. If you're there after dark you'll see loads of bats hunting moths that are drawn by the rampart lighting.

[Mr Moofo]

Yeah you should have gone to the Italian place.
I've never quite seen the interest in a pile of shellfish or oysters.

Have fun, but please take this rubbish weather with you.

It is unbelievably crap. Now in St Emillion and it is like a wet Sunday in Wales!

The first time I visited St Emilion it was just like that, but in August FFS. But it is very pretty and totally surrounded by vines. If you're there after dark you'll see loads of bats hunting moths that are drawn by the rampart lighting.

St Emillion was lovely - off to Perigeux tonight and the beginning the journey back up north

[Sadlonelygit]

It is unbelievably crap. Now in St Emillion and it is like a wet Sunday in Wales!

The first time I visited St Emilion it was just like that, but in August FFS. But it is very pretty and totally surrounded by vines. If you're there after dark you'll see loads of bats hunting moths that are drawn by the rampart lighting.

St Emillion was lovely - off to Perigeux tonight and the beginning the journey back up north

Is that anywhere near Perigueux?
20km from me

[Mr Moofo]

The first time I visited St Emilion it was just like that, but in August FFS. But it is very pretty and totally surrounded by vines. If you're there after dark you'll see loads of bats hunting moths that are drawn by the rampart lighting.

St Emillion was lovely - off to Perigeux tonight and the beginning the journey back up north

Is that anywhere near Perigueux?
20km from me

arse - I was there two nights ago and it was shut ! - but last night Blois and tonight Rouen

[Rockburner]

This is probably late to the party and smacks a bit of the old Irish joke 'if I was wanting to get to there I wouldn't be starting from here', but...

Have you considered giving Calais as your entry point a miss and instead driving down to Portsmouth and catching the ferry to Caen? Your route using Calais as a starting point means that you are exposed to the gravitational pull of Paris for nearly a third of the entire distance, plus you're driving through some fairly industrial and uninspiring places. If you enter at Caen you have a pretty much uninterrupted straight shot down to Bordeaux and journey time is reduced by over two hours. The scenery you pass through is also much more agreeable.

Caen (actually it's Ouistreham) is a much smaller port and you're out of it and onto dual carriageway in a few minutes. Caen/Ouistreham to La Rochelle is easily doable in under 5 hours and if you use the overnight crossing you're easily on your way by 8 a.m. with the whole day ahead of you.

We've used the Portsmouth-Caen route for the last 10 years of visting France (I tried Calais, Le Havre, Le Chunnel and even Zeebrugge) and it's comfortably the best for us and we live in Sheffield. YMMV, of course.

FWIW, i agree with this.

[Docca]

I’ll be having a bit of a road trip to Marseille with one of my boys beginning of August. Rest of family flying. Watching thread with interest- thanks!

I was tempted to schlep over to Luxembourg/ Switzerland/ Italy and then drop into France. Now I’m tempted to go via Caen. Couple of nights en route.

[Noggin]

I’ll be having a bit of a road trip to Marseille with one of my boys beginning of August. Rest of family flying. Watching thread with interest- thanks!

I was tempted to schlep over to Luxembourg/ Switzerland/ Italy and then drop into France. Now I’m tempted to go via Caen. Couple of nights en route.

If you stick with the original plan, let me know as you can 'drop into France' from Italy very close to me (I'm only a couple of hours from Switzerland too!) Look at the Col de l'Iseran, Col de Petit St Bernard, possibly the Col de la Madeleine. Maybe ??!!

[Mr Moofo]

I’ll be having a bit of a road trip to Marseille with one of my boys beginning of August. Rest of family flying. Watching thread with interest- thanks!

I was tempted to schlep over to Luxembourg/ Switzerland/ Italy and then drop into France. Now I’m tempted to go via Caen. Couple of nights en route.

I would say that the East side is more varied.
I used to drive to Zurich a lot. Namur is not bad, Strasbourg is lovely, Colmar is very pretty, Nancy Is quite grand, then you have mountains (if you want) and Provence .
The west side is pretty dull until you get to the Loire. Then is is 600 Km of vineyards

[Mr Moofo]

I’ll be having a bit of a road trip to Marseille with one of my boys beginning of August. Rest of family flying. Watching thread with interest- thanks!

I was tempted to schlep over to Luxembourg/ Switzerland/ Italy and then drop into France. Now I’m tempted to go via Caen. Couple of nights en route.

If you stick with the original plan, let me know as you can 'drop into France' from Italy very close to me (I'm only a couple of hours from Switzerland too!) Look at the Col de l'Iseran, Col de Petit St Bernard, possibly the Col de la Madeleine. Maybe ??!!

And those are really good to do on a motorcycle

[Noggin]

I’ll be having a bit of a road trip to Marseille with one of my boys beginning of August. Rest of family flying. Watching thread with interest- thanks!

I was tempted to schlep over to Luxembourg/ Switzerland/ Italy and then drop into France. Now I’m tempted to go via Caen. Couple of nights en route.

If you stick with the original plan, let me know as you can 'drop into France' from Italy very close to me (I'm only a couple of hours from Switzerland too!) Look at the Col de l'Iseran, Col de Petit St Bernard, possibly the Col de la Madeleine. Maybe ??!!

And those are really good to do on a motorcycle

Hell yes! Well, not done the Madeleine yet - that was this week's plan with the sunshine, but back put paid to that!!

There's a few over in Italy that you can link up with one or two that come back over here!! Also have mates with a chalet (that has a hot tub!) that do catered holidays

[Sadlonelygit]

St Emillion was lovely - off to Perigeux tonight and the beginning the journey back up north

Is that anywhere near Perigueux?
20km from me

arse - I was there two nights ago and it was shut ! - but last night Blois and tonight Rouen

Sunday nights in rural France are a wee bit dull.
Watson's may have been open, or the rather disappointing curry house.
Saturday is THE day!