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17/03/2008, 21:04 abbo2 Joined on 08/06/2007 Posts 11 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE we will be here end of may - we live here all the time email me if you want abbo    Report

19/03/2008, 22:00 Ian Joined on 05/06/2006 Nr. Buzancais, Indre Posts 71 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE Scotslassie, I've driven a similar route often - I used to live in Edinburgh and now live near Chateauroux. If you really want to avoid Paris, and don't mind a few extra kilometres, swing west of Paris : Calais - Rouen - LeMans - Tours - Vierzon. Now the A85 is open east of Tours, it's motorway almost all the way (and delightfully empty motorway at that). Easy driving - boredom is the main enemy. Rouen is supposed to be tricky, but I've not found it to be a problem. As others have said, as long as you know which towns/cities lie along your route, and as long as you keep your eyes open, it's not difficult. Good luck    Report

19/03/2008, 23:42 scotslassie Joined on 06/03/2008 Posts 28 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE Thanks Ian.  I'm going to print various options out and then we can change our minds depending on tine, conditions etc......  Boring is good, the less traffic the better although if we can get through a few small towns before hitting major roads I am sure motorways wont be the problem.  I havent driven abroad for 18 years (went to California for a year aged 21) but I didnt drive the day I arrived!  Your route would be similar - I live in the land of scottish raspberries about an hour and a bit north of Edinburgh.  Abbo - once everythings booked, we may be in touch.   Thanks for all posts    Report

29/03/2008, 22:29 Ian Joined on 05/06/2006 Nr. Buzancais, Indre Posts 71 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE Regarding the land of Scottish raspberries, are you talking about the Carse of Gowrie? If so, I know it well - I was raised in Dundee. If you're driving from there to Montlucon, have a look at the ferries to Zeebrugge. Going from Rosyth saves a long drive down to the Channel ports, while going via Hull will save you the bit through southern England (the worst bit, no disrespect meant!). They may seem expensive on the surface, but last trip back from Edinburgh, I paid around £180 for the Rosyth-Zeebrugge crossing (car, cabin, two people) - by the time you add the extra petrol/diesel costs, plus even a cheap hotel around Dover or Calais, there's not a lot in it. Good luck anyway, however you travel.    Report

29/03/2008, 23:20 Hoddy Joined on 23/08/2004 .....Forum Moderator..... NW Leics/SE Dordogne Posts 2,082 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE There are quite a few people on this board who don't like driving in or near Paris. An often recommended route south is Rouen, Chartres, Orleans. See this thread for a more detailed account http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1081674/ShowPost.aspx Hoddy    Report

30/03/2008, 14:09 Megan le Fey Joined on 31/10/2006 Posts 201 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE We will be doing a similar trip to yours Scotslassie sometime during the last two weeks of April.  We will be travelling from near Blairgowrie to near Chateauroux.  I drove from Dordogne up here to Blairgowrie six months ago in a RHD car (after 6 years in France but with a LHD car) and it wasn't too bad but we kept getting lost.  I kept telling my OH who doesn't drive any more, "don't worry, so we're lost, we're retired and an extra night in a hotel won't quite bankrupt us".  He was never convinced and went quiet every time we ended up 50kms from our destination.   This time, I have invested in a sat nav with European maps and have been practising using it everywhere we go. I shall be trying to do exactly as "she" tells me but I have the feeling that I shall be hearing "her" telling me that "she" is recalculating several dozen times during the trip.  I shall print out an itinerary from Mappy (or similar) and have it with me as a backup.  I am not one of those super-confident, long distance driving types but do seem to manage in the end. Good luck and try to enjoy the trip,  I am determined that we are going to enjoy ours. Anne, used to be Cassie who used to be Miggimeggi    Report

10/04/2008, 23:45 scotslassie Joined on 06/03/2008 Posts 28 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE Back again.  Thanks Ian for the tip about the Rosyth ferry - we are seriously considering it if we can get a good deal!  We are from Blairgowrie although I wasnt  born and bred here.  Anne, good luck with your trip in April - let us know how you get on.  Ours isnt until late May when I sign my final contract.  We will set off with a few days to spare and a tent for emergencies!  I hate being pressurised by deadlines when on holiday so it wont matter if we get lost a bit - unless its in Paris    Report

11/04/2008, 9:50 Ron Avery Joined on 29/11/2004 Posts 3,099 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE  Ian wrote: If you really want to avoid Paris, and don't mind a few extra kilometres, swing west of Paris : Calais - Rouen - LeMans - Tours - Vierzon. I know you like to go through Rouen Ian, but why would anybody going to Montlucon which is just off the A71 en route to Clermont-Ferrand want to go through Tours and Le Mans?  There are pretty routes and pretty expensive routes, what with the price of fuel these days and that route is the best part of 100 kms more than the "normal route" to Vierzon,  so not just a "few kilometres". Driven away by an idiot    Report

11/04/2008, 12:18 Mel Joined on 23/08/2004 Norwich - Home of Archant Posts 711 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE I'm with Albert the Infogypsy... Take a longer crossing and follow his suggested route via Tours. The cross channel rest will be good for you as tiredness is a bigger killer on the roads than anything else!      Good luck...      Report

11/04/2008, 17:22 Ian Joined on 05/06/2006 Nr. Buzancais, Indre Posts 71 Re: DRIVING CALAIS TO MONTLUCON (3) AUVERGNE Ron, I take your point, but it all depends how much you want to avoid Paris (and the busy roads round Paris). For myself and others from Scotland, landing at Calais means we've already driven c. 800km, usually involving the M1 and the M25 - following that, the direct but busy route via Paris is not much fun. Conversely, the west route is quiet, with few risks of hold-ups or delays, so timing is fairly predictable. And driving is less stressful. As far as the cost is concerned, 100km is around 6l of gasoil, maybe 7.5 Euro. In the context of a two day, 1000km journey involving ferry plus hotel, I don't see that as significant. Landing at Zeebrugge, on the other hand, you can't really avoid Paris. And on our last trip, we sailed though Paris, making Chateauroux in under six hours. Mind, I now have a SatNav, which guided me through Paris very successfully. Maybe the time has come to reconsider..... Cheers    Report

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